The Awakening
Guitarist-vocalist Ashton Nyte began his musical career as front man for the South African rock band Martyr's Image, formed in early 1994. In 1995, "The Awakening" was formed with former Martyr's Image members, and immediately following the band's first performance, Nyte began production of the band's first studio album entitled ''Risen." The album featured the band's cover of the Simon and Garfunkel song "The Sounds of Silence" which went to #1 on South Africa's rock charts and became a cult classic thoughout South Africa.
The second album titled ''Request'' embraced the electronic and industrial sounds of 1980s new romantic movement. The band began to achieve even more notice in the mainstream radio and media with the singles "Maree", "Rain" and "Before I Leap." Maree as a single sold over 5,000 copies in its first year without major label support, and also went to #1 on the SA rock charts.
With a new five member live line up, the band created its third album, ''Ethereal Menace'', which was dubbed as "dark future rock" by Nyte. A music video for "The March" was produced by South African Music Awards winner, director Eban Olivier's Concrete Productions, and the video was placed in rotation on MTV Europe.
In December 1999, Nyte took a break from The Awakening to concentrate on releasing his first solo album entitled The Slender Nudes. Nyte returned to The Awakening in September 2000, when the band released its darkest album yet, The Fourth Seal of Zeen. The epic album displays a range of sounds between darkwave and classic gothic rock. The song "The Dark Romantics" became a gothic club dance floor anthem throughout the world, and remains one of the band's most beloved singles to date. In the year 2001, amidst lineup changes and tours, an EP entitled The Fountain was released, which echoed the atmosphere and style of Zeen. The Fountain single went to #4 on the South African rock charts, and charted in the top 10 for nine weeks.
In June 2002 The Awakening recorded its most aggressive, guitar-driven album to date, Roadside Heretics. According to Nyte, Roadside Heretics marked a new era for The Awakening, as they focused on capturing their trademark live performance intensity within the album's sound. One of the album's singles, The Maker spent two weeks at #1 on the South African rock charts. In the same year, the band released a compilation album entitled Sacrificial Etchings featuring singles from 1997 - 2002 and a few previously unreleased songs including the band's hit single "Vampyre Girl." Sacrificial Etchings ranked as the 18th top album of 2003 in South Africa.
Nyte released his third solo album entitled Sinister Swing in 2003. A year later Nyte began to work on The Awakening's most ambitious album by far, entitled Darker Than Silence, with lyrical themes about devastation and medication. Songs such as "One More Crucifixion", "Angelyn", and "The Needle and the Gun" achieved a positive reception world-wide and notable success on South African and German charts. The success brought the band to tour the United States for the first time in 2004.
In 2006 The Awakening signed a management deal with German based MCM Music, and later signed a record deal with German label Massacre Records. The Awakening then released its eighth studio album entitled Razor Burn. A second US tour followed.
In late 2007, Nyte relocated to the US following the band's third US tour. The band performed one of its first 2008 US shows as a headliner of HM Magazine's stage at Cornerstone Festival 2008. Currently the band has announced another US tour in promotion of The Awakening's eighth studio album, Tales of Absolution and Obsoletion released June 2009, which promises to be the band's "most theatrical and dramatic yet."