Awake By Design are a melodic, symphonic heavy metal band from England formed in 2008 by lead singer Adrian Powell and guitarist Toby Stewart. In 2009, just one year after the bands birth, Awake By Design released their first full length album ‘sentiment’ and began a busy gigging schedule to promote the album supporting well-known bands such as: Leaves Eyes, Pain of Salvation, My Dying Bride, Anathema, Apocalyptica, Diamond Head, Sonata Arctica, Queensryche, Lacrimas Profundere, Curved Air, Anvil, Power Quest, Amorphis, Evergrey and many more.
This busy schedule and the bands rising reputation led to Awake By Design being named by Claire Frays (Midlands Rocks Reviewer) as top local band of 2011.
The experience gained from the mentioned gigs and tours, as well as the incredible support of fans and press, culminated in Awake By Design performing a highlight show at Bloodstock Festival in the summer of 2013.
After a number of years playing shows off the back of the first album, the band released their second album ‘Carve The Sun’ in 2015 through LMC Records receiving overwhelmingly positive responses from fans and the press with singles being played on the BBC, Kerrang and Metal Hammer.
This album kickstarted the bands gigging schedule again with a brand new set culminating in another highlight show for the band at HRH metal in 2018.
Shortly after this however, the band took a hiatus to re-energise and gather new inspiration with some members pursuing other projects.
In 2019, the band started working on new material for what would become the third album. They began playing shows again while testing out the new material in the live set gaining the interest of new fans and the media and establishing the beginnings of the new album.
The self-titled album by Heavy Metal Quintet, Awake By Design, will be the 3rd studio album for the band following their 2015 album ‘Carve The Sun’ and sees the band reunite with previous member Toby Stewart (guitar) and recruit new member Chris Threlfall (Drums) who previously featured live a few times as a session drummer for the band. The full length 13 track release, produced and mixed by legendary producer Karl Groom (Dragonforce, Threshold), shows how the band’s sound has developed into a unique, modern take on their influences which nods to the heavy metal and power metal bands of old.
