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Sol Invictus are an English neofolk band fronted by Tony Wakeford. Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception, although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with Wakeford under the Sol Invictus name over the years.

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Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus in 2005
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Neofolk gothic rock post-industrial
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Prophecy Productions
Members	Tony Wakeford Renee Rosen Caroline Jago Lesley Malone Eilish McCraken
Past members	Ian Read Liz Gray Gary Smith Karl Blake Leithana Eric Rodgers Sarah Bradshaw Nick Hall Céline Marleix-Bardeau Nathalie Van Keymeulen David Mellor Andrew King Guy Harries M Lloyd James
Website	sol-invictus.bandcamp.com

Overview

After disbanding his controversial project Above the Ruins,[1] Wakeford returned to the music scene with Sol Invictus in 1987. Since then Sol Invictus has had many musician contributions, including Sarah Bradshaw, Nick Hall, Céline Marleix-Bardeau, Nathalie Van Keymeulen, Ian Read and Karl Blake.[2]

Wakeford repeatedly referred to his work as folk noir. Beginning with a mixture of a rough, bleak, primitive post punk sound and acoustic/folk elements, the band's music gradually evolved toward a lush, refined style, picking up classically trained players such as Eric Roger, Matt Howden, and Sally Doherty. In the mid-1990s, Sol Invictus spun off a side project called L'Orchestre Noir (later changed to Orchestra Noir) to explore an even more classically influenced direction. 2005 saw the departure of longtime contributors Roger and Blake, leading to a new line-up including Caroline Jago, Lesley Malone and Andrew King.

In 1990, Wakeford formed his own label, Tursa,[1] to release his material and the music of other artists. The World Serpent Distribution Company previously distributed this material worldwide,[3] followed then by Cold Spring Records. In July 2007, the label was re-launched as a partnership with Israeli producer and musician Reeve "M" Malka. In 2009, Sol Invictus signed to Prophecy Records. In June 2011, Sol Invictus announced the end of their partnership both with Cold Spring Records and musician Andrew King.[4]

Imagery and content

The name Sol Invictus, which is Latin for 'the unconquered Sun', derives from the Roman cult of the same name.

The band's imagery and lyrical content, in its early days, was influenced by traditionalism and antipathy towards the modern world and materialism. A superficial interest was the Italian philosopher Julius Evola who Wakeford admits to "shamelessly stealing from" for song titles even though he found his books "unreadable".^{[citation needed]} A more serious influence was the poet Ezra Pound: "I think Pound is one of the greatest poets ever, although some of his work is mind-numbingly obscure. I disagree with his antisemitism but that should not blind people to his worth as an artist."[5]

The band also had considerable interest in heathen and Mithraist themes, often with an explicit antipathy to Christianity, reflecting the involvement of Wakeford and other members in neopagan groups.[6] The 1997 album The Blade incorporates an Odinic chant, Gealdor, into its varied laments. Wakeford tended to write from a melancholic position of doomed Romanticism, which lamented the loss of beauty, love, and culture. He saw the American influence on global culture as very damaging to Europe, something he expresses with black humour in the song "Death of the West", from the album of the same name. The later albums have seen a turn to a more personal writing style, as interest in what Wakeford calls "knee-jerk anti-Americanism and anti-Christianity" has been rejected.^{[citation needed]}

Sol Invictus album artwork has often showcased the expressionist paintings of American artist, musician and friend Tor Lundvall.

Controversy

Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. (September 2013)

Wakeford's mid-1980s membership in the British National Front[7]^{[unreliable source?]} and the appearance of a track from his band, Above The Ruins, on the No Surrender! compilation released in 1985 by Rock-O-Rama Records, alongside the Nazi groups Skrewdriver and Brutal Attack,[1]^{[unreliable source?]} has led to accusations of neofascism.[8]^{[unreliable source?]} Wakeford has responded to this criticism various times, stating that his involvement with the National Front "was probably the worse [sic] decision of my life and one I very much regret",[9]^{[unreliable source?]} and that various members of his band (including his wife of eight years at the time) "would be at best discriminated against or at worse [sic] dead if a far-right party took power" and further that "none of the artists I work with hold such views either, and I doubt they would want to work with me if they thought I did."[10]^{[unreliable source?]} In June 2011 the band, following attempts to cancel one of their concerts in London,[11]^{[unreliable source?]} stated that all its members "are personally completely and unequivocally opposed to fascism, racism, anti-semitism and homophobia, [...] and our work makes no attempt to appeal to an audience looking for this kind of message", also stating explicitly that they did not have "any sympathy with national anarchism, or any desire to work with its adherents".[12]

Discography

Year	Title	Format, Special Notes
1987	Against the Modern World	Mini-LP
1989	In the Jaws of the Serpent	Live LP
1989	Lex Talionis	Part of box set with Current 93 and Nurse with Wound
1989	Fields	12" with Current 93 and Nurse With Wound
1990	Sol Veritas Lux	CD
1990	Abattoirs of Love	7"
1990	Lex Talionis	CD
1990	Trees in Winter	CD/LP
1991	The Killing Tide	CD/LP
1992	Death in June/Current 93/Sol Invictus	Live CD with Death in June and Current 93
1992	Looking for Europe	7"
1992	The Lamp of the Invisible Light	7" compilation track
1992	Somewhere in Europe/See the Dove Fall	7"
1992	Let Us Prey	Live CD
1992	King & Queen	CD
1994	The Death of the West	CD
1994	Black Europe	Live CD
1995	In the Rain	CD
1997	The Blade	CD
1998	In Europa	Live CD
1998	All Things Strange and Rare	Compilation CD
1999	In a Garden Green	CD
2000	Trieste	Live CD
2000	The Hill of Crosses	CD
2000	Eve	7"
2001	Brugge	Live concert, 1996-02-03
2002	Thrones	CD
2003	The Giddy Whirls of Centuries	Compilation CD
2004	The Angel	Compilation CD
2005	The Devil's Steed	CD
2006	Walking in the Rain on the Ostrow Tumski	Compilation CD
2010	The Bad Luck Bird/Stella Maris	7"
2011	The Cruellest Month	CD (Studio album)
2014	Once Upon a Time	CD (Studio album)
2017	Ghostly Whistlings	Compilation 10"
2018	Necropolis	CD (Studio album)

References

External links

• Sol Invictus on Myspace

Reviews

• Review of The Devil's Steed
• Review of Angel
• Review of Sol Veritas Lux

Interviews

• Interview with Tony Wakeford, 2006

На других языках

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[de] Sol Invictus (Band)

Sol Invictus ist eine englische Neofolk-Band, die 1987 von Tony Wakeford gegründet wurde.

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- [en] Sol Invictus (band)

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[es] Sol Invictus (banda)

Sol Invictus es una banda inglesa de neofolk liderada por Tony Wakeford. Wakeford ha sido el único miembro permanente del grupo, a pesar de que numerosos músicos han contribuido y colaborado con él bajo el nombre Sol Invictus a lo largo de los años.

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[ru] Sol Invictus (группа)

Sol Invictus ― английская музыкальная группа, исполняющая музыку в жанрах неофолк и неоклассика и возглавляемая Тони Уэйкфордом. Уэйкфорд был единственным постоянным членом группы начиная с момента её создания, хотя многие другие музыканты также внесли свой вклад в её творчество и сотрудничали с проектом на протяжении долгих лет.

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