Can you give me a background on your band? How was your band formed? How did you come up with the name A Wanted Awakening?
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We became a band in the summer of 2008 in Albany, NY. After a few months we decided to move to Lowell, MA to take advantage of the thriving metal scene in the area. While in Massachusetts we added our second guitarist Derek St. Martin and released our first EP "Rebirth" last July which got a good response in the New England area. We parted ways with our longtime drummer a few months ago but we were fortunate to find our new drummer, Andre, fairly quick. He learned the songs very fast and he is a beast on the drums. We think he may be a cyborg from another planet.
Were there any bands that influenced your sound or lyrics?
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The Black Dahlia Murder, Protest the Hero, As I Lay Dying, Born of Osiris to name a few.
What kind of lyrics do your song revolve around? Is there any specific message you want to send?
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We like to approach every song differently. We like to write the music first than the lyrics and not the other way around.
Have you guys been enjoying the gigs you've been doing?
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We enjoy every show we play and really strive to play the songs exactly like they sound on the album. We practice very hard to ensure this happens and we take pride in the work we put into our live performance.
Do you remember your first gig? What was it like?
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Our first show was in a basement in New Hampshire and we sucked but everyone was drunk so no one remembered the show fortunately.
What specific songs do you guys enjoy playing the most?
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We enjoy playing our new song “Final Ascent: Exiled”. It really sets the tone for the set.
What equipment do you guys use?
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Derek/John both use Peavy Amps and Cabs
Derek - Jackson DKMG
John - Schecter Damien FR
Jason - Warwick 6-String Corvette Standard, Ampeg Cab, Sansamp PreAmp, and QSC Amp
Andre - Ludwig Drum Kit, Axis Kick Pedals, Meinl Cymbals
What do you guys think about sites that post music and download links for full albums? Do you believe they're there to ruin sales, or do you feel they're just trying to help bands get noticed?
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We appreciate getting our music into the hands of otherwise unreachable audiences. Sites that have posted our music in the past have got us fans in far-away places like Russia, Indonesia, and China which is pretty cool to us.
You guys are listed as Deathcore, how do you feel about the complexity of genres today? (Death/Tech Death/Brutal Death/Deathgrind/Grindcore, etc etc) Do you feel that sometimes it gets out of hand?
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The only time it becomes a problem is when it boxes a band in creatively. We wrote our first EP “From The Embers” with genre and fans in mind and it didn’t come out good so for our new album “Catharsis” we wrote what we liked and as a result we came out with a very good product we believe.
Are you guys excited for the day you break into popularity or get the chance to play in major concerts like Warped or Summer Slaughter over in the U.S.?
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We are taking significant steps towards hopefully making that happen this Fall when we embark on our first 30-Date US Tour. We recently signed an exclusive booking deal with Hard Attack Entertainment who have booked tours in the past for Into Eternity, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Vital Remains, and Mushroomhead. We’re hoping that this will help propel us to the next level of the music industry and generate some label interest.
