The upstate New York power metal band CHILDREN of the NEW SUN (CotNS) began as many bands do... from the ashes of other bands and with talented musicians looking for a project to call "home." In the early 1990s a Rochester, NY based original metal band named Justin Tyme released their only studio work in the form of a four song self-titled demo. Within weeks of it's completion the band dissolved leaving singer Peter Andrews, bassist Steven Wright and drummer John Payton lacking guitarists and doubting their future as a band. Peter had met and corresponded with a very fine guitar player named James Allan a couple years earlier and decided this was the time to see if he might be looking for a new project. A couple phone calls later a jam session was set up and an inconspicuous warehouse room was the birthplace of Rochester, NY's own metal monster "MONOLITH." James brought many things to the table beyond an incredible talent as an instrumentalist. Drawing on many diverse influences he helped revitalize a bland project and gave it flavor and substance and a whole new life. His amazing riff writing and intuition for song structure made it possible for the rest of the band to excel as they never had. Peter found it much easier to create melody and be himself vocally with James' guitar work. The rhythm section also blossomed with more space to create and room to breathe musically. Throughout the 90s Monolith struggled through many trials that many bands have to face. Careers interfering with the music, drummers coming and going and slow (if any) progress for these reasons. Through it all, the music endured and continued to bring the guys back together and to this day is the binding force that makes the band what it is. Heavy, melodic, and powerful. The final piece of the puzzle was put in place in 2005 in the form of drummer Mike Parus. After working with many players and projects such as "The Value of X," who were great in their own right, Mike stepped in and filled a void in many ways. His playing and writing were just what the doctor ordered as well as his personality being a perfect fit for this diverse group of individuals. In 2007, after realizing there are a few bands worldwide named Monolith, the name was changed to "CHILDREN of the NEW SUN," which is also one of the band's songs that is based upon a thematic concept from the movie 2010... the name can also be linked to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Currently the band has completed their first full length CD to be released at the end of September 2008. CotNS is psyched and ready to take their music to a larger audience. Watch for them to make their mark on the music scene near their home in Upstate NY and beyond.
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Peter Andrews (born Peter Andrew Donk, October 12, 1967) has been an avid vocalist since age 16 when he began singing heavy rock music with garage/basement bands in High School. He was born into a musical family and was constantly exposed to all kinds of music almost literally from the day he was born. His Mother (Elizabeth) was an accomplished pianist who also possesed a very strong singing voice. His Father (John) was a recreational guitarist with a taste for some of the early greats like Chet Atkins and B.B. King. Five brothers also helped emerse Peter in a musical environment as no member of the family lived a life devoid of music (Bob - drums, Jim - guitar, Tom - drums/banjo, Doug - rock/jazz guitar, Bill - bass guitar). From the very beginning it seemed obvious that music would play some kind of role in Peter's life. After singing some of the early heavy classics (Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.) in various garage bands as more of a "goof" than anything something happened to open his eyes to what voice could really be. At a High School dance (of all places) a friend and fellow metalhead was the DJ and had brought along some sick metal records to throw in the mix (of course). About halfway through the night he threw on a brand new EP by an unknown band called Queensryche and told Peter to "Check this out man! You'll dig it!" It took only a few bars of Queen of the Reich with Geoff Tate's masterful use of his voice in ways never heard before in the rock world and his eyes were wide open. He knew that rock voice could be so much more than he ever would have thought it could be before and thus was born a true love of voice. A love of singing as an art form no matter what kind of music it's applied to. A true appreciation of the craft of singing and song writing. Singing would never again be just a "goof."
Soon after that he got a phone call from guitarist and now good friend Allen Jones who invited him to audition for a band called Satin Steel. After singing a few tunes he had the gig and a couple weeks later was spending time on stage in front of audiences for the first time. It was then that he bagan to learn the performance side of singing. And also learned it would be his favorite part of the whole process. Though that band was short lived and probably only did maybe 20 shows it spawned some of the best memories he'll ever have. After the band reformed with new members and changed the name to White Noyze the