Bio

Omega Dawn is here to make an impact.

Hailing from Napier, Omega Dawn is a currently unsigned powerful rock entity made up of 5 core members: Damien Gouder (25) Lead vocals / acoustic guitar - Jon Farquharson (24) Bass architecture / backing vox - Ben Molnar (26) Lead & rhythm guitars / backing vox - Danny Richardson (21) Lead & rhythm guitars and Phill Burton (25) Drums and percussion.

Formed in November 2003, Omega Dawn have worked very hard together, writing and recording many songs, playing live shows to the public and developing the group visually and commercially. Changing drummers from Cliff Simpson to Phillip Burton early 2004 temporarily stunted the bands' efforts to perform live but intensified the songwriting and practice routine. As a result, a typical weeks schedule became 4-5 practice sessions and at least one live show. This new routine has lead to a much more refined and focused delivery of their product, their performance, both musically and visually.

Drawing on a wide and varied range of musical influences, Omega Dawns' sound is hard to categorise. A rock-solid foundation of intelligent song structures fused together by powerful hook melodies and catch rhythms reproduce the commercial integrity of many successful groups' hit songs before them. While reminiscent of the early 90's rock supergroups, Omega Dawn have built on this base, experimenting with a new strain of hit music: fusing hook driven pop style choruses with edgy rock guitar riffs, either bouncing along with the energetic rhythms of funk or swimming through the watery moodiness of the more emotive side. Heavy Rock and pop are two words not usually associated with each other, but with Omega dawn these two sounds fuse together to produce a hypnotic and seductive sound destined for chart success. Rock has never been heard this way... pop has never been heard this way… This development has furthered the creation of a whole new generation of originality, innovation and entertainment that displays them as a truly unique, technically impressive and sonically superior class of band altogether. Music for the future ~ music for the people.

One of the highlights of 2004 had been the 4-day DVD video shoot during April for the bands' epic masterpiece 'Do You Hear The Thunder'. Shot on location at a private beach south of Wairarapa, New Zealand, the clip was made possible by the financial assistance and artistic direction of talented video producer & photographer Marty Dick, of Ziko Productions, his camera hand Miles Nathan. October 2004 saw Omega Dawn being asked to perform at their local tertiary institute to support visiting Eagles’ lead guitarist, the legendary Joe Walsh. Mr. Walsh had taken time off from his world tour to visit New Zealand and speak to the public about the dangers of meth amphetamine use.

After successfully capturing their might onstage during Nov 2004s video shoot for 'Omega Dawn Live : The breakthru DVD' the band has been ever busy rehearsing, playing live, writing and recording new material for Februarys debut EP release Breaking the calm… Meanwhile, 'Omega Dawn Live : The breakthru DVD' is a full-length display of the energy, excitement and soul behind what the media has excitedly labelled as ‘a phenomenon' and ‘tipped to be the one to watch for’. A premium edit involving 6 camera angles, a solid audio tracks and an impressive lighting show, this piece of rock history clearly defines why Omega Dawns' live shows are so talked about.

The outlook to the future is confident. The focus is now set on establishing its presence on the international music scene. In its wake we have seen the release of highly demanded recordings, demo videos shot for DVD, commercial radio play, and being the focus of media attention in multiple feature stories, reviews and press releases.

Catering to an ever expanding fanbase Omega Dawns' own brand of soaring vocals, flowing rhythms and incredible dual lead guitars leave a firm impression that this is a talented band on the rise, with no limit to its potential.

Player Bio's

Blazing singer / songwriter / poet Damien Gouder is lost in a world of the deep, the romantic and the impending, obsessed with song structure and vocal hooks. Before finding and settling with the musicians of Omega Dawn, Damien had burned through a procession of musicians, frustrated at being unable to find the right links to bring about his own personal vision. Damien is heavily influenced by Roxette, Nirvana, Guns ‘n' Roses, Robert Plant and most importantly, his ego.

Straight from shred guitar heaven, lead guitarist Danny Richardson plays to impress. Sweeping arpeggios, screaming harmonies and fret work to die for. The only way to sum up this guys playing is to put four bikini models in a red Ferrari with the heater cranked on high, one word, HOT. Danny has taken lessons most of his career and has studied a lot of guitarists, from idols like Slash from Guns n Roses, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Kirk Hammet of Metallica and Master Yngwie Malmsteen. This is one guitarist to look out for.

Co-piloting the lead guitar frontline of Omega Dawn, maintaining the might of sound sourced from the soul and setting the stage on fire with his sonic splendour comes Ben Molnar. An anomole of lead guitarists, this digit king distils the pure emotion of the blues, wraps it with the wild and electrified explosion of the 80's ‘classic' metal and adds a few drops of millennium era ‘nu' style chords. Ben has built himself a sturdy ship of sound, and confidently sails it toward new horizons others would only dream of. Influenced by Adrian Smith & Dave Murray of Iron Maiden, Glen Tipton from Judas Priest and Randy Rhoads & Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne.

Laying “the smack-down” at the rear of the stage comes the talented Phill Burton. Phill started drumming in 2001 with 3 drum teachers a week, covering all aspects of drumming. Boasting a broad spectrum of style ranging anywhere from jazz to death metal Phill has worked very hard and advanced incredibly, practicing 4 to 5 times a week and performing live regularly. Owning a massive Pearl drum kit, complete with 2 kick drums and a wealth of cymbals & toms, he also incorporates the use of electronic drum equipment, such as pads and triggers. Major influences include: Vinnie Paul of Pantera, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Igor Cavalera of Sepultura and Danny Carey of Tool.

The ‘bass architect' is how bassist Jon Farquharson would describe his unique style. Not content with standard ‘single note at a time' bass lines, Jon has evolved his playing, often strumming out across 3 octaves at a time while playing the rhythms in between them - hence the framework or structure effect. Choosing the bass at age 15, Jon began a self-taught story. This absence of a teachers influence left the gates of originality wide open, where ‘proper' techniques were exchanged for new techniques. Performing as the bassist for the high school jazz band while absorbing a very wide array of musical influence, Jons' style has evolved to include many elements, like the catchiness of funk, the smooth feel of jazz and the powerful 5-string strength of low end modern rock and metal bands. Influences include: The late Cliff Burton of Metallica, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Flea of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Timmy C of Rage Against the Machine and Justin Chancellor of Tool.

Band Members:
Jon Farquharson (bass)
Damien Gouder (vocals)
Ben Molnar (guitar)
Danny Richardson (guitar)
Phill Burton (drums)