EMQ’s with AUDIO REIGN
Hi Everyone. Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Australian Hard Rock/Metal band Audio Reign. Huge thanks to them for taking part!
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Jake, I am lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Audio Reign.
Audio Reign was formed in 2011 in Adelaide, South Australia. Like most dedicated bands, we rehearsed our arses off until we were ready to deliver our music to the world, and when that time came, we didn’t look back. We wrote our first six-song EP named “Find Your Way”. This album got us a slot on the 2014 Big Day Out in Adelaide.
Audio Reign shortly after had a few personal issues to deal with which saw us out of action for a while hence the break between albums. But once we had things sorted, it was full steam ahead and the train hasn’t stopped.
The new debut self-titled album “Audio Reign” was written and independently released in November 2018 and has been getting fantastic reviews and media coverage since its release. The album’s strength and the band’s energetic live show earning us big supports with the likes of US bands Skillet and Pop Evil.
Audio Reign have a vision to rise up from the ranks in Australia and bring back the live scene whilst creating a new sound for Australian rock.
How did you come up with your band name?
To be honest, it was a bit of motley luck! We wanted to make sure any band name that we came up with wasn’t already taken by a band somewhere else. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever come up with an original band name and thought “This is siiiick” and “no-one is going to have this name?” Well if you have and you punched it into Google, you can bet your balls (or whatever) that the name is already taken!
We must have gone through 30 names and every name was taken! We knew we wanted to have “Reign” in the name, and one of the words we were using with different combos was the word “Audio”. We ended up punching those two together and the skies opened up and a massive light shone down on to our laptop whilst angels sang… Audio Reign was born \m/.
Funny enough a year or so later, I did a search for our name on Google and some cover band from the States (US) had taken our name and even made a similar logo. I was like, “What the F%@#!!” I sent them a message asking if they’d heard of a Google search engine, to which they replied, “They didn’t see a problem because they were in the US and were in Australia so it shouldn’t really matter!” What they don’t realise is that we plan to infiltrate the US as well! We’ll deal with that when the time comes 😉
What country are you from and what is the metal scene like there?
We are from Australia. There is a very strong metal/ heavy scene over here although obviously more underground as there is no commercial support for it. But behind the scenes it is thriving and if you go looking for it, you will definitely find it.
What is your latest release (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We released our debut full length album self-titled “Audio Reign” in November 2018. The first single “Betrayal” was also released in November complete with an epic music video filmed in a cathedral. In March 2019 we released our latest emotion-fueled single “Senses” including a lyric video to go with it. Both songs are quite different from each other but were released to show how diverse the album itself is and what the band is capable of.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Ask any member of Audio Reign who their influences are and although there would be obvious crossovers, we are all quite different from each other. I think that’s great for the band as it allows us to draw on those different influences when writing new music to ensure our songs don’t all start sounding the same.
But my main influences personally would have to be (in no particular order) Alter Bridge, GnR, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Stone Temple Pilots, Audioslave, early Pearl Jam. And now it continues with bands like Stone Sour, Sevendust etc.
What first got you into music?
When I was six years old, I heard Kiss on the radio and from that moment they became my favourite band of the time! The sound of heavy guitars, the stage show, the attitude, the ROCK! Everything combined was just loud and in your face!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
That’s a tough call, a duet with Lizzy Hale from Halestorm or a song written with Deftones combining their style with ours. So many possibilities, so many choices of so many great musicians, I can’t really single one out.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Well it would have to be Wacken or Rock am Ring. WOA is more of a metalfest open to and catering to most subgenres, whereas Rock am Ring is probably a bit more mainstream. Both are massive and if you can get us on either one, we’ll die happy (haha).
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
We haven’t actually received any really weird gifts… or maybe we’re a bit weird which made them seem normal.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you immensely for your undying support, without you we are nothing, and your love and belief in us is everything. This music is for you \m/
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
There are so many I want to bring back for different reasons, but right at this moment I would like to bring back Chris Cornell. I believe he had so many more great songs to give and so much more to do personally. His death was an absolute tragedy and a massive blow to the heavy world, not to mention his loving family left behind. RIP Chris.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Having an absolutely awesome and totally rewarding outlet that gives you the opportunity to emote and express yourself. When you’re in the moment performing with the band and everything is sounding tight and heavy, the high is incredible!
I hate the fact that sometimes you need to choose between a lot of different things in life that clash with this lifestyle and can really upset the balance of mental harmony.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
That the heavyweights of the industry restructure things and finally give the musicians the pay and recognition they deserve.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Alter Bridge – “Blackbird”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Vinyl or CD. You get top quality sound with an actual physical piece of merchandise that often includes artwork, lyrics, pictures etc. What a bloody bonus!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
We performed at the 2014 Big Day Out in Adelaide on the same bill as Pearl Jam. That was pretty memorable. Since then we have supported heavy rockers Skillet and Pop Evil so we’ve had some fun!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I am currently also a fulltime metro firefighter, so that’s probably what I’d be doing.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
The other members of Audio Reign and you so we can continue this conversation over many drinks 😉
What’s next for the band?
World domination… but first we need to play Wacken Open Air and Rock am Ring!
And before that we will probably release some more music and music videos and go on tour!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Most of them… Facebook, Instagram, twitter, Soundcloud, Bands in Town, Audio Reign website, etc.
https://www.audioreign.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/AudioReignBand/
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
What is a Jaffa Cake? Can I add that as a pizza topping?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for your support in keeping the heavy music fire burning! You play a massive part in keeping this awesome musical genre alive and spreading the word to new generations of kids who wanna rock HEAVY \m/
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