NEW EMPIRE ONE
| Hollywood Undead
NEW EMPIRE ONE
According to member George "Johnny 3 Tears" Ragan: "This album is our attempt at reimagining Hollywood Undead, not just a new sound for this release, but a new sound for the band altogether. Our goal from the outset was to make music that stands alone from our other albums, yet seamlessly fits with what we've made before. Building upon the old to create a new sound and a New Empire."-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Cryptic Rock
Giving you a taste of what this new album is all about, in the end it is catchy, thriving and everything fans have come to love about Hollywood Undead. Some might argue this album is their hardest Rock-driven piece of work to date, but it works really well.
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Metal Wani
Hollywood Undead may not be the average metalhead’s cup of tea. Established fans will love this album. It has solid writing, elevated vocals, standout beats, and heavy lyrical content. It also gives the mainstream metal fan a harder taste of EDM that they may not hear often or are familiar with.
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KERRANG!
Those already in the cult will probably appreciate this louder iteration of the band, but that said, a lot of what Hollywood Undead serve up, metalised or not, remains something of a brainless listen. Another shake-up may be in order, but for now this isn’t so much a ‘new’ empire as a polish of the old one.
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2LOUD2OLDMUSIC
In what is supposed to be a change in direction and new sound that is fresh while still being Hollywood Undead, it is all of that and none of it. The music is still a mixture of nu metal and rap which is what they have always done.
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Distorted Sound
Whilst it’s a refreshing change of pace in its instrumental part, the small hinges within the album are almost too easy to hook onto.
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Music Existence
Hollywood Undead took a new approach, they tore down what they had done in the past to start fresh and build something new, something that the band needed to do. New Empire, Vol 1., truly showcases how much this band has matured.
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The Sound Board
Even at their worst and most flagrantly tasteless, they’ve had more to them than this, and it leads to the assumption that …Vol. 1 only exists to be their safe guarantee of a success streak sticking around just a little bit longer.
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Wall of sound AU
While Hollywood Undead aren’t necessarily breaking new ground here, New Empire, Volume I is a solid collection of new tracks for fans to fall in love with. The top production courtesy of Matt Good needs to be commended here as well as the band’s attempt at reimagining their sound was a decent effort.
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Dead Press!
Whereas most groups tend to misstep when attempting to change their sound, instead Hollywood Undead have benefitted from taking huge stylistic leaps on ‘New Empire, Vol. 1’. With a streamlined and sonically weaving record at their side, Hollywood Undead sound revitalised and confident with their new chapter.
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Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life
. . . what we have is a solid Hollywood Undead album that will please long-term fans and will likely win over many new ones too.
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SCREAMER MAGAZINE
Although the music is definitely fresh and timely, the combination sound of rock, hip-hop, and however else you might classify the band is still mostly definitely the sound of Hollywood Undead.
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Musik Reviews
Perfect Nu-Metal sound design, which sometimes overshadows average songwriting - HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD s fourth long player should inspire everyone who got stuck at the turn of the millennium just as much as his three predecessors, because the West Coast Americans have only written songs that could have appeared back then.
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metal.de
Compared to the previous albums, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD clearly succeeds in sounding more like handcrafted instruments instead of canned food. If the band succeeds in impressing the songs with more depth, substance and variety. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD will start a new chapter in 2020 with "New Empire Vol.I".
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Away From Life
. . . the album goes back to the roots and is much harder than its predecessor. There are still many clean vocals, but most of the songs pop in really well. There are also some increases in rap technology, so the passages are reminiscent of Eminem in places.
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Count Your Bruises Magazine
Overall, the album seems more powerful, harder and more energetic than its predecessors, so it definitely shows a new direction.
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BACKSTAGEAXXESS
“”New Empire, Vol. 1” really opens up a new chapter for Hollywood Undead as they move into uncharted waters and dive into some heavier songs that will have you thinking as well as rocking.
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Upset Magazine
A short sharp shock of anthems and riffs, it's the full Hollywood Undead experience.
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Hysteria Mag.com
There is some clever instrumentation buried in the metalised rap-rock angst, and there are genuinely compelling floor-fillers here, but the lyrics are unintentionally hilarious in places and the vocals frequently undermine the street-tough backbone of the music. It’s a weird mix of ideas and it doesn’t always work but it contains some songs that deserve a repeat listen.
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Musicserver.cz
The Californian bunch has begun a new era. She dropped her masks, opened herself to more listeners and bet on a harder sound. Moreover, the folding process caught her in the form, thus offering her most powerful material on "New Empire, Vol. 1".
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Gringoz Magazine
In summary, the guys from Los Angeles have succeeded in a good album, it is different from the predecessor, without having a complete break in style.
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OUTRIGHT GEEKERY
Hollywood Undead has torn down what they’d done to build something new. Their new empire is a behemoth of a structure. The lyrics are personal, heartfelt, and catchy while the instrumentals are complex and filled with diversity. New Empire Vol 1, highlights how much this band has grown and showcases why they’ve succeeded for so long.
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All In Music Review
This album is certainly worth listening to, but its full worth will be realized after listening many times.
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HEAR2ZEN Magazine
“Hollywood Undead” have crafted a damn good album, mixing multiple musical genres, vocal styles, nostalgic sounds and even bands together to create something really special. It sounds perfectly at home within their back catalog, yet totally different and mature at the same time.
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Everyday Metal
For the original fans and the early followers of the myspace era, this is an album you could have thoroughly enjoyed years ago. Hollywood Undead’s sound has matured over the years but now, they have revisited their roots, and with their refreshed sound it has resulted in a Hollywood Undead album that can be appreciated in full by all.
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Metal Anarchy
Hollywood Undead never disappoint and their new album “New Empire, Vol. 1” is no exception. The effort combines elements of rock, rap, metal, and electronic music to create killer songs that are sure to satisfy longtime fans.
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MMH Radio
The rich and layered guitar sound Hollywood Undead have created, teamed with the synth underlayers and thundering drums, is just perfection. The band show us many of their vulnerabilities and emotions with this album and have converted them into a musical masterpiece. New Empire, Vol. 1 is a myriad of genres seamlessly fused and, in some ways, a complete re-imagination of the band’s sound.
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ROCK 'N' LOAD
Hollywood Undead have written an album which is darker and grittier than any of their previous work. This side of them has been hinted at throughout the years but this album showcases this deeper side of the band as they’ve grown personally and musically. New Empire Vol 1 does what it says on the tin as we enter a new stage of this band and leaves you wanting more from a potential Vol 2.
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Hollywood Undead’s latest, New Empire One also serves as a new beginning for the rap rockers. Written to revamp and build on their existing sound, the new album finds the guys crafting anthemic, fist-in-the-air bangers. It’s loud, it’s rowdy, and it’s catchy as hell.
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All In Music Review
This album is certainly worth listening to, but its full worth will be realized after listening many times.
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HEAR2ZEN Magazine
“Hollywood Undead” have crafted a damn good album, mixing multiple musical genres, vocal styles, nostalgic sounds and even bands together to create something really special. It sounds perfectly at home within their back catalog, yet totally different and mature at the same time.
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Everyday Metal
For the original fans and the early followers of the myspace era, this is an album you could have thoroughly enjoyed years ago. Hollywood Undead’s sound has matured over the years but now, they have revisited their roots, and with their refreshed sound it has resulted in a Hollywood Undead album that can be appreciated in full by all.
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Metal Anarchy
Hollywood Undead never disappoint and their new album “New Empire, Vol. 1” is no exception. The effort combines elements of rock, rap, metal, and electronic music to create killer songs that are sure to satisfy longtime fans.
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MMH Radio
The rich and layered guitar sound Hollywood Undead have created, teamed with the synth underlayers and thundering drums, is just perfection. The band show us many of their vulnerabilities and emotions with this album and have converted them into a musical masterpiece. New Empire, Vol. 1 is a myriad of genres seamlessly fused and, in some ways, a complete re-imagination of the band’s sound.
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ROCK 'N' LOAD
Hollywood Undead have written an album which is darker and grittier than any of their previous work. This side of them has been hinted at throughout the years but this album showcases this deeper side of the band as they’ve grown personally and musically. New Empire Vol 1 does what it says on the tin as we enter a new stage of this band and leaves you wanting more from a potential Vol 2.
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Amoeba Music
Hollywood Undead’s latest, New Empire One also serves as a new beginning for the rap rockers. Written to revamp and build on their existing sound, the new album finds the guys crafting anthemic, fist-in-the-air bangers. It’s loud, it’s rowdy, and it’s catchy as hell.
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Music Beyond Headlines
The new album boasts 9 songs that seem to really embody an extreme and radical context, blended with an intense aggression, typified by the bands persona.
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Metal Hammer
In addition to the lead single 'Already Dead', which is admittedly not bad, only the two trap-based tracks 'Killin It' and 'Nightmare' are really good. Hollywood Undead should finally admit that their skills are in hip-hop, mothball the guitars and thus bring their long-lasting identity-finding process to a sensible conclusion.
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Metal Underground
" New Empire, Vol. 1 " hits the nerve of the times and at the same time does justice to the old HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD sound. It is nothing completely new, but a further development that makes curious about the future of the band.
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Blaze Radio Online
As a whole, the new approach that Hollywood Undead took for New Empire is refreshing and something that I think the band needed. It’s new, without forsaking the familiar tropes that got the group to where they are today. It’s a record that will stack up as one of their strongest in recent memory, but will also force some fans to readjust to the sound, a bit. Ultimately, it’s a record that flat-out works.
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UNRAVELED
Overall, "New Empire, Vol. 1" is a grown up but very amusing album. It's brazen but not pretentious. The constant groove is perfectly paired with the dynamic, contagious big choruses, all while keeping a good balance between catchiness and heaviness.
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POZZO LIVE
New Empire Vol.1 has indeed only the name again, because it is very difficult to find a break with what the group has done so far. And it's not really a fault, as Hollywood Undead is good at what it does. There remains a little feeling of frustration and sadness at the idea that Hollywood Undeadcould / better seized the opportunity to show his talent by exploring other horizons.
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Ignite Music Magazine
This new beginning is just that..The beginning of one hell of a year for Hollywood Undead and im sure many more to come!
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MUSICWAVES
"New Empire, Vol 1" is based on efficiency and immediacy. One listen is more than enough to enter the world of Hollywood Undead. An opus to be put in the hands of rappers who like to mix this music with a hint of metal like the bands Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park could do in their time, but without their originality.
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Spotlight Report
Their latest offering, New Empire, Vol. 1 is due for release next week, and while it isn’t my favourite album of 2020, the band have put together some great songs.
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