Every once in awhile, since I'm known to be a metal fan out there on the Internets (No!! Really??), I get "picked up" by bands on Twitter, YouTube, or whereever, looking to gain popularity, fans, or maybe some free publicity. Some of those bands are really, really good. One of those really, really good bands is from the Land Down Under: Divine Ascension.

More on their story below the fold.

Divine Ascension occupy what I call the "Trojan point" of progressive metal and symphonic metal. They employ keyboards and a classically-trained female lead vocalist like many symphonic acts, but their music has a complex, progressive-rock structure to it. The group is a six-person ensemble, consisting of Jennifer Borg (lead vocals), Karl Szulik (lead & rhythm guitars), Robb Inglis (rhythm & lead guitars), David Van Pelt (keyboards), Simon Mahoney (bass), and Luke Wenczel (drums). Borg's voice isn't as operatic as Tarja Turunen or Simone Simons, but it's very "rounded" and full, reminding me pleasantly of a friend and former coworker of mine now teaching music in the Bay Area. Their music shows off her great vocal range to maximum effect, too.

Divine Ascension formed in Melbourne in 2007, releasing a 3-track demo about that time that was intended as a promo to help them get gigs, but soon mushroomed into a full-blown phenomenon across Australia. They've mostly been touring the country ever since, but, last year, they released their debut full-length album, As The Truth Appears, a ten-track collection available in the U.S. through Nightmare Records. This album raises their profile beyond the shores of Oz, and the band are using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to good effect to supplement that. The first single from the album, "Answers," highlights their talent considerably:

(The additional vocalist on that track is Silvio Massaro, giving the vocals kind of an "Anette-and-Marco" dynamic.)

That's by no means the only good track on that album; "Garden of Evil," in particular, which is my favorite track on the album thusfar, shows off the sweeping range of Borg's voice in its chorus, and tracks such as "Guided By Osiris" and "Civilization" have themes as epic as any European symphonic-metal act.

Divine Ascension is now back on tour throughout Australia, capitalizing on their successes. I look forward to the day when they will embark on a tour of much larger scope, getting as far as Denver. I think they'll find a receptive audience here when they come...and I'll be right there among them. \m/