"The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules" Released: June 26, 2009
Empire is the second EP by American metalcore band The Word Alive. It was released on July 21, 2009 through Fearless Records. The EP was produced by Andrew Wade and charted at number 15 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers.[1] After this EP, founding drummer Tony Aguilera was fired from the band, it is however, the first release with lead vocalist Tyler Smith. The recording process of this EP forced Smith to learn how to scream in just matter of few days, as he did not know how to prior to the recording.[2] Due to this, additional screaming is provided by guitarist, Zack Hansen.
Re-recordings
The song "Casanova Rodeo" was originally a part of the unreleased The Word Alive EP. After the release of Empire, the track "Battle Royale" became one of The Word Alive's most known and notable songs and was re-recorded for the band's debut full-length album, Deceiver.