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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/b><\/p>\n
September 11, 2014<\/b><\/p>\n
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STATES AND EMPIRES TO RELEASE EP IN OCTOBER<\/b><\/p>\n
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Former members of Attack! Attack! UK <\/b><\/p>\n
turn up the \u201990s grunge vibe in new band<\/b><\/p>\n
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Many were sad to see Welsh band Attack! Attack! UK split in early 2013, but band members Neil Starr (guitar\/vocals) and Will Davies (bass) wasted no time in forming States and Empires with Evita drummer Johno Fisher.\u00a0 They are set to release a three-song EP, Revolution<\/i>, in the United States on October 7, 2014 via Rock Ridge Music.\u00a0 The three songs (\u201cRevolution,\u201d \u201cYeah, Yeah, Yeah,\u201d and \u201cSay Anything\u201d) also appear on the forthcoming album, Freedom<\/i> (which will see an early 2015 U.S. release), and serve as a taste of what\u2019s to come from this trio.\u00a0 Influenced by early \u201990s grunge, States and Empires manages to seamlessly blend instantly memorable, melodic hooks with pummeling drums and massive guitar riffs that have the capacity to pack as much of a punch in an arena as they do in a club.<\/p>\n
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Says Starr of the new band:\u00a0 \u201cWe became a three-piece, which has made a big difference to the recording process. The songs, we think, are a lot more stripped down and raw, both live and on the record. From the shows we have done so far, people are comparing us to Nirvana, which for us is insane as we love that band.\u00a0 We are happy that people are into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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To work on the material for Revolution<\/i> and Freedom<\/i>, the band locked themselves in a rehearsal room in Taffs Well in South Wales until they had an album\u2019s worth of material.\u00a0 The songs were recorded partly in Cardiff, Wales and partly in Florida with producer Stuart Richardson (ex Lostprophets, now No Devotion). The forthcoming album was named Freedom<\/i> as a reflection to the current state of the band:\u00a0 the musicians feel they can do what they want since they\u2019re not tied down to any management, booking agents, or exclusive record label.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt’s been really refreshing to be able to have total control in what we do,\u201d says Starr of the DIY mentality they\u2019ve embraced.\u00a0 \u201cOf course it means we have to put a lot of time into preparations and organizing, but right now we are happy to be in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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UK-based \u00dcber R\u00f6ck<\/i> wrote early praise for the forthcoming States and Empires music, saying that \u201cthe\u2026 tracks on offer have taken the shiniest, most valuable parts of Attack! Attack! [UK] (and Starr’s other band, Dopamine) and reworked them, seemingly by having them fawned over by cherubs and kissed by angels, such is the gorgeous nature of most of them.\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say that this\u2026 is a sickly sweet medicine that\u2019ll make you feel good for a while then let you fall back into the abyss: no\u2026 as hook-laden as it is, is a thorn on a rose cutting, a sugarcoated arsenic capsule, melody-soaked melancholy that never lets you forget that you\u2019re, we\u2019re, teetering on the brink, and that life has teeth.\u00a0 \u2026Want the negatives? Well, there are none.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The recordings were funded by the band itself, and the CD\/LP was financed by a successful Kickstarter campaign. States and Empires then teamed up with Rock Ridge Music and White Russian Records to help them give the album the release a great heavy rock record deserves.\u00a0 To support the release of the album in Europe this fall, States and Empires are embarking on a 30-date European tour in September and October 2014.\u00a0 All of the shows in the UK will be free for fans.<\/p>\n
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The band\u2019s blistering live performances have already created a huge buzz across mainland Europe with the band racking up over 50 live gigs by early 2014, including two sold-out tours with Californian pop-punks Zebrahead. Their German fanbase in particular earned them a place on John Coffey\u2019s tour at the end of April in 2014.<\/p>\n
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Revolution<\/i>, and the forthcoming album Freedom<\/i>, are the follow-up to their four-track EP, Giants<\/i>, which was released outside of the United States to critical acclaim. \u201cWe are really excited to put this music out there and to hear the reaction of the fans,\u201d says Starr.\u00a0 \u201cWe have been writing and recording for this band for over 18 months now, so it will be a great day when the music is finally released in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
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