EMQ’s With AGE OF ATHENA
EMQ’s With AGE OF ATHENA
Hi everyone. Welcome to another EMQs interview this time with Canadian Symphonic Metalcore band, Age Of Athena. Huge thanks to their Guitarist/Vocalist, Zachary 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?
Hello! My name is Zachary and I play guitar and scream in the Symphonic Metalcore band, Age of Athena! I met our pianist Nathan in university. We started jamming and writing songs, and bam! That’s when we decided to make a band together. A year later we found Helen and Michael on Kijiji, believe it or not! After that, everything just fell into place and the rest is history!
How did you come up with your band name?
We wanted to come up with a name that sounded very large and in charge. Avengers: Age of Ultron came out a year prior and I remember thinking that movie title (and movie) felt huge! So that’s where we got half the name… the other half came from browsing a list of Greek gods and goddesses because that’s what everyone does when coming up with a name, right? Right!? We decided to go with Athena, the goddess of war and protectress. She is a balance of chaos and protection – good and evil. Similarly, our music is a contrast between the chaos of Metalcore and the sweet Symphonic sounds of our female vocalist.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from Toronto, Canada! The scene is great – we know a lot of local talent and have played with quite a few of them! We’re lucky to be in a city where there is a large audience for Metal bands! That’s all you can ask for really! The Agonist and Spiritbox are popular Canadian Modern Metal bands and it’s really cool they’re experiencing international success – there is hope for Canada!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We just released our first single, ‘Dance With The Devil’, on October 29th. Our second single, ‘Together We Fall’, dropped on November 26th. Our debut album, “Gate To Oblivion”, came out on December 17th, 2021! This album has something for everyone – from heavier Metalcore screamed breakdowns, to smooth and angelic Melodic vocal melodies.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Synyster Gates from Avenged Sevenfold and Slash from Guns N’ Roses. Their song writing is genius, and their solos are very memorable and well written. When writing, I try to create solos that listeners can hum, sing, and air guitar along to, just like these two guys do! As a band we are all inspired by a variety of different artists of different genres. This works to our advantage as it brings in new perspectives and ideas stemming from all different kinds of music.
What first got you into music?
It’s strange to say but honestly 2007’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock! That game changed my life forever. I remember getting the game for Christmas and playing “Slow Ride” by Foghat. From then on, I was obsessed with the guitar. When I could play all the songs on expert mode in the game, I thought it was time to graduate to the real thing. I haven’t stopped playing since, always trying to challenge myself and test the limits of my own personal “expert mode”.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
Honestly, we love so much music and so many bands that I would be very happy to collaborate with anyone. I think having any strong female metal vocalist would be awesome on our tracks – Simone from EPICA, Vicki from The Agonist, Courtney from Spiritbox, and Tatiana from Jinjer, to name a few.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Obviously, there are a lot of huge festivals in Europe… but playing Heavy Montreal in Canada would be very special. I’ve attended as a fan several times and have always had a blast!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
My Mom gave me a Fruit Roll-Up once.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Don’t give up on your dreams. Hard work pays off!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Jimmy “The Rev” from Avenged Sevenfold. His whacky song writing was genius, and his absence has really been felt by the band and fans alike. Gone too soon.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I like hearing music come together sonically as a full band. Jamming out tunes for the first few times can be rough but when everyone comes together and brings their A game, I’m very satisfied with the music we make.
Honestly, I hate feeling the comparative / competitive pressure with other guitarists. I get stressed when I can’t play something as well as I would like, and I get stressed when I can’t play at the level my heroes and other contemporary metal guitarists play at. Taking a step back, not letting it get to my head too much, and only comparing myself to… myself, is helpful when trying to chill out about it.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Unless your name is Taylor Swift, you need a second job. Music has been getting less and less financially sustainable for the average everyday musician.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction”. It’s the greatest rock n’ roll debut album ever. The song writing is genius. Those punk ass kids from L.A. had no business writing an album like that!
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
Umm… don’t kill me, but downloads. I’m young, I’ve embraced the technological age, and streaming services are just easier and more convenient. I don’t even have a CD player anymore! However, I think streaming compresses the audio a little bit. So, CDs are my best bet for clear audio fidelity.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Probably our last gig at Bovine Sex Club downtown Toronto. It was the last gig we played before the pandemic hit. We’ve done a lot of gigs playing as sort of a cover band and this was our first show playing wholly original music. I loved it! We had a lot of fun playing and hanging out with our friends Anger By Design and Driftglass. There was a great turn out in the audience as well!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Pro gamer. 1v1 me on Call of Duty bro.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Adele, John Mayer, Jack Black, James Corden, and Jesus Christ – to make things spicy.
What’s next for the band?
Our debut album “Gate To Oblivion” arrived in December which was exciting. We’re very happy to be releasing music into the world for the first time! We just filmed a music video so stay tuned for that! Beyond that we’re looking forward to joining the world in getting back out there and supporting live music and playing some shows ourselves!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Our music is on all streaming platforms! You can find it and check us out at
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ageofathena
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ageofathena/
Website: https://www.ageofathena.ca
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5cqA1zq210eUdlakOih8sN
iTunes: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/age-of-athena/1587830112
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/age-of-athena/1587830112
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Hahaha I don’t think I’ve ever had a Jaffa Cake… but after some research I am going to say biscuit!
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