If you’re a fan of old-school NWOBHM you’ll know Bitches Sin and of source their lead guitarist Ian Toomey; ‘Ascension’ is his debut solo album. A lot of passion and though has gone into the writing and recording of this album and that does shine through as you’re listening to it. Toomey also says that much of the album is deeply personal to him with many of the tracks being autobiographical in nature which adds a lot of intrigue as you listen to it through for the first time.

It’s a genre crossing album too as while there is a strong NWOBHM feel across the album with a couple of tunes feeling like they just arrived via time machine, there is also a strong Classic Rock vibe too. Some of this is down to the vocals of David A. Mills who brings a bit of Blues gravel to the mix and his vocals are not stereotypical of what you’d expect from your average NWOBHM band.

Following the interest generated by a clutch of solo singles, Bitches Sin frontman Ian Toomey takes the plunge with his first solo album. Unlike Bitches Sin where the idea of having the material prepped before recording was the modus operandi, ‘Ascension’ was approached differently. Written in the studio and backed by the modern day BS line-up, including the legendary producer Chris Tsangarides who also added his musical weight, it’s a collection of no-frills hard rock songs of which the stomping bluesy ‘Survivor’  is the pick. Written around the theme of death and resurrection, and containing elements of an autobiographical nature, it comes across almost as a release of energy and of a life philosophy. Some lyrics are deeply personal, digging deep and referring to particular events and experiences, in particular the title track; live sounding and riff laden from the impact of using as few takes as possible to get the tracks down, it cuts to the chase without wasting time of energy.

Whether of not this is a Toomey album of a BS album might well be up for debate, as on paper all the elements might suggest it points to the latter, yet having been on ice for a number of years, it makes sense to capitalise on the realisation of the single releases and highlight the name of Ian Toomey.

The Spanish magazine 'This is Rock' reviewed the latest Ian Toomey Album Ascension in its October 2015 issue;
Apologies for the rough translation:
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"British NWOBHM legend launches solo with an album whose intention is to return to that magical period of the 80s. Varied, energetic and well executed it has excellent production by Chris Tsangarides, who also handles the keyboard work, stunning guitar and a perfect singer who plays hard and with emotion. Hard songs and catchy chorus melodies are addictive such as 'Bad Blood', which is reminiscent of Bad Company. Traditional Heavy Rock is evident in 'Superman', with power and melody delivered by a brutal guitar. The catchy 'Very soon leaving everyones' is almost perfect, and to close the disc, a touch of doom in the title theme which is reminiscent of Black Sabbath.

IAN TOOMEY 'Ascension' (ITE) Release Date: September 4th 2015
Read the original review by Brian Boyle on MetalTalk.net here or read on:

After a tidal wave of positive reviews British Metal legend, Bitches Sin's Ian Toomey, has gone it alone with the release of his debut solo album.

For aficionados of the NWOBHM movement, the mention of the name Ian Toomey won't have you scratching your head in wonder. But for those of you whose knowledge of that period only stretches as far as the kingpins such as Diamond Head, Iron Maiden and Tygers Of Pan Tang, let me tell you you are in for a sumptuous treat if this album falls in your lap.

Music Journalist John Tucker reviews the new album Ascension on his website - to read the original review on his website here, or read on 

UK guitarist Ian Toomey’s third solo single ‘Renegade Soul’ will be released later this month as a stand-alone digital download.

Following on from his 2012 debut solo release ‘Very Soon Everyone’s Leaving’ and ‘Never Alone’ released in January this year, ‘Renegade Soul’ is a resourceful re-imagining of a song the Bitches Sin guitarist wrote for his band Flashpoint at the end of the Eighties which is as relevant now as it was then.