CORAM, NY (Top40 Charts/ 131 Records) -
Roots Metal quartet Lotus Ascension proudly announces the release of their debut CD, entitled "Lotus Ascension" on October 20th, 2009. Lotus Ascension is the brainchild of prodigal 19-year old lead guitarist, Jason Sohn-Greenberg, of Long Island, NY and well-regarded New York, now San Francisco-based, remix producer, singer, and drummer Andrew Bertrand, aka: DrewDrumz, with
Roger Lian mastering the final mixes.
Lotus Ascension is best defined as a diverse fusion of Jimmy Page-meets-Kerry King-driven guitar rock combined with the infectious grooves of early Red Hot Chili Peppers and the crushing brute force deliverance of Sepultura, in a musical amalgamation that Sohn-Greenberg and Bertrand define as "Roots Metal."
The youthful Sohn-Greenberg is a multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist songwriter who first came to Bertrand's attention when he began taking drum lessons from Bertrand in 2005. Sohn-Greenberg had been playing guitar and continuously honing his fretboard pyrotechnics since 2001. Since late 2008, he has been playing New York City jazz circuit haunts, such as Cafe' Boom, with the likes of guitarist Nick Russo. It wasn't long before Sohn-Greenberg's six string skills superseded the skins, and the guitar became his primary instrument.
Lotus Ascension evolved from a series of studio recording sessions in early 2009 after Bertrand was retained to produce and play drums on two of Sohn-Greenberg's demo tracks. Recognizing the depth and diversity of Sohn-Greenberg's songwriting skills and unprecedented guitar chops, the disc's seven songs eventually emerged from the recording sessions, with Bertrand not only offering up his production skills, and all drums, but all lead vocals on all tracks, as well.
Not long after entering the studio with Bertrand, Sohn-Greenberg's songwriting skills caught the attention of the legendary mixer and mastering engineer, Roger Lian. Lian, who has put his "platinum touch" on leading artists such as Korn, Pantera, Rush, Coheed and Cambria, The White Stripes, and Rage Against the Machine, to name merely a few, quickly signed on and is credited with mastering all seven "Lotus Ascension" tracks.
Bertrand has over twenty years of touring, remixing, engineering and production experience with artists including Santana's supernatural trumpeter Bill Ortiz, Jimmy Cliff, Ruff Stuff recording artists and Reggae legends, Rising Lion, Reggae Musical Diva Sister Carol, The Zen Tricksters, and Earl "China" Smith.
Sohn-Greenberg states, "I feel we have really succeeded in fusing some very diverse elements into a cohesive and musically interesting whole. We've kept things heavy without losing the feel for groove that makes people want to dance, and that's what I'm most proud of." He notes standout tracks are the disc's opener, "The Time", followed by "Soul Kik." "Lotus Ascension" features five original studio tracks written by Sohn-Greenberg and Bertrand, "The Time", "Soul Kik," "Darkest White," "Rocket Song," and "Trauma Daze (Both Sides)," and a dub remix of "Trauma Daze (Both Sides), entitled "Trauma Dub," and the radio edited version of "Soul Kik."
