Collapse of the Empire is based out of Atlanta, GA and has been hitting the scene with the release of their recent EP Rise. This new release took the band in a slightly different direction from their more death metal sound into having more progressive and groove oriented songs.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Kelsie Hargita- Keyboards/Synth

Michelle Hargita- Vocals

Lee Bradford- Guitar

Case McCarty- Guitar

Cody Smith- Bass

Jordan Spencer- Drums

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Collapse of the Empire? How long has the band been around?

Case- Psalm of the Fallen

Lee- Vyserith

Collapse of the Empire started in 2010.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Kelsie and Jordan came up with "Collapse of the Empire", and we all agreed that it fit the sound that we were trying to go for.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

We all contribute to the writing at one point. Our riffs tend to be a mixture of a progressive, heavy grooves, supplemented by epic keyboard parts that are akin to classical compositions. For the most part, our guitarists and drummer work together on a riff, and get a good structure going. Once they're that far, we all work on arrangements and adding extra nuances to the song.

I wrote the majority of the lyrics with Jordan's help for our EP, which focuses around conquering obstacles in the face of challenges and self doubt. We also touch on exile, abandonment, facing troubling realities, and insomnia. Our single off the EP, The Final Message, is inspired by a message about breaking the cycle from the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Much like our music, our lyrical themes are always changing and never constant. We want to keep evolving our sound over time.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Within the Ruins, After the Burial, Born of Osiris, Winds of Plague, Betraying the Martyrs, Veil of Maya, Architects, The Contortionist, Periphery, the Agonist, Make Them Suffer, Arch Enemy, Volumes

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

We all joined the band at different times, so I don't think there could be just one band that inspired all of us to join. We all joined listening to the same artists for the most part, but at the same time we each take away something different from music that inspires us. I think the variety has definitely showed in our music.

What do you do to prepare for a show?

We each have our own regiment, but usually it involves neck stretching, consuming alcohol, and prepping for our after party.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Playing with major acts including Trivium, Animals as Leaders, Chimaira, DevilDriver, After the Burial on two separate occasions, Flesh God Apocalypse, Decrepit Birth, Decapitated, and an upcoming show with Whitechapel

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Well we all have our own bands that we'd like to tour with but realistically we'd like to tour with After the Burial, Born of Osiris, Periphery, Volumes, pretty much any of our influences. It would be amazing to go on tour with the bands that influenced our writing.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We are currently writing new material and our future goals include new recordings, playing more shows, and especially trying to tour outside of Atlanta.