Sometimes the most compelling art can come from life's greatest struggles, which in the case of Tooth & Nail newcomers I Am Empire, only added fuel to the group's already blazing alternative rock fire. Though the San Jose-bred fivesome had no trouble igniting the local scene since forming in 2008, including dates alongside Flyleaf, Sublime, Deftones, Silversun Pickups, Thursday, Four Year Strong and The Wedding, a pair of charting singles ('You're A Fake' and 'The Elevator'), plus additional acclaim from Alternative Press, AOL's Spinner.com and San Francisco's LIVE105 radio station, much of the catalyst behind the band's label debut, Kings, stems from front man Austin Lyons' fractured upbringing.