INTERVIEW WITH ASHISH SHETTY (ASCENDANT)

Ascendant have recently taken the Dubai scene by storm, though they've only played a few shows thus far. They take on a classic heavy metal sound; chugging power chords, powerful singing, and hard-hitting drums. While the band is preparing for their highly anticipated show opening for EUROPE in a few days, lead guitarist Ashish Shetty took a few minutes to talk to Metality.net. While he has been enjoying all the shows the band has played so far, he was also very excited to announce that Ascendant are working on a debut EP.

Tell us a little about how Ascendant came together. You guys are quite a new band in the Dubai scene.

Well, Alaa, Puneet and I got together to jam since we all were into old-school metal, and we hit it off very well. We were all in other bands at that time, but there was an amazing synergy between the 3 of us and we knew we had to take it forward. Apart from the kind of music, we were also in agreement about focusing on original material rather than being a cover band.

After auditioning several drummers - over the course of many months, we were lucky to find Aram who's added so much to our sound. The incredibly talented Youmni then came in, and we knew we found the best fit as far as vocals are concerned.

While Ascendant as an entity is new, all the band members are experienced musicians with several projects behind them.

How's preparation for the Europe show? What can we expect from your set?

Preparations are going well. We are all huge fans of Europe and we're very excited and honoured to be opening for them. We'll be playing a set of about 40 minutes. It'll feature 5 original compositions and one cover. For more details, you're just going to have to see us live!

Any plans for an EP or album? If so, how's that going?

Yes. As I mentioned in the previous answer, we already have 5 original compositions ready. We plan on composing a few more and then we'll have enough material for a full length album. So that's definitely on the horizon. It's still rather early, but I think next year could see the release of this debut album.

What are some of your favorite bands from the UAE and the rest of the Middle East?

There's a lot of talent here and this list, by no means covers them all, but here are some artists I've had the pleasure of seeing - Eye, Echoes with Laughter, Anuryzm, Absolace, Voices of the soul, Boxtones and Point of View.

What's your take on the current state of the Dubai and UAE metal scene? 

While the scene here is relatively small, I find the fans here are brilliant and loyal. There's a lot of interest in artists and good, original song writing is recognized and appreciated.

Hats off to the organizers here: Rodi, Fawaz, Ryan, Nikhil, etc... The lifeblood of any musician is performing to an audience, and these guys give us a platform to do just that.

There is potential in this scene to grow far beyond what it is now. Bands working together to promote each other is the only way we'll get on the map as far as the international metal community is concerned.

Do you have any pre-show traditions or rituals before you tear it up on stage?

Well, we usually have a few nice, cold glasses of beer - goes down really well right before (during and after) a show, and a very short band huddle after. The rest is classified.

Any closing comments for Metality.net and its readers?

Yeah, as performing artists - a huge, heartfelt thank you for supporting the scene. It can and will get bigger; and if you like metal, you should be a part of it.

Be sure to join us on Nov 22nd when we open for Europe along with the fantastic Boxtones - and lets go get a drink after that!

We also our releasing our first official videoclip soon! Stay tuned for that!

Cheers and Stay Metal \m/

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