Born in 2000 after a meeting between Mat and keyboard player Lele, the newly formed band shortly started playing gigs in some of the most important
clubs in the surrounding area, basing their setlist on cover tunes from Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Helloween, Queensryche and Deep Purple among others.
After realizing that the cover-band path wasn't the one to be taken Crystal Empire, at time also featuring Teo and Giorgo on drums and bass, decided
to set their aim on writing and recording some tracks destined to end up on a demo to be shipped out in search for a recording contract. Once having
added experienced singer Simon to their ranks, the band finally crafted "Lord of Illusions", the first EP, comprised of five songs that showed a lot of
the aforementioned influences with their Progressive-tinted melodic Power Metal.
The EP quickly generated a lot of positive buzz on the internet that led to a recording deal with known italian label Adrenaline/Steelheart. The five
piece set out to begin working on their first full lenght album. After a few months spent feverishly working on laying out the new songs, fate decided
to deal a bad hand to the guys when Adrenaline Records suddenly folded. Despite the unlucky circumnstance works on the LP continued. Something, anyway,
had changed: not everybody in the band was willing to go on until the end once lost the recording contract. This slowed down the process of composing
the record and, ultimately, ended up with a split between Mat, Simon, Lele and the rest of the band.
A deep change in the sound and style of the band was also made evident during the writing. This, along with some personal differences with Lele,
led Mat and Simon to the decision of stopping using keyboards.
Out of the ashes of an apparently dead end situation Crystal Empire now arise with Doyle - Mat's younger brother - joining in as rhytmn guitarist after years spent in the shadows helping the band with the graphical side of the EP, the building of the website and the writing of the lyrics.
With new blood and a whole new sound that keeps elements from the band members' various influences - ranging from Classic Metal to more thrashing hooks,
while also hinting in places at Power and Progressive Metal - Crystal Empire is finally ready to reap what they sowed through years of hard work and
dedication as the works on the band's first full lenght album are rapidly reaching completion.
The mission statement is clear: finding a new contract in order to spread the voice of the Empire throughout the continents.
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