Interviews: Augurium

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Symphonic Death Metal band Augurium from Canada. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or come out just like that?

Cejay: Well, it was honestly a struggle for us at the beginning to come up with something "original" as so many of the good names are already taken. We actually just went down a similar route as another band I was a part of previously, and took a cool name for something, and got the Latin form of it and played around with it a tad. IE: Omen - Augurium. If we wanna go by the literal definition, "the practice of observing and interpreting omens, divination, or augury." Also, I was obsessed with the Omen horror movies back in those days, so that's an influence. 

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Cejay: Honestly, when I first started to actually play guitar and get into our music scene, death metal wasn't the genre I anticipated I'd be destined for. It was actually thrash metal (Super megadeth fan here), but I soon realized that it never scratched the itch for something heavier and darker. So slowly my tastes changed, and I discovered all of these phenomenal old school death metal, blackened death metal bands, and the path was paved. Here we are, 10 years later.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Reid: For the most part, yes. The Saskatchewan scene is pretty small and intimate, so I think the majority of us had at least been on the same bills with our other bands a number of times.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Reid: Beyond Creation

Logan: The Black Dahlia Murder

Cejay: Megadeth

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Reid: There are a huge number of things that are the inspiration for our music. Because there are a lot of symphonic elements to it, I’ve taken inspiration from plenty of video game and film soundtracks. And of course, plenty of bands and albums inspired me. Off the top of my head, some of the biggest inspirations for our songs are Septicflesh,   Dimmu Borgir,  Shadow of Intent, and  the soundtrack from Divinity: Original Sin 2

6. Where was your last gig?

Reid: It was a hometown gig in Regina supporting Into Eternity. For many of us, this was a really exciting gig because we were all really inspired by Into Eternity, and they are such a massive icon in our local scene.

7. Where would you like to act?

Reid: Well, our next target is an eastern Canada tour that we will hopefully be doing in the relatively near future. I’m particularly excited to play in Montreal and St. John.

8. Who would you like to feature ?

Cejay: Honestly,  there are many shredders out there I'd LOVE to have on a track, such as Dave Davidson (Revocation) or Greg Burgess (Allegaeon), but some of the vocalists out there would be so killer as well. Some come to my mind would be Will Ramos (Lorna Shore), Lukas Nicolai (Mental Cruelty), or even Sven de Caluwé (Aborted).

9. Who not?

Cejay: I don't think there's anyone in particular we wouldn't want. I think it'd be a conflict of genre/musical taste. So - "Augurium's newest single Feat. Celine Dion?"

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Reid: The first few times I hit a stage were pretty nerve-wracking as I am a very socially anxious person. I wouldn’t say I know any tips for beginners other than the fact that I just got through those shows by focusing on my instrument and didn’t let the crowd bother me. Over time, I’ve become fairly comfortable with it, but there’s always a subtle sense of anxiety before a show.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Cejay: For myself, in the early days of Augurium, A few bands such as Belphegor, Behemoth, and even a few slam bands influenced my taste - nowadays it's more along the lines of Septicflesh, Mental Cruelty, etc.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has asked you for?

Cejay: Well, they attempted to barter a deal for one of our stage scrims, lol. From my recollection, they offered a small amount of cash, a bottle cap, and a high five. That's a no-go. Sorry 🤣

13. What do you think of your fans?

Cejay: They're not just fans-they're a force of nature. Honestly, they're the greatest people you can meet. Fiercely loyal, endlessly passionate, and louder than us when it comes to supporting our music. We wouldn't be where we are without them, and for that, we’re truly thankful.

14. What do you think of our site?

Reid: Super cool! It’s great seeing sites that give bands voices and mediums to interact with the world and show them who we are beyond our social media and music. If you guys want to do any features or video interviews in the future, I’d be happy to do it!

15. Something to add?

We just want to add a thank you to everyone who’s listened to the single and supported us. We have lots of new content and plans coming up. We also just want to give a shout-out to James Ivanyi for helping with the composition and production of our songs behind the scenes. And Jon Asher for helping us with the marketing and getting our single out there.