After a decade of domination on their home continent of Australia the thrash-groove metal band Azreal from the Gold Coast are heading to North America in February to join the Bound by the Road Tour with DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds of Plague and The Agonist.
How did Azreal begin? How did the members all meet and decide to start playing music together?
The band originally formed in 2007 with myself (Luke – vocals) and Scotty (bass) getting together with our first guitarist and writing for about a year before beginning to play local shows. We had been friends for years and played in a few bands together previous to that. Jimmy came in on guitar about 2 years after and we released our first album ‘Better Dead’ with our then drummer Robbie. Robbie left the band around a year after that album launched and we welcomed Chris to the team in 2013. That is how we stand now.
What is your favorite part of being in a band? Is it the comradery, the writing, the recording, the touring, or the fans?
All of it really. We all get on really well and share a ridiculous sense of humour so spending time together isn’t very hard at all. Playing live would have to be one of the best parts about being in a band but also the sense of achievement when you release material and announce shows is pretty awesome too. Being in a band fucking rules full stop.
What is the best advice you have received in regards to the music industry or life in general?
The best advice has been along the lines of ‘do it for the love of the music and not for anything else’. At least trying to do what you love in life is good advice. It’s a long hard road to take a band from the garage to international supports and tours so be prepared for some struggles. Another nugget of wisdom imparted to me by someone at some point was that it takes ten years to become an overnight success. If you’re into instant gratification then maybe being in a band isn’t for you.
What is the best advice you have to give to an up-and-coming band?
Stick with it. Even if you feel like no one is listening and you’re lost in a sea of a million other bands, if you genuinely love it then keep going no matter what. Nothing worth doing is ever easy so if things get tough just keep on pushing.
How have you evolved as a musician? Both individually and as a band.
Well I guess early on in the piece you kind of feel unsure of yourself which ends up affecting the way you write and perform music. It’s as if you constantly have what people might think of a song in your head as you write sometimes influencing the outcome. So part of the evolution is to learn to trust yourself and go with what feels right. As a band we have aligned our expectations and ambition for the band which in turn helps not only with the creative process but for getting out there and touring.
If you hadn’t become a musician, what other career path would you have chose?
I am a tradesman but there is nothing exciting about that. Some sort of film making career would be awesome. Where you get to travel to beautiful locations and create documentaries on endangered animals or make Tarentino like movies would do me.
If you could form a super-group with any other musicians, who would they be and what kind of music would you play?
Wow that’s a hard one. So many to choose from.
Okay here goes… In this futuristic dystopian dream land in an inter-planetary Stoner/Sludge/Thrashy/Groove/Comedy style metal band I’d have Jimmy Bower(Down/EHG) on drums, John Campbell(LOG) on bass, Neil Fallon(Clutch) on Guitar/vocals, Matt Pike(HighOnFire/Sleep) on Guitar/vocals, Kirk Windstein(Crowbar/Down) on Guitar/vocals and myself doing whatever was necessary to survive on whatever hostile planet we happened to be playing that night.
Does the band have any rituals before they go on stage? A group dance or chant, anything like that?
Not anything consistent that we do before every show. Maybe that’s something we need to work on. Pre-show rituals should really be on the to do list for this year. I’d say more often than not it’s a few drinks and cracking some jokes to lighten the mood right before we go on.
Does anyone in the band have any formal musical training? How has that helped or hindered the band?
I think Jimmy(Guitar) had training on the Saxophone when he was young. It helps with his improvisation I’d say when we are writing songs and especially for his solos. I’m not sure if Chris(drums) has had any. He sure plays like he has, but don’t tell him I said that.
What is the biggest misconception about metal bands or metal heads?
Maybe it’s the misconception that they/we are violent because of the music we listen to. For most of us the heavy music is a cathartic outlet for aggression but I feel like the mainstream perception of it is the opposite. There have been lots of cases where music has been blamed for bad things like the wrongful convictions in the West Memphis three for example, and in the end it turns out to be just a bunch of bullshit close-minded douchebags looking for scapegoats.
What events in life tend to inspire you the most to write lyrics or music?
The first few years of writing lyrics was driven by an all-consuming mistrust for organised religion. It just seems easy to write about because there are so many things wrong with it in my mind. Another subject that seems to inspire me is environmental issues. These topics just seem to get me pumped up and angry and what better way to deliver music in an aggressive way than to mean it as you do.
What is one thing you want the public to know about Azreal?
We are coming to the US and touring this February with DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds of Plague and The Agonist so come to one of the shows, check out our music, buy our T-shirts and watch us play!
Connect with Azreal:
