Risen is the debut album by the South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n gothic rock

Gothic rock

Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...

 band The Awakening

The Awakening (band)

The Awakening is an alternative rock band from Johannesburg, South Africa, formed in 1995 by vocalist, guitarist and producer Ashton Nyte. The band is credited in the press as "South Africa's most successful Gothic Rock act and one of the top bands in the far broader Alternative scene." The band...

 released in April 1997. The record contains the hit single "The Sounds of Silence" an adaptation of the song by Simon and Garfunkel

Simon and Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...

. The cover achieved massive popularity throughout South Africa and remains one of the band's most renowned singles. Musically, the album emphasizes traditional gothic rock style reminiscent of bands such as The Damned, The Cult

The Cult

The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...

, and The Sisters of Mercy

The Sisters of Mercy

The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...

.

Recording history

Production for Risen began in March 1996. The album was recorded at Mega Music Studios in Johannesburg with producer Leon Erasmus.

Track listing

All songs written by Ashton Nyte

Ashton Nyte

Ashton Nyte is a South African born singer, songwriter, producer, composer and front man of the South African alternative rock band The Awakening. Nyte has released five solo albums both as Ashton Nyte and Ashton Nyte and the Accused in addition to his numerous releases as The Awakening...

.

1. "Nightfall" – 0:34
2. "Past Idol" – 4:00
3. "Change" – 4:05
4. "Focus" – 3:30
5. "The Sounds of Silence" – 3:53
6. "Difference" – 4:28
7. "Intervention" – 3:55
8. "Holocaust" – 5:09
9. "Standing" – 4:14
10. "Turn Away" – 3:20
11. "Jezzebel" – 4:30
12. "Sacrificial" – 4:33
13. "Child of the Moon" – 2:16
    Bonus tracks on United States re-release:
14. "Standing (acoustic version)" - 3:42
15. "No Reason" - 4:21

Lineup

• Ashton Nyte: Vocals and instruments
• Jenni Hazell: Bass guitar on Tracks 1-4,6,8-12
• Philip Booysens: Guitar solo on track 3, lead guitar on track 12
• Leon Erasmus: Keyboards on tracks 3,4,7,9
• Cheryl Staples: Backing vocals on tracks 9,11