BW&BK; recently announced that vocalist Amanda Somerville, known for her work with AVANTASIA and EPICA, the KISKE / SOMERVILLE album with former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske, and HDK featuring ex-AFTER FOREVER guitarist Sander Gommans, is gearing up for the launch of a full-on metal project under the banner TRILLIUM. Following is an excerpt from an exclusive interview with Somerville, who offers a few more details about the debut album, Alloy.

“The core of the music is the same as my non-metal solo stuff. I refer to it almost jokingly as singer / songwriter metal, but some people aren’t going to be friends with the term (laughs). Where I come from is the whole singer / songwriter genre of music, which for me symbolizes somebody who writes their own music, plays an instrument, writes from the heart and has a clear cut vision. The songs actually mean something. It’s not crap that’s put out there for the teenies to smack their bubblegum to; it has substance. This is definitely all of that put into a metal setting, with all of the dark imagery and anger I’ve been feeling for the last little while put into the music, and it works beautifully (laughs).”

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Trillium's label, Frontiers Records, recently issued the following:

Frontiers Records is excited to present a new and interesting musical project called Trillium, which features the talents of the American singer and songwriter Amanda Somerville.

Mostly known for her catalogue of projects, studio work, guest appearances and live shows garnered to date with bands like Avantasia, KAMELOT and Epica, her most recent endeavors include touring with renowned artist IAN GILLAN (DEEP PURPLE) and a duet album entitled Kiske / Somerville with metal legend Michael Kiske (Helloween).

Trillium is however something new, exciting and very diverse for Amanda, who describes it “more like an expedition with my musical family to explore and celebrate the metamorphosis I've gone through as an artist over the past several years. Quite simply, it's my new baby."

The Trillium name came about since it “symbolizes a trinity because things are always showing up in 3s in my environment and there are a number of triads occurring in this project, as well”, tells Amanda. “The name of the album, Alloy, is symbolic and metaphorical. An alloy is a substance composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals combined with a nonmetal, intimately mixed. It also means standard; quality; fineness and is an admixture, as of good with evil. I'm a Pisces, so I'm all about duality and combining known elements - sometimes opposing each other - to create something different. Though I've been working myself further and further into the metal scene, I still always feel the need to add an extra element to make it shine, bling, stand out."

Musically Trillium is going to be a hybrid of rock and metal: it's riffy, has a heavy hand instrumentally and is quite different from anything Amanda has worked on so far. The creative team on the album includes the acclaimed Sascha Paeth & Miro (Kamelot, Avantasia, Epica, After Forever, Angra, etc.) on production, songwriting and performances with the participation of Sander Gommans (ex-After Forever) and also features JORN LANDE on a very special duet with Amanda.

Amanda's sound is eclectic yet particular, sweet yet raw and commercial yet conventionally-challenged. Singer-songwriter metal with bling. Think ANNIE LENNOX, DORO, ROB ZOMBIE and SADE thrown into a blender and whipped into a frothy concoction.

Trillium's debut album, Alloy, will be released worldwide on Frontiers Records in the fall 2011. Watch out for those razor blades. Prosit!