Ascension of the Watchers is an American gothic rock band from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It was originally formed by Burton C. Bell (

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...

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) and John Bechdel ( Ministry,

, Killing Joke,

Prong Prong or Prongs may refer to: * Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects * Prong (band), an American metal band * Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City * Prongs, British ...

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group, active from 1929 to 1941, that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included the Italian-American Mafia, the ...

Career

In October 2005, they headlined The Surfacing Tour with Bechdel's other band, False Icons, and Still Life Decay, a New York City industrial metal band that Burton has recorded with. A full-length album and some "special shows" were in the planning stages for 2007, according to an announcement Burton made on the official Ascension of the Watchers website in October 2006. In July 2018, Burton announced Ascension of the Watchers would be recording their second studio album titled ''Apocrypha'', originally named ''Stormcrow''. The band also announced the addition of Welsh solo artist

Jayce Lewis Jason Charles Lewis known professionally as Jayce Lewis (born 29 September 1984) is a Welsh musician from Bridgend, South Wales. In 2009 his self-produced single titled "Icon" (also included on EMI Records' ''Smash Hits 2009'' compilation) ach ...

whom also produced and mixed the new album at his studio in Wales.

2005: ''Iconoclast''

Following the departure of Burton C. Bell from metal band

due to internal disputes, Bell announced the release of his debut EP/mini album ''Iconoclast'' in June 2005 with long time friend John Bechdel originally released as 12" vinyl, the EP was written and recorded at Bechdel's home in rural Pennsylvania.

2020: ''Apocrypha''

In 2018, Burton C. Bell announced the recording of a new album with a working title ''Stormcrow''. Following a successful

Pledgemusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

campaign, Bell teamed up with Solo artist

to produce and mix the new album, during recording Pledgemusic announced a liquidation order leaving the band no option but to continue, later announcing the signing to Dissonance Records with an album release date of October 9, 2020.

Line-up

* Burton C. Bell – guitars, vocals (2001--present)

Live members

* Scott Irvine – bass (2005–2006) * Fade Kainer – drums (2005–2006) * Edu Mussi – guitars (2005–2020) * John Bechdel – keyboards, programming (2005-2021) * Jayce Lewis - drums, programming (2018-2022) * Alex Terhune – bass (2008) * Bones Padilla – drums (2008)

Discography

* ''Iconoclast'' (demo – 2004 – self-released) * ''Numinosum'' (LP – 2008 – 13th Planet Records) * ''Apocrypha'' (LP – 2020 – Dissonance Records) * ''Translations'' (Double LP – 2021 – Dissonance Records)

References

External links

*
Ascension of the Watchers
on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascension Of The Watchers 2001 establishments in Pennsylvania American musical trios Musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups established in 2001