The Awakening brings its 12th album of the uniquely painted flavour of gothic rock to the masses, releasing its self-titled album via Intervention Arts on vinyl, CD, digitally and various limited-edition formats.

Now USA-based, The Awakening was formed in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the late 90s as the creative expression of vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ashton Nyte, who was anointed as "Johannesburg's Bowie" for his widely varying musical styles and theatrical performances. The Awakening's sound incorporates numerous genres, including gothic rock, darkwave, post-punk, electronic rock, folk noir, new wave, and more.

The Awakening album follows Nyte's second book and eighth solo album, Autumn's Children, which was selected as one of American Songwriter's Top 17 Albums of 2023. This new album is a celebration of the band's roots and influences. The lead track, "Mirror Midnight", underscores the historical tendency towards self-obsession and the media's recurring manipulation of self-perception. Nyte shot the video in his preferred black-and-white format with a gothic film noir treatment.

"Essentially, I fell in love all over again with the bands and albums that made me want to create this sort of art in the first place. It was a true joy to create this work", says Ashton Nyte. "The last two Awakening albums were departures for me. This Alchemy (2021) explored the more electronic side of my musical personality, and The Passage Remains (2022) effectively cleared out the vaults of unreleased heavier material. It feels like it's time to come home."

A core contributor to LA-based supergroup Beauty In Chaos, having been involved with every album released, Nyte has collaborated with members of The Cure, The Mission, Tricky, All About Eve, and Peter Murphy's band. 2024 also saw Nyte involved in the latest Beauty In Chaos album, Dancing With Angels.

Having toured extensively and headlined music festivals in the USA, Europe, and South Africa to upwards of 30,000 people, Nyte has also written and performed in theatrical productions and hosted philanthropic events, including his "Rock Against Rape" concert series. He has also presented a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. Link