On their sophomore effort, Dallas post-hardcore outfit
Crown the Empire
widen their dynamic range with the simultaneously soaring and punishing
The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways
. There's something distinctly bipolar about the band's sound, which seems to shift effortlessly from the cinematic pomp of "Satellites (Act III)" to the crunching darkness of "Bloodline" without much trouble. The dramatic back and forth between these two ideas is wildly ambitious, but
manage to pull it off in a compelling enough way that they don't lose the listener in the process. In fact, this theatricality is easily the album's most engaging feature, making
a unique offering in an otherwise dull post-hardcore landscape. ~ Gregory Heaney