Page 38 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92
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BV92 pg38-40 As Lions_BV92 pg38 13/03/2017 00:53 Page 1
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THE STRATEGY
hen we headed to the USA last year to see Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown’s
Wco-headline tour, a UK band opened the proceedings. It was none other than As
Lions, the new band featuring Austin Dickinson, Conor O'Keefe and Will Homer, previously
of Rise To Remain. The band went down a storm, kicking off each night with their own brand
of dynamic hard rock. Fast forward a few months and the five-piece have now released their
debut album, ‘Selfish Age’, an album that sees commentary on the world around us.
riendship can see people go friends and as musicians and just as broth- Austin can remember that first show as if it
Fthrough highs and lows with each ers, I guess. And we really had each other was yesterday. “I remember my stomach
other. Some relationships break up, others and we had this new music, which we be- was at the back of my throat, because it
strengthen. Austin, Conor and Will of Rise lieved in. “That was a pretty incredible mo- was the first time I’d done anything like it. I
To Remain decided to stay together and ment for us, because we felt like we could remember all the early Rise shows, but this
begin a new band for the sole reason that move forward and we could take on the was something completely new, completely
they are the closest of friends. “We’ve been world as long as we had each other. I think off our own backs with no real guarantee on
through so much together,” says frontman those moments come along very rarely. I either side of it.”
Austin Dickinson (son of Bruce). “It was will never forget that.” Rise To Remain had been a heavier
kind of a funny moment when Rise broke As Lions have been a band for two metal band, while As Lions’ roar is a lot
up because we actually got to look around years. They played their first show in Feb- smoother. Austin morphed into an almost
and really realize what we did have as ruary 2015 at London’s Camden Barfly. completely new vocalist. In As Lions he
AS LIONS