Awaken The Empire

Featured in the AP&R section of the November 2011 issue of Alternative Press Magazine. - Alternative Press Magazine Inc.

“I think I can speak for all of us when I say music is just what we have to do to stay sane. I know that for me, if I'm not in a band, I just feel wrong. Like there is a giant fucking void in me that can't be filled by anything else.”

That’s what being in a band should be about, and Awaken the Empire vocalist and guitarist Damien Lawson means it when he says that’s what it is for he and his bandmates. The band is slowly but surely making their way up, and they’re doing it with the kind of hearts that really make a musician. That’s what makes Awaken the Empire this issue’s New and Noteworthy band.

The band itself took some time to put together. After releasing solo work, Lawson set out to recruit a full band in order to take the next step. Bassist Jaymz Marcc was the first to contact him, and there’s a bit of a story in just that.

“The craziest thing,” states Lawson, “is that when Jaymz and I first talked, he didn’t tell me that he lived in Colorado! We set up an audition, and he drove all the way to LA just to try out!.” Marcc continues the story, saying, “I actually had to drive out twice because Damien had to postpone the first time! It was totally worth it though.”



Drummer Daryl Falconer and guitarist Shivan Somaratne came after a number of tentative lineups. Falconer reminds people that “it’s really hard to find people that want to play every day, and make a band their entire life”. It seems that this kind of dedication on the part of all members is what has allowed Awaken the Empire to become so solid as a group.

When it comes to what they’ve got planned, Awaken the Empire continues to impress. Rather than answering as many – unfortunately – do when in an up-and-coming band, the primary goal for all of the members seems to be to get out and tour as much as possible, to meet all of their devoted “Insomniacs” in person and "hug people that like our music". It’s hard not to respect that kind of attitude in any group of people.



Luckily, there’s more to this group of fine young gents than just a great mentality. Their music is described by Lawson and Marcc as “trashy, futuristic movie score” and “dirty alternative mixed with electronica,” respectively. Now, I wouldn’t call it trashy by any means, but it does have a very nice alternative, borderline punk edge injected with fusions of electronic tones and beats that create a refreshing vibe. While, unfortunately, a lot of fusions (and, even more unfortunately, a lot of bands) seem jumbled and uncertain, their sound is concrete and self-assured. This is a band that knows exactly what it’s about. The songs they write draw a person in, and they don’t seem – like the music of some bands, especially bands that haven’t really found a place – like they’re struggling to do so. Their EP, The Awakening, is just a preview of the greatness this band has the potential to attain. - Altsounds.com

Awaken The Empire are on a mission. A mission to put a stop to the endless moans of “Not ANOTHER Christmas song!” which you get around the festive season each year. Yes, it has the word ‘Christmas’ in the title but “I’ll be Gone For Christmas” by the LA four-piece is far from the typical Christmas cheese that plagues the media each year.

Think Kill Hannah crossed with Tokio Hotel and then finally throw in a dollop of Slade. It’s a damn odd combination but it packs a good ol’ punch. If you put the idea if of it being a Christmas song to one side for now you can truly appreciate how well this track has been crafted.

The electronica influences on this band are unmistakable yet somehow Awaken The Empire manage to fuse the chaotic electro with beautiful, heartfelt lyrics as Damien pours emotionally charged vocal work into the track. “So burn it down and melt all this awful snow” might relate to how unbelievably tiring the snow is around this season. In this case however, these poetic and sensitive lyrics create a much more sentimental meaning relating to a break-up.

The single is extremely experimental for a band who only formed back in 2009 yet Awaken The Empire pull off the experiment beautifully and create a distinctive, powerful sound. - Posterous.com

Rating: 8 out of 10

Singer Damien Lawson's strident, heart tugging voice is perfect for this band, whose dense, post apocalyptic electro-rock vision is deftly rendered right down to the well timed fades and edits. Both "The Awakening" and "For Never for Always" show the bands ability to set up and deliver a chorus for all it's worth. - Music Connection Magazine - June 2011