Awaken the Empire

Hailing from Seattle, the hard rock quartet Awaken the Empire channels raw emotion through frontman Damien Lawson, who serves as the group’s chief singer and songwriter. Their sound fuses aggressive emo-metal riffs with hook-laden modern rock, recalling the styles of 30 Seconds to Mars, Eyes Set to Kill, and Nonpoint. The band formed in 2009 with Lawson joined by Daryl Falconer, Shivan Somaratne, and Romina Fronti; their first EP, Awakenings, appeared in 2011. A run of prominent singles and videos followed, securing a contract with Century Media Records in 2013. Two further tracks, “Rise and Fall” and “Insomniacs Unite,” preceded the August 2015 arrival of the group’s debut full-length album, Aurora.