We last caught up with Rogue Awakening in 2023 — back when the war paint was fresh, the armour still gleaming, and “Feed Me Fire” was setting sparks in all the right places. Fast forward to 2026 and the band aren’t just back… they’re sharpening the blades.
With a new single, “Take My Pleasure,” landing on February 27, I thought we’d go beyond a standard review and have a proper interrogation. Rhythm guitarist Tom Corrigan stepped into the spotlight to talk about evolution, pagan theatrics, streaming realities, and why merch still matters more than algorithms.
A vibrant live presence at festivals such as Guilfest, Rogue Awakening blend indie/alt rock instincts with symphonic metal muscle. Big melodic choruses? Absolutely. Fantasy-laced lyricism? Always. Subtle? Not remotely.
Members: Kimberley Voice (vocals), Ollie (lead guitar), Nick (bass/backing vocals), Tom (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), and Jordan (drums).
My interview:
New Single “Take My Pleasure” is taking us into a more urban metal sound, but retaining a melodic chorus and fantasy style lyrics! Give us some of the background to this one please and how do you see it fitting into your catalogue – an outlier or when you are heading now sound wise?
Tom: Yes our sound has definitely developed since our EP “Feed Me Fire” back in 2023. This has the higher energy and heaviness of our more recent releases like “Remain Untamed.” But as you say, having big melodic choruses is still a big part of our songs!
When we last spoke in 2023 Kimberley noted that you had at one point tried a Nordic Viking look image wise at one point, but it was an image in flux – Do you feel the image side of things is still evolving?
Tom: Actually we have a very pagan/fantasy look on stage! We all wear armour and war paint and Kimberley has developed her onstage persona as the Dark Goddess so she always wears a mask and never speaks to the audience. Instead we have our hype lord TC who puts on a very dramatic performance in his Viking warrior persona to get the crowd fired up. We very much want to make our shows an experience where you are totally immersed in the world of Rogue Awakening.
The EP “Feed Me Fire” was well reviewed when it came out in 2023, since then there have been a line of singles. Clearly singles keep the momentum running but don’t have the collected body of work feel – are there ambitions for another EP or even album down the line?
Tom: Yes it’s tricky as most of the big music platforms reward consistent releases rather than dropping an album every few years. However we have been working hard behind the scenes and are hoping to release our debut album later this year.
I notice you have some tracks on Bandcamp. Now…Bandcamp seems to be a way for artists to make a living better due to the royalties paid out compared to some other platforms – do you think artists can effectively move to take ownership back of their music…it was somewhat lost when the Napster generation decided that music was free (a bit like we experience on the magazine, the magazine is free but we need readers to support us on the Ko-Fi or merchandise more!) – but it’s not, you work damn hard all of you.
Tom: It’s again a tricky subject. Spotify totally dominates the streaming world and often your success will be determined by how many monthly listeners you have on there. But we are still very much a live band and encourage our fans to come experience us live and hopefully buy some merch. Merch is the main source of band income so we hugely appreciate anyone who buys some!
“The Hunter” is actually my favourite song of yours – is it a mainstay of your live set still and is it a track that you remain satisfied with as time moves on?
Tom: Ah thanks, yeah it’s usually the song we open the set with! It’s a solid song and we still enjoy playing it as it gets the crowd settled in and shows them what we are all about.
What is on the horizon for 2026 that you can share with us?
Tom: Well we are currently on our Untamed Tour of the UK which has been great so far. We have our new track out at the end of Feb which we are really looking forward to. Plus we have some festival slots that we can’t announce yet but are absolutely buzzing about.
What a world we are in right now, the news seems relentlessly bad, and I try to avoid looking at it. With all the depression in the world we believe music has such a unifying role and is essential for mental health. Do you agree with us? Can music still save the world, or at least play its part?
Tom: I think music is a huge unifier. It can bring people together in a way nothing else can. There’s obviously so many terrible things happening in the world but music can still bring us joy and hope and we hope we can be a small part of that.
Lastly, a fun question. It is late at night, and the tour bus breaks down. The wind is howling outside, and the rain is rushing down. A lonely cottage (with electricity) awaits, no one is inside. What book and what film will get you through the night?
Tom: Oooh good question! Well if it’s just me I’m taking “The Devils” by Joe Abercrombie which is epic. Film would be hard to call, but maybe “Back to the Future 2.” I’ve watched it so many times and it’s still awesome!
So that was great, and I would say that there may be some great news ahead for the fans of this band in the coming months. It’s no accident their name keeps cropping up across the UK hard rock scene — and 2026 feels like it could be the year that momentum really bites.
My Review:
This track is markedly heavier than some of the earlier numbers from Rogue Awakening that I am familiar with, but it pivots into a melodic chorus that is dangerously easy to latch onto. The drum sound punches hard, and the layered backing vocals add a slightly demonic undercurrent behind Kimberley’s lead. It’s a hard-edged slice of modern metal that still carries the fantasy DNA the band have built their world on.
If this is the direction of travel, then Rogue Awakening aren’t just evolving — they’re levelling up. With a debut album on the horizon and festival slots still under wraps, don’t be surprised if that armour starts appearing on much bigger stages very soon.
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By Anna-Louise Burgess
