Ascend the Shadows

The band is comprised of Seniors Kenny Huelsman, Rob Martinez, Dylan Champion, and freshman Tyler Martinez, collectively known as Ascend the Shadows. Rob (lead vocals/guitar), Tyler (drums), and Kenny (guitar/backup vocals) formed the band in October of 2007. “I wanted to express myself through my music,” Rob said. They practiced throughout the second half of the year and recorded a 6-song demo. The demo showed that that the three were truly musically gifted, despite the rather raw quality of the recording. They continued to practice into 2008, and recruited Kenny’s brother Cody to play bass in February. The band got its first taste of performing in front of an audience in May 2008, with local Alternative band Novus Dae, at the HSC Battle of the Bands, held here in the cafeteria. While there wasn’t a big turnout for the event, ATS was able to gain experience in front of a live crowd. Ironically, Cody wasn’t able to play the show, and Dylan filled in, charting a new course for the band. Later that month, the band played at the historic Toad’s Place in downtown New Haven, a venue that has hosted such renowned acts as, The Rolling Stones, Meat Loaf, Bob Dylan, and recently modern Metal juggernauts such as Trivium and All That Remains. E2We were excited to see how the people reacted to our music,” said Tyler The band practiced regularly throughout the first two months of summer, and recorded a 6 track LP, entitled “My Cruel Fate” in August. The LP featured five new songs, with a re-recording of one of their original songs, the title track “My Cruel Fate.” Compared to the original demo, this LP was quite outstanding. Its fresh polished sound showcased the brutal vocals, shredding guitars, and insane drums. The band was then invited to play Toad’s twice more in August, cranking out their new tunes at both the local rock showcase, and the End-of-the-Summer Extravaganza. It was during the local rock showcase that ATS met fellow Connecticut metal band, The Lucky Ones Die First. The Lucky Ones Die First extended an invitation to ATS to play at the recently opened South Street Stage in Waterbury for the Hardcore Havoc show. They accepted, but soon after they lost a member of the band, as Cody departed to start his own band Brutal Testament, leaving them without a bassist once more. It’s didn’t take long for ATS to find a replacement however, as Dylan became the fourth official member of the band, taking over on bass. They practiced heavily in September, and prepared for what would be a mammoth October. They were contacted by The Rock 106.9 WCCC, Connecticut’s premier rock and metal station, to be the latest featured band on their homegrown show. Homeg rown showcases the best local bands for a week giving them a great deal of exposure as the station is also broadcast worldwide on the Internet. For the week of October 20, 2008, ATS’s music could be heard almost nightly on the same station that broadcasts many of today’s top metal bands like Slipknot and Killswitch Engage. The month wasn’t over yet though, as the four followed up by performing at The South Street Stage along side The Lucky Ones Die First, Shattered Remains, and Kali Ma amongst others. November was a rather quiet month as the guys continued to practice heavily. They wrote new material including the songs “Tread The Razor’s Edge” and the Trivium-influenced technical masterpiece known as “Honor The Traitor.” Dec. 13th, ATS opened up for two of Connecticut’s top bands, IM Legend and The Constant, in front of a packed Foxon Community Center in East Haven. It was the biggest crowd yet for the band and they really got the people going, starting mosh pits and blasting its unique brand of Metal through the streets of the Foxon area of East Haven. As 2008 draws to a close, Ascend the Shadows prepares for the future. With more shows scheduled and plans to record new material, 2009, the band should have a monumental 2009. “We have two shows scheduled at the South Street Stage in January and we plan to have the new material recorded by spring. Also, we plan on collaborating with our friends from20Beyond Our Reach at some point during the year,” said Kenny. -Michael Serletti
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