Young Empires came together in October 2009 in Toronto, Canada: vocalist and keyboardist Matthew Vlahovich, bassist Jake Palahnuk (1984-2023) and guitarist Robert Aaron Ellingson. Drummer Taylor Hill joined in 2011, as the group released their debut EP: Wake All The Youth. Ellingson and the band parted ways ahead of the band's first full-length, The Gates, released in 2015. .
