:: The Ascendicate - To Die As Kings

The Ascendicate

Despite creating a bit of a buzz in the underground scene, and signing to MD Records for their third full length effort ‘Roses Like Razorblades’ in 2005, North Carolinian based act The7Method eventually decided to call it a day after years of struggling as independent artists. But while The7Method was laid to rest, vocalist Eric Marlowe, guitarist/backing vocalist Ryan Helm and drummer Chris Wheat decided to continue making music together. And after rebuilding a solidified line-up with new members in guitarist/backing vocalist Dustin Bryant and bassist David Dudley, The Ascendicate emerged from the ashes. With a wealth of experience on their side, and producer Travis Wyrick helming the controls on their return to the studio, it was only a matter of time before the band were picked up on the strength of ‘To Die As Kings’. And sure enough, it didn’t take long for Jimmy Ryan and Ryan Clark to see the potential within The Ascendicate, with the band’s debut ‘To Die As Kings’ eventually seeing a release through Solid State Records. And the label has every reason to be excited about The Ascendicate.

The opening cut ‘Scottish’ is a great example of how vast The Ascendicate’s influences are, with a mix of Killswitch Engage sounding melodic metalcore and Sevendust like heavy groove elements. But there’s also traces of straightforward heavy rock thrown into the blend of styles, which gives the band a slightly different sound from most. From here, they continue to offer up one strong song after the other. Tracks such as ‘Stay Right Here’, ‘A Bit Of History’, ‘We Didn’t Click’ and the slower closing track ‘One Day Without You’ certainly represent the more melodic side of their sound with the clean vocals present for the most part (All the while remaining quite heavy on the guitar front), while ‘You And Me’, ‘Fire That Kid’, ‘Burden’ (Which is preceded with a clip from the 2005 film ‘The Exorcism Of Emily Rose’), ‘Pride Of The Brutish’ and the Slipknot-like ‘Fighting Words’ featuring a mix of clean/growled vocals. There’s a lot to be said for history, and The Ascendicate have certainly learned a lot from their own. ‘To Die As Kings’ isn’t about to redefine the melodic hardcore/metal genre by any stretch, but it at least has more depth, class and maturity than a lot of other albums, and that will undoubtedly give The Ascendicate an edge over the rest.