„Light“ is the impressive debut of SOLLERTIA, an extraordinary album consisting of James Fogarty’s sorrowful vocals, melancholic lead melodies and ambient symphonic elements. A release that definitely deserved some attention. In the following interview mastermind VoA VoXyD talks about the origin of the project, how he got in touch with James and what is the relation between the album and Tschaikovski’s „Swan Lake“.
Greetings and thank you for taking the time. How are you?
Hello, thanks for your time as well, I’m fine, it’s memorial day in the US today, I still don’t know what it means, but I will document myself… I know people don’t work today, that’s a good start.
Your band SOLLERTIA is a completely new project consisting of John Fogarty and you, VoA VoXyD. How did your cooperation start in the first place?
Well, the composition of the album took rather long, more than a year. Usually, it doesn’t take me that long to start and finish an album, since I love composing following a concept way, like a good book that you can’t stop reading because you’re into it. But „Light“ was different, I wanted to make something unique out of each song and started with musical ideas, without any lyrics to be inspired from. Once the album was done, I first thought about creating a live line-up. I spent the last ten years with Ad Inferna refusing to play on stage and I really wanted SOLLERTIA to be able to go ahead and play live. But unfortunately, it took forever to set up a band, people were not available, they were just not very interested I guess and I rapidly stopped expecting something from other musicians.
I just needed a singer to release this album, a very good one, someone I’ve never worked with in the past. In The Woods… had just finished their recording for their new album „Pure“ and I got lucky to be able to listen to one of their tracks. I was blown away by James, after all, coming after Jan was a very big challenge. I decided to contact him just for one song, since I had already found another singer for SOLLERTIA at this time. His work was just great and I couldn’t imagine the rest of the songs without him. I think James and I were on the same path concerning this album, he is a multi-instrumentist like me as well as a singer. „Light“ was a good way for both of us to express something new, something more personal.
James already has a lot of experience with metal, he’s the new singer of In The Woods… and released a lot with Old Forest. Why was it nonetheless important to you to found this new project?
As you say, it was important for me, but for me only to set this new project, I didn’t want to add an item on a list or something. James decided to join me for his own reasons, I don’t think that our current and past bands have anything to do with SOLLERTIA.
Which bands have inspired you the most concerning the music of SOLLERTIA?
You know, when you have been a musician for more that 20 years, I don’t think you get inspired as obviously as it is the case when you start writing your very first songs. Of course, the bands you love to listen to are a major part of your writing process, because you’re simply playing the music your brain is used to listen to. So, yes, bands like Katatonia which I follow since „Brave Murder Day“ when I was 18 years old have been one of my main inspirations, I think. But I think after all these years, you carve your own prints into your music. It must be rare to listen to an old band and be like „oh, they sound like this or that band now“ after several albums.
SOLLERTIA is the Latin word for „artistry“, right? Why did you choose this term to describe your music?
I’ve always loved latin. Ad Inferna for example means „from hell“ and fit perfectly with our music. For SOLLERTIA, I wanted something that could sound dark or not at all following the music, a name that would fit with any idea I would get. This project is so unique for me, the music I wrote for this album is the one I have always vaguely heard in my mind for a long time now. The song „Praying At The Chapel Perilous“ was originally supposed to carry the name „Sollertia“.
What do you want to express with your music?
We always want to express something when we’re making music, but in my opinion, unless you write a song for a particular person or a soundtrack for example, it’s hard to describe what you really wanted to get out from it. I guess the typical answer is to say that „I write music because I have to much anger that I can’t express with words“. Yes, could be, but when you know how to make your guitar speak, I do think that music is a form of expression that people get the way they want. If you are about to write a requiem, because you’re convinced that you’re going to die, you will most likely write around a dark theme, but not only, cause note after note, you’ll be inspired by the music itself and you’ll probably forget about your thoughts and what you are actually trying to express over your art. Your music will get over it, and at the end, you’ll still get the meaning you wanted to give to your composition, but it’s gonna be something different than what you had in mind.
In your opinion, what is the special thing that sets you apart from other dark metal bands?
Every album of every band is unique, I think it would be pretentious to say that „Light“ has a special thing that other bands don’t have. If your music is true, if your album has been done sincerely, then you’re gonna reach this special thing, cause you’ll give your album a unique taste of your life.
What, do you think, are your strength and weakness as a musician?
My strength is probably the fact that I just need music to live. I can’t help it, a day without music doesn’t exist for me. Even when I’m done with an album or a project, I always seek for a new thing to start up. And it goes along with my weakness, cause you can’t be satisfied every day. This absolute need to make music everyday brings you to an extreme critical judgement about yourself. If what you just did is good, then you’re okay. If it’s not, then you’re just feeling like crap and you think that you’ll never get over it. (laughs)
Let’s talk about your debut „Light“. A quite plain title and, considering the nature of the music, a rather contradicting one too. What are the thoughts behind it?
I found this title before James started writing his lyrics. For me, it means a lot, it’s the exit of the darkness I was into with Ad Inferna. To tell the things clearly, I saw a way out in SOLLERTIA. Then, yes, there was „Light“!
Your lyrics feature a lot of mathematical and in general scientific terms, but with emotional context. Why do you use this unusual phrasing and what exactly are the lyrics about?
James is a very good lyricist. In a recent interview, he claimed „I hope for a greater appreciation of my work as a lyricist with this album. I have different styles in which I write lyrics… those for Ewigkeit are of a personal nature, those of In The Woods… are of a spontaneous nature, those of Old Forest are of a descriptive nature. The lyrics for SOLLERTIA are probably the most chin-stroking I have done for a while.“ He used themes and stories of classic philosophy and by that we can really say that this guy is of very deep culture.
Which one of the tracks is your personal favorite and why?
I would say „Praying At The Chapel Perilous“ since I’ve finally managed to make it the way I heard it in my mind. In contradiction to what I was saying before, for this one, I didn’t let the hazard of losing direction come into reality, I knew how I wanted this track to sound like, and I made it exactly that way.
I think the guitars on „Enter The Light Eternal“ one time sound a lot like a melody from Tschaikowski’s „Swan Lake“. Was this intended and if so, for what reason?
It was indeed. It’s in relation with the cover of the album, this awesome picture made by one of my friends, Virginie Hugues. Even if there’s no swan on the lake, there’s this „spirit“ rising from this picture. Anyone who saw „Swan Lake“, the ballet, which is amazing in some parts, will remember the moment the main musical theme comes, in a very dark atmosphere, with this black bird flying in front of the innocent swans behind. That’s exactly how I see the cover of this album.
Vanja of Martyrium contributed some guest vocals to your record. How and why did you manage to include her on the album and will you work with her again in the future?
I’m definitely going to work with her in the future. She brought these black clouds to „Light“ which I needed. She is very professional, always doing her best and I absolutely expected this touch of evil in this album. I didn’t know her work with Martyrium that well but I was amazed to see such a thin girl competing with the biggest growling voices of the scene. She has a lot of talents and a lot to say through her music and I love this kind of spirit.
Considering all of James‘ other projects, SOLLERTIA might look like a mere side band. Will you keep releasing music or did you manage to say everything you wanted to say on „Light“?
SOLLERTIA is not James’ side project. Yes, I will continue with SOLLERTIA, I don’t know if it’s gonna be the same line-up yet, but I’m not done with this band for sure.
Will you also do live shows with SOLLERTIA?
I’m still considering it. Once I’ve found the right members, it’s something that I definitely want to do. But it has been hard to do everything myself (except the mastering, perfectly done by Frederic at Studio Henosis), so I must confess that I didn’t really take the time yet to think about putting SOLLERTIA on stage. More information come soon, I guess!
Let’s come to an end. Now, let’s finish by going through our traditional Metal1.info-Brainstorming:
Norway: Windir
Black metal: Diabolical Masquerade
Classical music: Smetana
Technology: Surgery stuff
Happiness: My son, Raphael
SOLLERTIA in five years: Something that I’m still proud of.
Alright, thank you once more for your answers.
26. Juni 2017 Stephan Rajchl