The Awakening
The Awakening is a South African alternative rock band formed in Johannesburg in 1995 by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Ashton Nyte. Rooted in gothic rock and darkwave, the band has been credited with introducing gothic rock to South African audiences. Nyte has been the band's sole permanent member since its formation. He writes, performs and produces its recordings, and assembles a live band to perform with him when touring.
The band's debut album, Risen (1997), included a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" that went to number one in South Africa. It was followed by Request (1998), Ethereal Menace (1999), The Fourth Seal of Zeen (2000), Roadside Heretics (2002) and Darker Than Silence (2004). These produced further hits, including the number-one singles "Maree" and "The Maker", while the band headlined South African festivals including Oppikoppi and RAMfest. After its first United States tour in 2004, the band released Razor Burn (2006) in Europe through Massacre Records, and Nyte relocated to the United States in 2008.
Since the move, the band has released Tales of Absolution and Obsoletion (2009), Chasm (2018), This Alchemy (2021), The Passage Remains (2022), The Awakening (2024) and The Lost Theatre (2026). Both The Awakening and The Lost Theatre reached the top three of Germany's Deutsche Alternative Charts, the latter peaking at number 2. The band supported The Mission on its 30th anniversary European tour in 2016. Its 2025 Haunting Tour included co-headlining slots at Castle Party and Brainstorm Festival, its first concert in Mexico, and a return to South Africa for the first time in more than a decade to headline Praise the LOUD Fest.
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