Hello friends. It's time we made an official announcement to those that cared about the music we made.

I'm sure most of you have guessed already, whether by our lack of activity or word of mouth, HRE has "officially" called it quits as of a few months ago or so.

We want to take this time to thank each and every one of you for your love and support while the Empire grew as it did. We had a great time, and loved meeting and hanging out with every single one of you! We especially had a great time meeting those of you who we talked to while on the Rise Against tour in the summer of 2007.

We always went out of our way to write back and stay in direct contact with our friends and fans, and we took a lot of pride in being a band that treated you with a bit more personal one on one love than most other bands. We made music for you, and we tried to show our appreciation for your support by taking the time to talk directly with everyone at shows and personally writing all of you back. So, it seems only appropriate that we don't leave all of you hanging, and we say "farewell".

That being said, we want all of you to feel like you can still write us and contact us. We will continue to write you back and keep our site as run by band members. Please keep in contact with us! We love to hear from you!

We know and promise that members of HRE will continue to make music. All of us have been actively making music for years, and plan on continuing to do so in the Chicago area. And the best place to find out about new music from any and all members of HRE would most likely be right here, where we've always spoken directly to you guys.

Talk to you soon, and hope to see some of your faces again! Keep writing us!

Love always,
Jay & HRE

(HRE's first show was in February 2004 on the North Side of Chicago at a college I can't recall at this moment. HRE's last show was on March 22nd 2008 at Reggie's in Chicago with Blacklisted and Convicted).

We’d like to say a huge thanks to all the entrants to the recent Pimp My MySpace Competition - we had some pretty cool entries, so well done all those who joined in.

However, there could only be one over-all winner and one runner up, so, congratulations to Larissa, our grand prize winner. She’ll be receiving signed copies of The Longue Duree and Lost in Landscapes and an official shirt.

Our runner up was Elisa, and she’ll be receiving an official HRE shirt as well.

Both girls will be added to the official top friends - but because of the delay in getting the results out, we promise to keep them there until the end of April, instead of the end of March, as originally set out in the rules.

Thanks again to everyone who entered. It was really cool to see what you all did with the outline set.

Keep your eyes open for future competitions and news - and make sure you head over and check out the Street Team when you have a moment.

Take care,
HRE.

check out an interview we did for a Brazilian webzine. be dazzled by our wit and...sass and...stupidity?

love,
emily

http://www.sourcewebzine.com.br/neue/2008/02/26/holy-roman-empire/

Alright, here's the deal yo'. We want to reward the person who pimps out their Myspace page with the coolest HRE theme.

We suggest using the banners, pictures, video and etc from our Myspace page as an example. You can also create your own ideas! There are more HRE photos here:

HRE Press Site

So have fun with this one. List of rules and prizes are explained below kiddies. Mosh on… Jay

The Prizes

One over-all winner will receive:

* Signed copies of The Longue Duree and Lost In Landscapes;
* One official Holy Roman Empire t-shirt of their choice;
* Their profile added to the top friends on the band's official profile for the duration of the month of March.

One runner-up will receive:

* One official Holy Roman Empire t-shirt of their choice;
* Their profile added to the top friends on the band's official profile for the duration of the month of March.

Results will be announced in a bulletin on 1st March, 2008.

The Rules



1. Entry Myspace pages must be HRE themed
2. All entrants must forward a link to their profile to hrecompetition@gmail.com with the subject header 'HRE Pimp My MySpace Competition'. You will receive an acknowledgement email in return.
3. If chosen, the winner must keep their layout from the date of the announcement (1 March) until the end of the calendar month (31 March) to remain on the official top friends.
4. The winner and one runner up will be selected by the band; their decision is final.

Thanx to the over 1700 of you who entered the contest! We're proud to announce the winners!

Grand prize winner:

Kevin Mailhot of Quebec Canada

Runner ups:

Carly Larragoitiy of San Clemente California

Todd Davies of Saskatoon Canada

Henry Gould of Skokie Illinois (Chicagoland represent!)

We'll be contacting the winners directly to congratulate them via E-mail, but if you'd like to contact us via Myspace so you can brag to your friends, we're all for that too!

Thanx again to everyone for participating, and congrats to Kevin, Carly, Todd and Henry!

Jay & HRE

Hello sweethearts. Here are some lyrics.

Undeserving You

I know I can't wait
I will get this wrong
We have never said a word
I have all your sins
Put away in this poor body
Hollow, empty left to die

I will burn this down anyway
Oh, I will burn this down anyway
You can have all that's left
(And I will shed this blood for you, it's put away in this poor body)
I will burn this down anyway
You can have all that's left

I know you're so tired
I will shed this blood for your sake
I will lose what you will not
I am yours this time
I will bear your devastation
I will feel what you cannot

Your heart so buried
So undeserving

The Ace

And these are
The bruises
On me
From all of the nights when
We were
Limbs and
We crawl out and
I can't
I say
I see
You aren't what you want
You aren't what you want

I have it wrong
You turned me down
I have it wrong
You say it's gone

We can't
You say
It's all wrong
You won't even listen
I can't
Break this
You make all the
I can't
I say
I see
You aren't what you want
You aren't what you want

Every time it's over and
Every time I can't let go
I can feel the marrow
The chemical binding


An Alliance of Thieves

We're so secret
We have it all undone
We're like spies here
We keep so quiet when your hand is over my mouth

And in sequence
We fall away from here
It's all instinct
It's just the feeling of the weight of you above me

I have something to confess
I make up for all we've lost
This is all that I can have

We're so secret
A habit I have know
We're like spies here
We keep it underground, a sign I'm waiting for you

I know what nobody knows

Hail Mary

After you wake
I separate
Fact from your fiction

I can pretend if you'll be my guide
Your special liar
I call you out, you force me to drown
We attempt to solve it

After you wake
I separate
Fact from your fiction
After you wake
I let out
All of this anger

Our Whole Lives, Waiting

We'll make it alright
We'll lie and say we aren't
My promises are
What makes you sleep at night

Your name on my tongue
A spell to call you over
I wake and I run out

We've waited our whole lives
We've waited our whole lives

Just let the blood run
I heal the open wounds
Crawl out to daylight
Signs of our suffering

We'll let the blood run
I heal what she has wounded
I wake and I run out

Shatter Historic

You claim it's not ours
Call out what's our fault
Blame us we will know truth

These aren't whole
Teeth and bone

Anger turned inside
Naming our disease
Starting all the same fires

And letting all
The others go
Escaping your reaction
I'm letting all
The others know
We're turning into ashes

Find your way home
Find your way back
Find your way back

I can let this go
I can mess this up
Anywhere with anyone but I can't go on without you.

Olympus

We step outside of the light
Dark eyes that beg of me
We step outside of the light
Dark eyes that shatter me
I cross out images of your face and fingerprints
I cross out images of

We step outside of the light
Dark chords, our symphony
We step outside of the light
You want
You want

I can't begin to tell you
This pain is real
We tell each other lies and
We cease to feel

I'm gone

Mute Hearts

Forward motion
In your abstract eyes
Wings fold inward
Forgetting where I've been

No more words now
Silent hearts
And after everything you're still the one I want

And this is my own way of telling you I'm wrong
Over and over again we sacrifice our own
And this is my own way of telling you I'm wrong
Over and over again we sacrifice our own

In slow motion
I watch you fade out
Symbols of faith in
Our understanding of

We make all these promises
We let them all go unnoticed here
We make all these promises
We let them go on and on and on and on and on

Action Figures

You, you're such a liar
Spit out forever
And leave me here

And I, I try to reason
You lost direction
You'll drown yourself

So I, I stay silent
I won't wait for
Your return

And I, I'm so fucking angry
That I can barely
Survive the day

When summer ends
You'll taste it, you'll know that I'm right
When summer ends
You'll taste it

You can talk about me
All you want to
I just don't care

And I, I try to reason
You lost direction
You'll drown yourself

And I, I stay silent
I won't wait for
Your return

I can't wait until you feel it
Someday you'll know pain
I can breathe inside this hatred
And you're the one to blame

And they all say
Just let it go
He doesn't want you
And they all say
Just let it go
He doesn't want you

Take It Outside

We've waited
We'll take it outside now
We've waited
We'll take it outside now

You can keep your eyes shut
You know I'll wait up
You have everything you'll ever need

And I have all the weapons
Which ones hurt the most
I won't tell them you're the coward here

You don't get this
You don't know
You can let this out
You don't get this
You don't know
You made your bed this time

You are not so wounded
I can't hold you up
This time you're the one to save yourself

I don't have your answers
I don't know the way
I have nothing you're entitled to

And after all
Your complaints
I shut out the sound

Fire Drill

You can
You can get out
I can't wait and I won't wonder
You can
You can get out
Of here

We say
We'll work it out
In this light
You are an angel
We say
We can get out
Of here

And I said it's overwrought
It's overwrought with fear
And I said it's overwrought
It's overwrought with

You can
You can get out
I say run
And you hold on to
You can
You can bet I will stay

I can
I can let go
Turn away and face your life now
I can let go
Of you

I can, I can let go
I can, I can let go
I can, I can let go
Of you

Never ends
Never ends

So long so long so we hide our eyes
So long so long so we hide our eyes

It's over, it's over

Vicarious Haunting

Broken stereo plays
Your sorrow back at me
And you're not what I'm fighting

When we met I wanted to say
We're the same kind but you turned away
And I won't let you fall under

I will haunt them all so you don't have to
I will tell them what you can't say

Ghosts of the hour before
I'm hollow, I'm vanishing here
And you're still why I'm breathing

When we met I wanted to say
I'm the one who can take it away
And you won't go so unnoticed

I want what I can hold
I collide without knowing
Breathe now well I, well I'm right here
Back into our bodies

Hey everyone!

Okay, here's the deal. We love interacting directly with all of you on a personal basis. We also get a lot of people writing us and asking us questions, which we love even more! So we thought we'd give all of you the chance to ask us anything you like in the form of a blog, that way EVERYONE can see your question and our response directly to you. We'll answer each and everyone question personally.

We'd really like to see some people interact with one another's questions to us as well! We think this could be a cool way for you to interact with each other and prompt some discussion while asking us questions.

So, let's get this started...

Ask us anything!

Jay & HRE

Holy Roman Empire Announces Tour Dates With Rise Against, Debuts New In-Studio Video Clips All Week Long, and Finishes Recording Their Debut Full-Length Album, The Longue Duree!

30  Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Spitalfield

16  Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Convention Center w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

17  Saskatoon, SK @ Prarieland Park Trade Centre w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

18  Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Center w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

19  Calgary, AB @ Mac Ewan Hall Ballroom w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

20  Calgary, AB @ Mac Ewan Hall Ballroom w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

22  Victoria, BC @ Victoria Curling Club w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

23  Seattle, WA @ The Fenix w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

24  Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

26  Boise, ID @ The Big Easy w/ Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid

 ###

more.

love,
emily

Action Figures

You, youre such a liar
Spit out forever
And leave me here

And I, I try to reason
You lost direction
Youll drown yourself

So I, I stay silent
I wont wait for
Your return

And I, Im so fucking angry
That I can barely
Survive the day

Chorus:
When summer ends
Youll taste it
When summer ends
Youll taste it

You can talk about me
All you want to
I just dont care

And I, I try to reason
You lost direction
Youll drown yourself

And I, I stay silent
I wont wait for
Your return

Chorus:
When summer ends
Youll taste it
When summer ends
Youll taste it

Bridge:
I cant wait until you feel it
Someday youll know pain
I can breathe inside this hatred
And youre the one to blame

Chorus:
When summer ends
Youll taste it
When summer ends
Youll taste it

And they all say
Just let it go
He doesnt want you
And they all say
Just let it go
He doesnt want you

The Colonel

Well make it alright
Well lie and say we arent
My promises are
What makes you sleep at night

Your name on my tongue
A spell to call you over
I wake and I run out

Chorus:
Weve waited our whole lives
Weve waited our whole lives

Just let the blood run
I heal the open wounds
Crawl out to daylight
Signs of our suffering

Your name on my tongue
A spell to call you over
I wake and I run out

Chorus:
Weve waited our whole lives
Weve waited our whole lives
Repeat

Bridge:
Well let the blood run
I heal what she has wounded
I wake and I run out

Chorus:
Weve waited our whole lives
Weve waited our whole lives


The Ace

And these are
The bruises
On me
From all of the nights when
We were
Limbs and
We crawl out and
I cant
I say
I see
You arent what you want
You arent what you want

Chorus:
I have it wrong
You turned me down
I have it wrong
You say its gone

We cant
You say
Its all wrong
You wont even listen
I cant
Break this
You make all the
I cant
I say
I see
You arent what you want
You arent what you want

Chorus:
I have it wrong
You turned me down
I have it wrong
You say its gone

Every time its over and
Every time I cant let go
I can feel the marrow
The chemical
Binding


Chorus:
I have it wrong
You turned me down
I have it wrong
You say it gone

Every time its over and
Every time I cant let go
I can feel the marrow
The chemical binding

I can feel the marrow
The chemical binding
Repeat

Fire Drill

You can
You can get out
I cant wait and I wont wonder
You can
You can get out
Of here

We say
Well work it out
In this light
You are an angel
We say
We can get out
Of here

Chorus:
And I said its overwrought
Its overwrought with fear
And I said its overwrought
Its overwrought with

You can
You can get out
I say run
And you hold on to
You can
You can bet I will stay

I can
I can let go
Turn away and face your life now
I can let go
Of you

I can, I can let go
I can, I can let go
I can, I can let go
Of you

Chorus:
And I said its overwrought
Its overwrought with fear
And I said its overwrought
Its overwrought with fear

Never ends

Never ends

So long so long so we hide our eyes
So long so long so we hide our eyes

Its over its over

here are some words, lovers.

love,
emily

1. Gapers Delay

I want you to notice
I want you to see me for who I am
Im breaking down

He says an absent love is
One that can never be undone
He wastes my time

Chorus:
Sight for eyes too blind
To errors made
Climb the walls around
The hearts you break

Walk out and I say nothing
Come home to find me forgetting you
You fade so well

Recount the past few hours
We watch a car crash from high above

Chorus

We say whatever we want to
We call it anything
You owe me another life

Where have you gone?

Why have you abandoned me
Why have you abandoned me
Why have you
Why have you



2. Guards Off

Lights out we call this fighting and we
Run out of ways to defend ourselves
Defend our blatant lies

This time we know the reason for it
When we fall we make it all own
Its all our own design

Chorus:
Call the guards off
Wake the sun
Call the guards off
Wake the sun
Call the guards, wake the sun
Call the guards off

One day well end up paying for it
Wake up and realize were all alone
Escape is all weve known

This time we know the reason
When we fall we make it all our
Its all our own

Chorus

I want you to defend yourself


(Our own)
Its all our own design

Breathe out choke on the beauty of it
When we fall well make it all our own
Its all our own

Chorus


3. Your Side

You tell me you never act like this and
Im the one whos changed it all
Ive made confessions a lot like this and
Know how it makes them fall

I know the ending before we start
Hollow body and gaping mouth
I hear your name and it fills my heart
Open arms and we sing it out

Chorus:
Im on your side
Im on your side
Im on your side, if you'll just have it
Im on your side

The situation is hopeless now youve
Figured out Im the only one
Wholl take a hit from the other side
And wont stop until were done

I know the ending before we start
Hollow body and gaping mouth
I hear your name and it fills my heart
Open arms and we sing it loud

Chorus

(Into your door)
Are these the places you hate to claim?
Are these the eyes that you used to blame?
Are these the places you hate to claim?

Ive got one thing that I know youll want
Put your hands here and pretend were not
Ive got one thing that I know youll want

So hold out your flame


4. Topography

Rearview mirror sunrise travel away
From where youre sleeping

Trace the shape of your body
Im so familiar with the roads of this land

Ive got more fight
I just want you to know
You should know

Chorus:
Your sorrow is mine
Horizon in your eyes

When were driving we get lost in the landscape
In the cold unfolding

Trace the shape of your body Im so familiar
Im familiar

Close your eyes and imagine that my ribcage
Is two open doors

Forget sins of the lovers we leave behind
Were the blameless

Chorus

You say it cant be done
Ill beg to follow you
You want
You are

Chorus

You say it cant be done
Ill beg to follow you



5. Ways to Save Our Lives:

Smash through the windowpane
Break bones to set you free
Youll make a martyr out of me
Outside the sun goes down
Make plans to leave this town
We force a smile to please our gods

Chorus:
And I, tell you to stay tonight
The words are too few to fight
I tell you, no not this time
Not this time
Not this time

Our shadows slide across the wall
We think of way to save our lives
We try to adjust to the fading light of day
To lead us out

Chorus

I wake to find you in my bed
We take the time to pray and then
We light our fires to leave it all
We light our fires to leave it all behind

Our shadows slide across the wall
We think of ways to save our lives
We try to adjust to the fading light of day
To lead us out

Light of day
To lead us out


6. Pony Express

This is when you decide Im worth it.
This is when you decide Im good for you.
I cant take it, and I wont make it all alone.
I have waited, and I have wasted all alone.
Throw away, letters sent a lifetime ago.

Chorus:
Dont break this time
Not while Im gone
I dont want to wake up and find you missing.
I dont want to wake up and find you gone.

This is when you decide that Im worth it all the time.
This is when you decide that Im worth it.
Throw away letters sent a lifetime ago.

Chorus

Youll regret this one day.

Find out its all ancient
We try to be patient
Find out its all ancient
Wake and find you missing

Chorus

Ive learned nothing from you.