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.
"I've been throwing around the idea of doing this over the last few years," Somerville revealed in an exclusive interview with BW&BK;'s Carl Begai. "It really kind of tipped the scales doing HDK. There's a saying in German, 'I licked blood,' which is disgusting but appropriate, I guess, since there's a song about vampires on the album (laughs). I've always done my own thing. People know me mainly from collaborations I've done with and for other bands, but I started out as a solo artist and I stayed one throughout. Having done all of this stuff in the metal scene for more than a decade now, it's only natural that it rubbed off on me. I like it, and the songs that I've written in the last several years have been very dark and gotten heavier. Basically, I was just going to make my next solo album more metal, but then I decided I'd prefer to keep the waters a little cleaner in terms of doing a metal project. It's a little weird if I say I'm going to do a metal album and then throw in a jazz ballad (laughs). I don't want to compromise, and I've got so much material now that I might as well do a total metal album and keep my solo stuff completely separate. That way I can do what I want and not have to apologize to anybody."
More Trillium details, including the identities of Somerville's collaborators on the project, will be revealed in the coming days. Watch for the full exclusive interview to appear on the BW&BK; site this weekend.
An official press release will be issued by Trillium's record label tomorrow, July 1st.
