LA Rock Band, AEGES Discusses Their Latest Single ‘Colors’, Favorite Past Shows and More!

Get to know the Los Angeles rock outfit Aeges (pronounced “ages”)!

On April 23rd, they released their newest single, “Colors.” The track is part of the band’s first round of new music since their early 2020 full-length album DRØMMEN. The self-released single was engineered and produced by Aeges vocalist/guitarist Kemble Walters and mixed by Beau Burchell (Saosin, Senses Fail). “Colors” has the band leaning further into their progressive sound, giving a nod to fans old and new with explosive, yet-intelligent rock riffs and soaring vocals. This new track marks a progressive step for the band that is known for their unique blend of heavy rock / alt-metal mixed with tinges of doom laced riffs, soul crushing tones and melodic, yet aggressive vocals. For those that have followed Aeges over the past decade or caught them on tour with bands like Chevelle and Local H, they will be impressed with how Aeges continues to craft and evolve their overall sound.

“Musically, COLORS is the sum of all our parts and then some” says Walters. “It’s got the thick heavy riffs, extreme highs and lows in dynamics, a pumping chorus and attitude for days. I feel like lyrics should always be up to the interpretation of the listener, but there are a few different themes being addressed here. One is the chasm of perception, and how some people refuse to believe something, even though there’s a mountain of evidence right in front of them.”

Their last album DRØMMEN was released on January 24th 2020 just as the band was preparing for extensive touring to support the effort. As the effects of the pandemic settled on the industry, Aeges soon realized the album may not get the push they had hoped and pivoted into writing new music and working on other respective projects. While the band has moved on to writing new music, Aeges plans to play tracks from DRØMMEN including “Drifter” and “Dreamstate” as shows and tour dates begin to schedule. A new effort from the band is in the works, with more details surfacing in the coming months.

Aeges formed in 2011, composed of past members of Pelican, The Rise, and -16-. Being veterans of the hard rock music scene, Aeges made their presence known very quickly,  releasing their first EP “Roaches” on Hawthorne Street Records, and immediately following up with their first full length The Bridge in 2012. Combining instrumental influence of post – hardcore, doom, and riff heavy prog rock with pop hooks of desert rock, Aeges have gone on to release full lengths Above and Down Below and Weightless on Century Media. Aeges’ latest album DRØMMEN, mixed by Beau Burchell of Saosin, hit the soundwaves in 2020. Although the year itself was somewhat detrimental to the music world, Aeges keeps progressing and has new music underway for 2021, including the latest single ‘”Colors.”

Connect With Aeges Online Here: WEBSITE

Learn more about Aeges in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So first things first, how did you all start this band? What made you all think that you could work together? How difficult was it to come up with a band name that you all agreed on?

The band started with my buddy Larry Herweg (the original drummer) and I. We always talked about starting something together so we finally pulled the trigger with AEGES. Once we had everyone in, the vibe was right and we all loved the same bands so it seemed like it was gonna be a smooth sailing working together. As all bands go, things aren’t always as smooth as you’d like but it is what it is. Tony is now the only OG member aside from myself. 

The band name was a tricky one. I really didn’t want anything too emo sounding (multiple word names seemed to lean towards that), and we all wanted something powerful and easy to remember. After going over band names for days we all agreed upon AEGES. Tony is the one that put the Æ in ÆGES. 

How are you all feeling at this point about the pandemic and the recent openings? Are things slowly getting back to normal life for you guys? Have you gotten vaccinated?

We are all fully vaccinated now which feels like a huge weight has been lifted. Some of us had worse reactions than others but we’re all feeling great now. I’m stoked that things are opening up. This has been the longest I’ve been without playing a show since I was 14 years old and I’m feeling it in every inch of my body and it sucks. So yes, OPEN THE DOOORS AND LETS GOOOO! Things are slowly getting back to normal.

Let’s talk about your newest single, “Colors.” What was the inspiration for it? How would you say that it compares to the songs on your 2020 album, “Drommen”? Do you have plans to make a music video for “Colors”?

I was listening to a lot of mastodon when I was writing this tune and really wanted to throw more melodic dissonance and “technical” guitar riffs in there. Lyrically I wanted to sing about unity without sounding trite or generic and also wanted to leave the lyrics vague enough to be open to interpretation. 

COLORS is a bit quicker paced and shorter than any of the tunes off DRØMMEN. We like to think that we evolve with each release without completely changing our sound so that is definitely something we pushed to do. It’s got a weird structure that sounds polished til you put it under the microscope and see that it in no way resembles anything cookie cutter or generic… at-least we think so. 

We released a video a week or so after the single came out which was directed and edited by our drummer Dylan, you should check it out. He did a great job.

When will you be releasing more new music? Will this be a continual thing throughout 2021?

We have about an album’s worth of tunes ready to roll, we’re just trying to figure out what the best plan of attack is. Is it to release a full length? An ep? Multiple singles? Not sure yet, but we’re gonna sort it out ASAP and definitely release more in 2021.

How excited are you all about getting back out there to perform live? Do you have any future dates already scheduled yet?

SOOOOO EXCITED! We don’t have any plans for 2021 as of yet, but are more than open to it for sure. We’re focusing more so on 2022 for shows and that seems a bit more realistic but nonetheless we can not wait to play!

What do you think makes for an ideal show for this band? What have been some of your favorite shows and venues?

The recipe for an ideal AEGES show is a rad crowd, big or small who is ready to hit it hard with us. We never plan the show aside from a set list, and we do our best to make each night it’s own special and unique experience. We love playing and we love our fans.

What do you think makes for an ideal show for this band? What have been some of your favorite shows and venues?

We’ve been fortunate enough to play some really great shows/tours, here’s some incredibly memorable ones:

*Monster Mash opening for Tool: the crowd was enormous! And they were ready to GOOOO!

*Every tour we’ve done with CHEVELLE cause their fans LOVE music, and those dudes are rad.

*We did a tour with LOCAL H and AEGES jumped on stage with them to do a Led Zeppelin cover which was so rad and huge sounding. No one filmed it, it was THAT good 😉

How do you think your hometown has influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If not, why do you think that is?

We’ve been described as having a desert vibe which I love. I actually live in the desert now and it really does have a Mojo to it that seeps into your soul (sounds corny I know). We all used to live in LA (the rest of the guys still do) and I firmly believe that the traffic definitely played a party in some of the angst. No matter where you go, you’re gonna hit it.

How would you say that this group has grown as musicians over the years? How has your sound matured and developed? What has remained the same?

This band has grown quite a bit over the years. When the band started, we were a bit more chord based and not near as riffy as we are now. We set our sights on being Quicksand, Helmet & HUM. On our 2nd and 3rd records (Above & Down Below // WEIGHTLESS) we found ourselves with a new drummer and guitarist which allowed us to explore further than where we had started from, honing in on the “AEGES” sound.

How would you say that this group has grown as musicians over the years? How has your sound matured and developed? What has remained the same?

As we rolled up on to record 4 (DRØMMEN) we found ourselves as a 3 piece and added our current drummer Dylan to the mix. I feel that this current line up has really pulled the most out of the band so far. We’ve been able to explore and push ourselves further as everyone in the band is a great talent. In my mind, AEGES will always be AEGES. We don’t grow too far or too fast that we no longer fit our own shoes. We want to stay true to the original idea of the band but keep revolving at the same time. I’m super stoked for everyone to hear what’s next.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere? With all the negativity out there today, what else in life truly makes you all happy?

I love the studio but there’s nothing that beats a great show. Seeing fans react and sing along is one of the greatest gifts an artist can ask for. Each night is a new and unique experience and something that will never be shared that way again, that’s super special.

We all love the studio, but sometimes being under that microscope can be super stressful. It’s amazing to watch a song come full circle and evolve to what eventually gets released, collaboration and deep connection is key.

We love all of it. I love all animals and am one of those guys who will watch cute animal videos for hours cause they’re awesome. So since I can’t speak for the others, I’m gonna go with animals. Animals make me happy… especially my dog BOWIE.

With all the different social media platforms out there, how do you balance it all? How do you think that social media has impacted this band? How often are you all on your different sites interacting with fans? How have you been able to utilize them through the years? Which of you handles them mostly?

We use the standard FB, IG and Twitter for socials. I know that lately there’s been an influx of new things popping up like Twitch and what not but we haven’t dived in yet. I’m pretty much the only one who does the socials and I always want to put quality content out there but Covid really made that tough. It seemed like everything we were posting was a throwback or Flashback Friday kinda vibe so we slowed ’em down a bit. 

Now that COLORS is out, we’ve been posting a bit more. As tours open and we’re all together more frequently then we will for sure be posting more. 

What musicians have really been inspiring you all since you first started making music? Who would you all love to work with in the future?

Dave Grohl always inspired me as a kid. I wanted to be the “all around musician” like him so I worked super hard to get good at all the rock instruments. Dimebag was also a huge inspiration. I’ve always wanted to write a riff so brutal yet so catchy that everyone could get into and never stop singing it. 

There’s a ton of people we’d love to work with. Kurt Ballou makes some incredible records, Walter Schriefels is a huge reason this band exists and we’d be STOKED to collab with him, Joe Barressi is the best rock producer out there and he is definitely number one on my bucket list. I love that guy and all his records.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I think we all collectively hope that our music inspires people. That it can lift them up when times are tough, make them feel when they aren’t feeling enough and inspire them to keep pushing forward. If we can get a kid to want to play music from what they hear from us then I’d be sooooo stoked. 

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

Life is good, riffs are great, the volume knob turns to the right for a reason. Turn it up.