I remember back in 2021, just seeing Spiritbox absolutely blowing up in the metal community, in part because of all the bangers by Spiritbox or featuring Courtney popping up everywhere. Hearing Circle With Me and Contraband after that, I was more than excited to see another Courtney feature, this time with metalcore/post-hardcore rockers Crown The Empire.
I kind of got the impression that not a lot of people liked this song in comparison to Contraband, which I found both weird and sad. Sure, it's not face-pummeling brutality with enough rage to rival the sun, but it still has great vocal melodies and chunk, and I enjoyed it a lot when it came out. Anything Courtney touches is gold, but the bands she collaborates with are still extremely solid on their own.
They have a unique dual vocal texture going on for the majority of the song, and I lowkey really enjoy Hayden's screams, it has this grittier and thicker sound to it. Andy's cleans are great, it might not be the most crazy vocal melody to sing but he makes it sound equal parts beautiful and haunting.
The chorus is one of the best things I've heard that year, there's just something about the vocal melody that really hits the spot. The call-and-response sing and scream dynamic is really cool as well, and really hooked me in the first time I heard it.
Of course, Courtney LaPlante. I'm glad they let her do both cleans and screams, something I lowkey wished was on Contraband. Minor gripe, one that I've heard from other people, the transition to Courtney's part is kind of nonexistent and I can agree that if you didn't know how the vocalists sounded you might not even be aware that it's a different vocalist at that point. Despite that, it's a section that flows well, and the scream section is tastefully brutal. There's nothing quite like Courtney's screams to make a song that much better.
I think it's fun that they just went with another chunky breakdown to end off the song. They could've thrown another chorus to end off like most songs of this caliber do, but they 000'ed it up instead. Even for Crown This Empire, it's a rare thing to see them go for heavy like this.
In Another Life is an underrated banger, sometimes I feel like it got overshadowed by Contraband as the "better" Courtney feature single, they are both great tracks in their own rights. Circle With Me, Contraband and In Another Life are literally my top 3 songs of 2021, so 'nuff said. Banger banger banger.
Rating: 4.5/5
"DOGMA" Album Cover