Trance To The Sun

TRANCE TO THE SUN

Over the course of five U.S. tours, seven albums, and myriad

compilation appearances, Trance To The Sun existed as a bright gem in

the American Darkwave music scene during the years 1990 - 2001. Trance

to the Sun inspired a loyal following and widespread critical acclaim

with their unique brand of lushly textured and highly emotive

songscapes.



Trance To The Sun was launched unassumingly in 1990 by Ashkelon

Sain, with an instrumental cassette-only release entitled

"Volcano", followed by a year's worth of small performances in art

galleries, small clubs and the like. In 1991, Ashkelon briefly became a

member of This Ascension, before joining forces with Mark Linder and

Matt Ballesteros to form the new band Blade Fetish.



With Blade Fetish, one remarkable album was followed by a western U.S.

tour which proved the band's demise, and A.Sain found himself wanting

to pick up where he had left off with Trance to the Sun. He began work

on new recordings, and soon enough he enlisted the exquisite vocal

talents of Zoe Alexandra Wakefield to round out the sound.

Nineteen-ninety-four saw the signing of the band to TESS RECORDS. With

the worldwide release of the debut album "Ghost Forest" came the

recognition of Z.Wakefield as a profoundly inspiring new voice in the

emerging American ambient/darkwave music scene. She was hailed even as

the "New Queen of the Twilight" by the Italian Music Press.



Fresh from the recording studio with a wealth of new material, Sain &

Wakefield embarked on a 26 date U.S. tour opening for Projekt recording

artists Lyica in support of their second CD entitled "Bloom Flowers,

Bloom!" The ten new album tracks featured there, along with a handful

of compilation outtakes that year demonstrated a major leap in the

group's ability to chillingly and understatedly convey their haunting

aesthetic.



"Bloom" was followed quickly by the landmark "Venomous Eve" album the

same year on A.Sain's new homespun label Ambulancia. "Venomous"

featured the contributions of two then-new members, Lucian S. Donato on

synthesizers and Anna Schott on violin, and drew critical acclaim

across the board for it's "Knight-like stealth and

elegance"(alternative press). All in all, it was a remarkable output of

music and performance for just two short years.



The rapid fire pace began to exact it's toll however, and after a

grueling U.S. tour in 1996 as openers for Scotland's legendary punk

band Cindytalk, Zoe Wakefield departed suddenly from Trance to the Sun

and from music making altogether. Ashkelon carried on in spite of this

(perhaps he'd begun to lose it himself) by recording the mini-album

"Delirious" which features the frenetic vocals of Dawn Wagner (scarlet

slipping). With "Delirious" the music took a sharp left turn, exploring

heavier territories and faster paced songs. A short tour and a new live

lineup featuring Ashe Ruppe on bass and Mark Blewett on drums showed

promise, but just seven months later A.Sain was forced to find yet

another new vocalist.



Fortuitously, this time he chose Ingrid Blue.



Ingrid was introduced to a somewhat skeptical fanbase with the stunning

compilation CD "Azalean Sea" which featured five new tracks, and eight

other unreleased gems recorded over the previous three years. "Azalean

Sea" was also released on the Ambulancia label, and it was at this

point that longtime promoter and band advocate Patrick Ogl (Thanatos)

invited Trance to the Sun to join the roster of his newly founded

Precipice Recordings.



But prior to finishing an album for their new label, the band undertook

their most ambitious tour of U.S. to date, covering 28 cities and

performing to packed halls with co-headliners Faith & Disease.



Then, in 1999, Precipice released for Trance To The Sun what has been

seen by some as being their masterpiece album, "Urchin Tear Soda".

Sonically and musically, the album reached beyond anything A.Sain had

done prior to that point, with immensely sophisticated textures and

arrangements laying the foundation for Ingrid's sublime vocals and

highly detailed, crystal clear lyrics.



Another short tour of the U.S. followed in the summer of 2000, this

time seeing the band headline the Convergence VI festival in Seattle.

But the year was spent primarily in the studio with A.Sain and I.Blue

writing and recording what was ultimately to become the band's swan

song: "Atrocious Virgin". The beautifully packaged "Virgin" was

released on Precipice Recordings in 2001. The chilling melodies,

exquisite lyrics and tremendous orchestration found therein form an

epic conclusion to the archives and annals of this storied American

music group.



Find music by Trance to the Sun at Projekt:



Fans of TTTS will love this too!



Execution Of The Stars



Add to My Profile