California’s Smile Empty Soul formed in 1998 and quickly rose in the Los Angeles club scene. The band was picked up by Atlantic Records which released their self-titled debut album ‘Smile Empty Soul’ in 2003. The album was best known for the smash hit ‘Bottom Of A Bottle’ and was certified gold with sales in excess of 500,000 units.
The band toured and built a massive following which spawned the albums ‘Vultures’, ‘Anxiety’,'Consciousness’ and ’3′s’. All met with strong independent success and furthered the band’s long standing career. According to vocalist Sean Danielsen:
‘Fans have always said they can relate to the band’s ‘heartfelt’ lyrics, as well as the raw and emotional sound. Through many struggles and hardships Smile Empty Soul has always persevered, simply because ‘this is what we love to do’. When you listen to our records it’s obvious where our priorities lie: The music.’
The group has just completed work on their new album ‘Chemicals’ that will be released on October, 1st.
Very Strong Album! This is a very strong album from Smile Empty Soul. Black and Blue opens up with force and is more reminiscent of the previous album ’3′s’ and really gets fans excited for what’s to come. False Alarm is a great choice as a first single and is a bit of a throwback to the band’s early releases. Every track on here holds its own and Landslide serves as a fitting closing track. For those who have kept up with the band’s discography, this album has more of a “Consciousness” vibe overall with hints of “Anxiety” but you can pick out shades of all the albums in “Chemicals.” Support this band, buy the album, and check them out on tour since they really put on a powerful set every time. I’m glad this band is still around and I hope they will be for a very long time.
As a faithful follower of Smile Empty Soul, I can honestly say that this cd is one of their best!!!!! My personal favorites on the cd are: #2 False Alarm, #6 New Low and #9 Mechanical Rationality. This is definitely a cd that is excellent all the way through and an absolute pleasure to listen to, rock out and sing along to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!