WE COULD BUILD AN EMPIRE - In This Place (2017)

Release: 8 December 2017

In december 2017 Swedish alternative/progressive hard rock trio We Could Build An Empire are back with the follow-up to their 2011 eponymous debut. On the new album called ”In This Place” the band have worked with the reputed Jens Bogren at Fashination Street Studios (Opeth, Katatonia, Witchcraft) and legendary producer Zed Smon. Zed most famously worked with the biggest poprock band inside Sweden, Kent on their major breakthrough albums during 1997-2002.

The aim for the new album was to make every track stand out as a great song on it’s own, carefully produced and mixed to match the vibe and the lyrics of each one. This is why it took some extra time to finish the album, patiently waiting until very busy producer Jens Bogren had time to mix the final three songs.

Looking back at the debut Classic Rock Magazine’s PROG issue wrote:
“Opener “Finest Work” has a muscular metallic tinge that nods to Alice In Chains, while there’s a touch of Peter Gabriel in “Easy”. A charm all it’s own.”

Even though the debut was a non-budet self-release it did get some attention in the US as well:
"We Could build An Empire is a fine modern melodic rock release which perfectly fuses elements from alternative rock and progressive rock into a collection of completely saturated and compelling tunes. Fans of the likes of Mew, Soundgarden, Muse, and Coldplay might find it further interesting, since We Could Build An Empire presents yet another way of combining alternative rock and progressive rock."  Seaoftranquility.org, US

Bassist/vocalist Marcus Pehrsson share his thoughts on the new album:
- I guess we have to a great extent stuck with our influences and that’s still a little bit of everything we like really, all the great music we love from Tool, Soundgarden and Radiohead to AC/DC, PJ Harvey and King Crimson. Music to me should be without boundaries. Just let it flow, any path it takes really, that’s what our music is about. We like it diverse, like an old Led Zep or Beatles-album in that sense, whatever happened to that idea?

For the new album, the band signed to fellow Scandinavian Mighty Music (Denmark). First single "All In This Together" will be out on October 27th, whereas the new album "In This Place" will be released on December 8th 2017.

Zed Smon gives his view on mixing the band:
– We Could Build An Empire is fantastic band, with high level of musicianship. I’ve had a pleasure to mix some of their new songs and at their heart, lays a genuine drive to explore expression within their genre. I feel their strength lies in their lyrics as well as their powerful performance. They like to explore and grow in their uniqueness, and that feels like a much needed quality in todays music scene.

 

Band member backgrounds:
Marcus and Pat have a common history in progressive rock/metal act Last Laugh which released ”Meet Us Where We Are Today” on Record Heaven Records in 1997. Marcus was also in space/psychedelic rock band darXtar from 1994 and onwards releasing four full-length albums; “Sju” Black Widow Records 1995, “Tombola” Record Heaven Records 2001, “We Came Too Late” Nasoni Records 2005 and “Aged To Perfection”Transubstans records 2011. DarXtar are also known for their collaborations with Hawkwind-legend Nik Turner, performing as his live band during Nik's two solo gigs in Sweden 1995 and 1998. Michael is one of the songwriters and the producer behind swedish electro/synth act Massiv Ångest. In 2010 they released their digital album “Det Nya Svarta”.

We Could Build An Empire are:
Marcus Pehrsson: Lead vocals / bass
Pat Wallin: Guitars / backing vocals
Michael Ohlsson: Drums / percussion 

 
www.wcbae.com