Had the chance to talk to Lucas McArthur from London, Ontario, Canada band SOLARUS. Lucas is the founding member and one of the guitarists of this symphonic metal band. They are poised to release their 3rd studio album A Dance With Tragedy on December 17, 2021.
https://www.facebook.com/solarusmetal/
http://www.instagram.com/solarusmetalofficial
Thanks for taking to me today. Your 3rd album DANCE WITH TRAGEDY will be released December 17th. What can current and new fans expect from the new release?
All around just a newer and improved version of Solarus. We have really done everything to explore different sonic landscapes and reign in different sounds. We are very VERY proud of the variety and intensity that this album brings to the table!
How would you describe the sound of SOLARUS?
All in all, we are definitely nestled into the ‘Symphonic Metal’ genre, however there are certain things that we do that really separate us from the traditional ‘Nightwish-esque’ sound of orchestral soundscapes with an opera singer; we are very much interested in writing metal riffage that can stand on its own and having a classically trained vocalist like Sarah who can bring almost a pop-esque grit to the table is invaluable.
Do you have any current touring plans following the release of the new album?
Being an independent band, gigging has always been tough reaching outside of our familiar territories, especially when you consider the set back the last 19 months brought. Considering the live scene is just revitalizing, we will have played 3 shows in the last 6 months of 2021, so we consider ourselves lucky there; but plans to tour have not yet materialized, although with the right opportunity, we would definitely jump on it!
How do you feel the band has changed or progressed from your debut EP?
Well, our debut was a full-length album, so we never went through that ‘experimental’ stage. Solarus has always had a firm vision of what it wanted to be, so an EP was never a route that spoke to us. Regarding growth, musically we have obviously grown towards our vision, but in a literal sense we have grown as well: with new members joining (Chris and Dan – Drums and Bass respectively). In another sense, we are all growing as people and starting new chapters in our lives so that maturity has really translated into the music as well.
You recently released a new video for the song Guiding Light. Tell us about the video and do you have more videos planned for this album?
Yes we have lots of content planned for this album! 11/26/2021 will see the release of the music video for our titular title track ‘A Dance With Tragedy’ featuring our very special guest vocalist, Vicky Psarakis. On that note, it was such a blast to work with Vicky; she is just an amazing professional in the industry, and she has really dived deep into this track. It was very rewarding to see someone of her stature in the metal world exercise such enthusiasm for this single and it really shows!
What were some of your early musical influences?
Personally, Symphony X, Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Borealis and Evergrey were all bands that inspired me to try my hand at creating music. Since then the list has exploded exponentially. Regarding the rest of the band, I know that Sarah is deeply influenced by Evanescence and iconic albums like ‘The Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance. But there are so many influences at play that it is impossible to accurately list them all so I think that I will leave it at that for now.
What are some of your current favourite bands to listen to?
We enjoy everything under the sun: Sarah is currently gushing about the new Adele album that just dropped, whilst I love to rock fun loving music like Alestorm or Ninja Sex Party. But as far as metal listening goes, we are very much unanimously into the likes of Evergrey, Dream Theater, The Agonist, Nightwish, Children of Bodom, Symphony X, Jinjer, as well as more local acts like Borealis, Lutharo, At Dawn’s Edge, etc…
Did Covid and not being able to tour make it easier to focus on a new album?
I wouldn’t say that COVID changed much in our approach to writing as much as it just eliminated any deadline we might have had. Sarah and I (Lucas) have always written music separately then more or less ‘combined’ ideas for Solarus, so having the social separation of COVID didn’t really mess with that all too much. We just approached it like any other album, but just tried to take advantage of the long break that the last 19 months provided.
What is the writing process within the band?
Typically I (Lucas) write the music, and then Sarah takes it from there with the vocals. Sarah is such a professional at what she does though that I always feel comfortable shooting her ideas that I might have. She is amazing at taking ideas and moulding them into a newer better shape. I give her lemons, and she makes the tastiest lemonade you have ever had! Hahah! We never really intended for that to be the case, but that is just sort of how we write best together.
Do you have any favourite songs from the new album?
We are so psyched about every song on this album. Part of the reason that we do our albums is a 50ish min format is that we don’t have to compromise on the quality that each song brings to the table. So having 9 terrific tunes is better that having 6 or 7 great tunes and 6 or 7 filler ones. Out of the nine tracks on this new album though, our personal favourites are ‘The Keeper’, ‘Everbound’ and ‘This Journey That Remains’. Those tunes really stretched our capabilities and helped us grow as a band. I think unanimously, we all thought that ‘The Keeper’ was pique Solarus though.
Lucas, when you first heard Sarah audition for your band what convinced you she should be the bands vocalist?
It was literally a 30 second audition clip. Originally she had just auditioned for one small vocal section on the first album, but when I heard that 30 seconds, it didn’t really take any convincing. She is a very unique talent and I immediately saw that she was operating on a whole different level, so I asked if she would be interested in attacking Solarus full time with me and she had very mutual feelings towards the project. The rest, as they say, is history.
What do you love about this type of music?
The ever-testing balance of aggression to beauty; elegance and rawness; hopefulness and despair – This music has a tendency to ensnare such a variety of feelings and moods that just bolsters creativity.
Where do you get your lyrical inspirations for your songs?
Anywhere and everywhere; Mostly from individual experience. Most of our content comes from personal loss and death. A lot of our songs are inspired by our personal journeys of growth.
Pick one album that changed your life and led you to want to be in a band and performing?
Two actually from the same band: Borealis – Fall from Grace and Borealis – Purgatory. Sarah and I had both known these guys for quite some time, and the way that they did things just showed us how achievable being in a band could be. In a literal Sense, their drummer acts as our producer so they are quite literally helping us get on the map. Additionally, I actually discovered Sarah as a guest vocalist on their Purgatory album, so you could definitely say that they brought Solarus together.
What will 2022 look like for Solarus?
Always a difficult question! More shows, more music videos, more merch, more music and likely some cover tunes 😉
Thanks for your time. I wish the band all the best with their new album and in 2022.
Thanks so much for taking the time, be sure to reach out anytime and we’d be happy to answer any further questions!
***Interview by Blake Mossey