Words by Miranda Macias.
Awaken the Empire, which you can file under the alternative-electronica genre, sets up camp in Hollywood, California and has been compared to bands like 30 Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance and The Used. No one in the band is anywhere near as hot as Jared Leto, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with music now does it?
The four guys in Awaken the Empire have announced that their national tour with Arizona’s Eyes Set To Kill kicks off next month. Well, I guess it’s now the three guys in Awaken the Empire because according to the band’s Facebook page, bass player, Jaymz Marcc “has decided to reevaluate the path his life is on… and unfortunately that path does not include this band.” The remaining band members, frontman Damien Lawson, Daryl Falconer (Drums) and Shivan Somaratne (Guitar), seem supportive of Marcc’s decision. The band that claims to “encourage people to follow their dreams at all costs,” stated on their Facebook page that they “fully support him on this decision” and that “there is absolutely no bad blood between” them.
Before the split, the band both self-funded and self-produced the EP The Awakening in 2011. They also released a few follow-up tracks to that in early 2012. The band worked with producer, Erik Ron (Panic at the Disco, Versa Emerge, Get Scared) on those recent tracks. The video for their song, “Rise and Fall” was directed by Chad Michael Ward, who is known for his dark aesthetic, and it premiered on MTV’s Buzzworthy Blog in June, 2012. Ward also directed the video for “The Awakening” in 2011. Sans one bass player, the remaining trio still plans to embark on the Show Your True Colors Tour starting August 2 in Mesa, Arizona. No word yet on a replacement for Marcc.
Watch the music video for “Rise and Fall” from Awaken The Empire below.
