SOL INVICTUS

Prog Folk • United Kingdom

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Sol Invictus biography
Formed in 1987, SOL INVICTUS were a British "folk noir" group established by singer/songwriter Tony Wakeford, the only constant member in an ever-changing lineup of collaborators. Along with Current 93 and Death in June, SOL INVICTUS are considered the progenitors of neofolk, a subgenre blending traditional folk songcraft with industrial, chamber music and post-punk. With Wakeford's acoustic guitar and shaky voice the centre of the band, SOL INVICTUS have released nearly twenty full-length albums and a number of live and compilation records, with many of their covers drawn by American progressive electronic musician Tor Lundvall. Wakeford has collaborated with Current 93's David Tibet, Nurse With Wound's Steven Stapleton and Sieben violinist Matt Howden, as well as composer Kris Force and sound artist Andrew Liles, while maintaining the Tursa record label. The band's most recent incarnation consisted of Wakeford, his wife and violinist Ren�e Rosen, multi-instrumentalist Caroline Jago, violinist Eilish McCracken and percussionist Lesley Malone.

From 1977 to 1980, Wakeford's musical career began in the anarcho-punk band Crisis, playing bass in the quintet along with guitarist Douglas Pearce when the two were involved in left-wing activism. The band's breakup coincided with, in Wakeford's words, disillusionment with the Socialist Workers Party's increasingly middle-class outlook, his political disorientation and self-professed racism leading to an interest in neo-fascistic Stasserite and Third Positionist ideas, which were incorporated into the aesthetics of Death in June, a new band formed in 1981 with the like-minded Pearce and Patrick Leagas. Wakeford later began a two-year stint with the fascist National Front, which lead him to be fired from Death in June in 1984, a tactical move more concerned with optical consideration than ideological disagreement (as Pearce would progressively amplify his Strasserite imagery and message over the years). Some sources state Wakeford's dismissal was due to his concurrent (and more overtly fascistic) musical project Above the Ruins with bassist Gareth Smith (later of the explicitly neo-Nazi band No Remorse), Ian Read (future founder of the similarly far-right neofolk band Fire + Ice) and the mysterious Liz Grey. Wakeford claimed to have left the National Front and far-right politics around 1987, and rebranded Above the Ruins as SOL INVICTUS, Latin for "Unconquered Sun" and a solar deity of the Roman Empire. As wit...Formed in 1987, SOL INVICTUS were a British "folk noir" group established by singer/songwriter Tony Wakeford, the only constant member in an ever-changing lineup of collaborators. Along with Current 93 and Death in June, SOL INVICTUS are considered the progenitors of neofolk, a subgenre blending traditional folk songcraft with industrial, chamber music and post-punk. With Wakeford's acoustic guitar and shaky voice the centre of the band, SOL INVICTUS have released nearly twenty full-length albums and a number of live and compilation records, with many of their covers drawn by American progressive electronic musician Tor Lundvall. Wakeford has collaborated with Current 93's David Tibet, Nurse With Wound's Steven Stapleton and Sieben violinist Matt Howden, as well as composer Kris Force and sound artist Andrew Liles, while maintaining the Tursa record label. The band's most recent incarnation consisted of Wakeford, his wife and violinist Ren�e Rosen, multi-instrumentalist Caroline Jago, violinist Eilish McCracken and percussionist Lesley Malone.

From 1977 to 1980, Wakeford's musical career began in the anarcho-punk band Crisis, playing bass in the quintet along with guitarist Douglas Pearce when the two were involved in left-wing activism. The band's breakup coincided with, in Wakeford's words, disillusionment with the Socialist Workers Party's increasingly middle-class outlook, his political disorientation and self-professed racism leading to an interest in neo-fascistic Stasserite and Third Positionist ideas, which were incorporated into the aesthetics of Death in June, a new band formed in 1981 with the like-minded Pearce and Patrick Leagas. Wakeford later began a two-year stint with the fascist National Front, which lead him to be fired from Death in June in 1984, a tactical move more concerned with optical consideration than ideological disagreement (as Pearce would progressively amplify his Strasserite imagery and message over the years). Some sources state Wakeford's dismissal was due to his concurrent (and more overtly fascistic) musical project Above the Ruins with bassist Gareth Smith (later of the explicitly neo-Nazi band No Remorse), Ian Read (future founder of the similarly far-right neofolk band Fire + Ice) and the mysterious Liz Grey. Wakeford claimed to have left the National Front and far-right politics around 1987, and rebranded Above the Ruins as SOL INVICTUS, Latin for "Unconquered Sun" and a solar deity of the Roman Empire. As with Above the Ruins, the band's name and debut LP are references to Italian esoteric philosopher and self-proclaimed "superfascist" Julius Evola, a lodestar for the post-World War II ultra-right (though Wakeford later stated these allusions were only for shallow aesthetics and that Evola was "unreadable" and "mostly tosh").

SOL INVICTUS began with a raw, drum machine-powered post-punk style not dissimilar from Death in June, best exemplified on 1988's Against the Modern World and 1990's Lex Talionis. Smith and Grey left the band by 1989, with Lemon Kittens' multi-instrumentalist Karl Blake entering the fold (he would later depart SOL INVICTUS in 2005 and denounce the group for having not broken entirely with its reactionary past). The early 1990s saw Wakeford move towards more richly orchestrated, neoclassical-inspired songwriting, a sound which reached its apex on the band's most popular and acclaimed work, 1995's In the Rain. The later part of the decade saw Matt Howden, trumpeter Eric Roger and vocalist/flautist Sally Doherty join the lineup, enriching albums like 1997's The Blade and 1999's In a Garden Green. Jazz touches inspired by Chet Baker appeared on 2000's The Hill of Crosses and 2002's Thrones, the latter featuring overt nods to perennial influences King Crimson. Thrones, along with their final three albums - 2011's The Cruellest Month, 2014's Once Upon a Time and 2018's Necropolis - have been cited as the group's most progressive work (the last two featuring former Agalloch guitarist and SOL INVICTUS fan Don Anderson). Wakeford reactivated Crisis in 2017 under a new lineup, with the future of SOL INVICTUS in doubt.

While Wakeford has condemned anti-Semitism, fascism and racism as well as his involvement in the National Front, his body of work remains popular among the ultra-right for its traditionalist themes, Nordic pagan symbolism, musings on European identity and the Spenglerian idea of a supposedly immutable culture in decline, and due to this long-time albatross curious listeners should exercise caution.

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SOL INVICTUS discography

Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

SOL INVICTUS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.00 \| 1 ratings Against the Modern World 1988	0.00 \| 0 ratings Trees in Winter 1990	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Killing Tide 1991	4.00 \| 1 ratings King and Queen 1992	4.00 \| 1 ratings Lex Talionis 1993
0.00 \| 0 ratings Death of the West 1994	3.25 \| 4 ratings In the Rain 1995	2.00 \| 1 ratings The Blade 1997	4.00 \| 1 ratings In a Garden Green 1999	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Hill of Crosses 2000
3.00 \| 1 ratings Thrones 2002	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Devil's Steed 2005	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Cruellest Month 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings La Croix 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Cupid & Death 2012
3.00 \| 1 ratings Once Upon a Time 2014	4.00 \| 1 ratings Necropolis 2018

SOL INVICTUS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 \| 0 ratings In the Jaws of the Serpent 1989	1.00 \| 1 ratings Frankfurt Sound Depot 24-03-1991 (split with Current 93 & Death in June) 1992	0.00 \| 0 ratings Let Us Prey 1992	0.00 \| 0 ratings Black Europe 1994	0.00 \| 0 ratings Trieste 2000
0.00 \| 0 ratings Brugge 2001

SOL INVICTUS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

SOL INVICTUS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings

All Things Strange and Rare
1998

0.00 | 0 ratings

The Angel
2004

SOL INVICTUS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

0.00 \| 0 ratings See the Dove Fall 1991	0.00 \| 0 ratings Eve 2000	0.00 \| 0 ratings Writ in Water (split with HaWthorn & Sieben) 2004	0.00 \| 0 ratings A Mythological Prospect of the Citie of Londinium (split with Rose Rovine e Amanti & Andrew King) 2006	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Bad Luck Bird 2010
0.00 \| 0 ratings Mr Cruel 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Last Man 2016	0.00 \| 0 ratings Set the Table 2018

SOL INVICTUS Reviews

Showing last 10 reviews only

Thanks to sean trane for the artist addition. and to Gordy & NotAProghead for the last updates

2.00 \| 1 ratings Against the Modern World 1988	0.00 \| 0 ratings Trees in Winter 1990	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Killing Tide 1991	4.00 \| 1 ratings King and Queen 1992	4.00 \| 1 ratings Lex Talionis 1993
0.00 \| 0 ratings Death of the West 1994	3.25 \| 4 ratings In the Rain 1995	2.00 \| 1 ratings The Blade 1997	4.00 \| 1 ratings In a Garden Green 1999	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Hill of Crosses 2000
3.00 \| 1 ratings Thrones 2002	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Devil's Steed 2005	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Cruellest Month 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings La Croix 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Cupid & Death 2012
3.00 \| 1 ratings Once Upon a Time 2014	4.00 \| 1 ratings Necropolis 2018

0.00 \| 0 ratings In the Jaws of the Serpent 1989	1.00 \| 1 ratings Frankfurt Sound Depot 24-03-1991 (split with Current 93 & Death in June) 1992	0.00 \| 0 ratings Let Us Prey 1992	0.00 \| 0 ratings Black Europe 1994	0.00 \| 0 ratings Trieste 2000
0.00 \| 0 ratings Brugge 2001

0.00 \| 0 ratings See the Dove Fall 1991	0.00 \| 0 ratings Eve 2000	0.00 \| 0 ratings Writ in Water (split with HaWthorn & Sieben) 2004	0.00 \| 0 ratings A Mythological Prospect of the Citie of Londinium (split with Rose Rovine e Amanti & Andrew King) 2006	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Bad Luck Bird 2010
0.00 \| 0 ratings Mr Cruel 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Last Man 2016	0.00 \| 0 ratings Set the Table 2018