Mad About Rock

  Toronto rockers release the title track of their forthcoming album, PARASITE, with a purpose. As people all over the world have discovered over the last 2 years, mental health is a big concern for everyone. In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety increased by 25%. 1 in 100 deaths globally is a suicide. Jobs lost, loved ones lost to illness, isolation and more have a pronounced effect on our self-worth. TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS have started a YOU ARE NOT A BURDEN campaign to raise awareness and prevent suicide. “Parasite” is a song written to address this tearing down of self-worth – linking the band members to all their fans who might be going through something like this. “Letting them know they are worthy – that they are not a burden – is so important,” explains vocalist Nick Sakal. Guitarist, John Love continues “The time we have all spent in quarantine magnifies feelings like this and we want to point people in the right direction. To Write L...

Toronto hard rockers Ascendia have created a sound that embodies their wide-ranging influences. Combining what they learned from commercial rock contemporaries with elements, they liked of Country and Pop songs and their upcoming album 'Parasite' strongly asserts this musical growth and transformation. With the release of the hard-hitting 'This War' as the first taste of their new album, we chatted to vocalist Nick Sakal to find out more about the band and their forthcoming album. Firstly, let’s go back to the beginning. What are your earliest memory of music and the moment you decided you wanted to be a musician? I didn’t grow up in a particularly musical family. My earliest memories of music would have to be around our dinner table when I was younger. I lived in a house with my grandparents alongside my mom, dad and 2 brothers. My grandmother had the most incredible voice and used to sing while my family gathered around the dinner table for dinner. Being a musician wa...

  Coming from Toronto’s heavy music scene, ASCENDIA drew first from what they and their peers grew up on – Black Sabbath, Dio, Kiss and symphonic metal like Nightwish – and as their tastes broadened, their music went through a metamorphosis. The product of this change is their forthcoming album, PARASITE, and the first notion of it, the new single “This War.” “This War” is an anthem for those who struggle internally and their suffering. “Everyone faces adversity and everyone has a battle going on deep within them,” explains vocalist, Nick Sakal. “For some of us it’s from the moment we wake up in the morning till we put our heads on our pillows to sleep at night. It’s a reminder to never give up and to always keep fighting.” Check out the video for "This War" below: Brothers John (guitar) and Billy Love (drums) combine as a songwriting engine for the trio that also includes childhood friend /power-vocalist Sakal. The push and pull between the very different siblings cr...