Taming The Monster With BENNO & STEVE From AWAKEN THE HATE

Interview by Kris Peters
Like a wrecking ball let off the chain, recently formed Brisbane
metal outfit Awaken The Hate are set to steamroll the local metal
scene when they release their debut single Monster In The Mirror
this Friday.
Coming together with a wealth of experience already in the metal
scene, Awaken The Hate aren't here to merely make up the
numbers.
They are here to lead the pack.
As the band's bio so beautifully puts it, "Awaken The Hate draws
inspiration from the darker realms of the human psyche, exploring
themes of societal decay, existential dread, and the unspoken fury
that simmers beneath the surface. Their lyrics reflect the
collective discontent of a generation, while their sonic onslaught
leaves no soul untouched."
And while we all know how easy it is to simply talk the talk,
anyone who has seen one of only a handful of live shows from Awaken
The Hate will testify just how solid talk can be when you have the
fortitude to back it up.
The Monster In The Mirror threatens to be merely an opening salvo
from a band who have been brought up the old-school metal way and
now ply their craft in the same manner. Fresh, original, brutal and
uncompromising, Awaken The Hate promise to be a breath of fresh air
on the metal scene, and after spending some time speaking with
guitarist Steve Conley and vocalist Ben Rogers recently that seems
to be only a formality.
"We're all of that element where groove metal - the Pantera's and
that sort of 90s stuff - was where our bread and butter was,"
Rogers began. "I think what we've really found with Awaken The Hate
is trying to modernise that a bit. Music to me has got groove. It
makes you wanna move, and I like to think that there's also the
melodies and the vox there have got a bit of a hook to it that
makes you wanna sing along. That was our goal. I wanna play in
front of people that wanna sing songs back to us and bang their
heads hard."
In the full interview, Benno and Steve talk more about the debut
single, what it's about, finding emotion and expression through
honesty in lyrics, why they chose this particular song to introduce
Awaken The Hate to the world, how accurately this song represents
the future direction of the band, the importance of nailing live
shows, upcoming gigs, future plans and more.