Self-described as “hailing from the frozen north of Canada,” Abbotsford melodic death metal band, First Reign, has made a reappearance with some new music and are back on the scene after a five-year hiatus. They’ve brought with them some changes to line-up and sound. For many Abby metalheads, this band is a staple and a pleasure to have back. A healthy mix of technical and melodic, First Reign presents a sound that’s heavy, catchy, and captivating. I spoke to the band via email to talk about their new music, new sound, and the progression of the Abbotsford music scene over the years.
Give me a brief overview on your history. How did you first form and what were your intentions or purpose with the music?
[We] formed in late 2004 through a combination of posts on SHzine and a hand-written poster at Classic Rhythm. The five of us started practicing together in a barn on the flats, and our sole intention was to write music with as many riffs as possible in a single song. Our sound has always been described as melodic death / thrash — on the progressive side. The lyrics always had a positive and spiritual leaning, written by Dallas Erickson, our original vocalist, because… Abbotsford, the land of a million churches. A few albums later and a split with Dallas in 2014, and we more or less grew out of that. Ryan did backing vocals with Dallas, so it was natural to try and attempt lead vocals, and we think it worked out OK.
So, would you still describe yourself as spiritual and positive? What would you say your current intentions are?
We’re alive and breathing. That’s all we know for sure. These days I think we’d rather leave existential thoughts and spirituality to philosophers. We still like the idea of positivity; life is a mess of good and bad times. We try to enjoy as much of it as we can.
First Reign disappeared from the music scene for a while. What made you guys want to jump back in?
We missed playing live for fans. We missed playing fast. We took a four-year detour writing slow, melodic, heavy music, and while it taught us a lot about songwriting it ultimately wasn’t fulfilling, and we decided to get First Reign back online.
What changes have you brought as you approach the project again?
We now approach songwriting differently as we have a studio at our disposal, and we try to do more with less while still playing fast and heavy.
You released a new single last year, “Endless Facade,” the first one since 2014. What brought this about?
We had the skeleton of this song written before we initially took a break, and so it was natural to revisit it as a reason to get back together and start writing again.
I’m interested in what the meaning behind your new song is. What’s the message behind the lyrics “No one is blessed”? Is that a possible nod or goodbye to previous spiritual themes, or is it a revival/critique?
We all believe in different things. The word blessed is just thrown around so much regarding trivial matters that it doesn’t even mean anything. If you are #blessed because you look good and enjoy fancy shit, then what of the people/kids who die without enjoying any of the good that life has to offer? Would they be #cursed?
You’ve been doing a lot of new music teasing. Will you be releasing another album soon?
Most likely a new EP, but yes, definitely new music. It’s all written. It’s all recorded. We need to find a promotional channel to boost the release so people actually hear the new material.
You guys have been around for a while. How have you seen the music scene change in Abbotsford over the years? What’s your take on it now?
We’ve definitely seen it go through many phases — punk, indie, dance-rock, metal — and then all the venues got shut down, and it’s gone more to house shows and obviously lots of singer-songwriters. I think there’s a lot of new blood and big talent in Abbotsford; [we’re] looking forward to seeing the new artists that emerge. We need more venues, and we need more all-age shows.
If you want to check out First Reign, they’ll be playing at Replay Boardshop this Saturday, Sept. 21 with Trollband, Cyclopsis, and Edith.
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.
