Long Live. That phrase has preceded everything from revolutions and riots to heartfelt cheers and joyous celebration. When stated alone those two words can be perceived as innocuous and tame, but pair them with a celebrated entity or righteous cause and they can conjure up the zenith of the human spirit.
For The Chariot to name their upcoming and eagerly anticipated full-length album Long Live, one could take the implications of the title on face value as a bombastic proclamation. For those that have experienced the group perform live, gleaming the new album title will instead resonate a deep and meaningful truth. For they have witnessed the harnessed whirlwind of crafted aggression and therefore understand that "Long Live" is not bravado, but the manner in which the band has and shall continue to flourish.
Studio albums serve as an enduring testament to a bands state of being and creative synergy at the time of writing and recording. They are a continual testament to a style and sound honed at the moment in time it was captured. While The Chariot have produced a number of critically and commercially acclaimed recordings, it is their live show that shall forever live on as the beating pulse of the band's heart. The sheer force of their thunderous live renditions while maniacally pouring their entire physical being into each note captivates and jolts an audience into awe and utter appreciation. It is this experience, undeniable and unavoidable by anyone attending their show, that fully supports the weight of the words "Long Live".
With a hard-earned and accomplished sales history of over 100,000 units and years of vigorous global touring, The Chariot have entrenched themselves as a standout in the hard and aggressive music movement. Founded in Douglasville, Ga. by vocalist and band leader Josh Scogin, The Chariot forged a path for themselves with a tireless work ethic. With their 2004 debut Everything is Alive, Everything is Breathing…."
The Chariot immediately distinguished themselves from the musical masses by recording the entire album live in one take. It was an approach seldom dared by any musician, but it perfectly captured The Chariot and set the tone for their performance driven ethos that remains at the core of the band's being to this day. That album and its raw display of power planted the seed that spawned a devout and unyielding fan base that hung on every jarring riff, off timed rhythm, and unrelenting vocal performance. The following years saw The Chariot continue to ascend through the burgeoning underground music scene with studio releases like The Fiancee and Wars and Rumors of Wars, both debuting on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Each release saw an accompanied trek of worldwide touring, sharing stages with the hard and heavy elite like P.O.D, As I Lay Dying, and Every Time I Die. While their profile and reach continued to rise beyond that of their genre, their work ethic and values remained grounded in the roots of d.i.y. punk. The band took on the painstaking yet ultimately fulfilling mission of creating hand-made artwork and liner notes for their 2009 Wars and Rumors of Wars release, completed by numbering the first 25,000 copies. Most people would scoff at the thought of taking on such a process, but the love of the art and a commitment to their fanbase is what sails the ship of The Chariot. The time and effort it required was a mere pittance to pay to create such a unique presentation of the album for their fans.
Never a band to take more than a moment's rest, The Chariot released Long Live on Nov. 23. This album also marks a new chapter of sorts, as they recently found a new home by signing with Good Fight Music. The album is tentatively being set for a late Fall release in 2010. The new album contains all the signature elements of their sound, sized up to epic dimensions. The album will without a doubt serve as another testament to a specific time and place of a storied and esteemed passage. As one could easily guess, the successive tours for when the album is completed are already in the works. For those that have experienced the band up close and in concert know full well, that decimating stages and leaving crowds aghast is how the band shall truly - Long Live.
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The Most Coherent Chaotic Album Yet| Posted August 28, 2012
The Chariot has always stood out from the other metal bands out there by embracing chaos. This chaos comes across in both their music and live shows. Long Live manages to be the best album by the band yet as they manage to bring in some cohesion to the chaos. It also shows a band that is not afraid to experiment with many things like using clips from older songs in their songs. And unlike other Chariot albums, the 10 songs on here flow naturally and don't overstay their welcome.
Long Live shows us a band that is not afraid to experiment and bring in some sort of cohesion amongst the chaotic sounds they are known for.