Course of Empire Review by Jason Anderson

This self-titled debut was originally released independently in 1990 by the Dallas band Course of Empire on the regional Carpe Diem label before being picked up and remastered by Zoo Records for a 1992 release. Considering the group’s history with film, it isn’t surprising that Course of Empire is a challenging and often cinematic recording, bravely attempting to transcend many of the more standard rock elements and instrumentation that it is built upon. The sprawling “Thrust” is one standout with its considerable sonic invention, and “Sins of the Fathers” delivers on a more traditional, song-oriented level. While the group’s follow-up, Initiation, and other later releases further refined Course of Empire’s almost industrial rock with tighter production and more unified lyrical themes (generally political and conspiratorial in nature), the relative rawness and personality of this debut is certainly worth checking out, especially for fans of the group’s later work.