Photos Credit: Doga Somer
MGM: How do you feel Seven Spires has progressed musically from Solveig to A Fortress Called Home? What changes or growth stand out to you the most?
Jack Kosto: For us, our musical progression is something we constantly work on, both as instrumentalists and as songwriters! The goal is never to outdo what we’ve done before, but to continually improve and have the technique and understanding needed to create the best versions of the songs we want to write. The biggest changes have probably been those technical ones as players and singers.
MGM: Your music has always blended symphonic elements with more extreme metal sounds, and this album pushes even further into that territory. What drove the band to explore these darker, heavier tones on A Fortress Called Home?
Jack Kosto: More is more, perhaps! Our music has always been dense with orchestration, but it was a priority on this newest record to ensure those orchestral details were heard and felt as much as possible. Adrienne is continually expanding her skill set as an orchestrator, and the more she improves, the more these elements become vital to the way each song feels.
MGM: Adrienne’s vocal performance on this album is more diverse than ever, with an increase in harsh vocals. How did the band approach incorporating these vocal styles, and what inspired this shift in your sound?
Jack Kosto: Now I feel like I’m giving the same answer for each question, but Adrienne’s diverse vocal styles are something she’s always pushing for, constantly inspired by new bands and artists to branch out and discover new sounds. From Leprous to Cattle Decapitation and everywhere in between, it’s exciting for her to have a fuller palette of textures to paint with, and for us to express lyrics in different ways.
MGM: The narrative on A Fortress Called Home is deeply personal and filled with dark, emotional themes. Can you talk about the inspiration behind the story of the isolated woman in the castle and how it evolved?
Jack Kosto: Fortress is actually the first album we’ve done where there isn’t really a linear narrative or storyline throughout. There are fewer characters going places and doing things, and more of a deep dive into the emotions that inspired those previous stories. This makes it feel more raw and personal (and relatable in many ways) because there’s a layer of fantasy that’s been removed. We’re very happy that this resonates with listeners.
MGM: Peter described this album as one that will “build you up and tear you down.” How did the band work to reflect these emotional highs and lows in the music and lyrics?
Jack Kosto: We approached it in the same way we do every album—each song and emotion must be true to itself, expressing a specific emotion or group of emotions concisely and precisely. It’s quite a challenging process at times, but the end result is a deeper connection, and for me, that’s a beautiful thing.
MGM: Adrienne mentioned visiting “the void” twice while writing this album. How did those experiences influence the themes and the band’s overall approach to creating A Fortress Called Home?
Jack Kosto: Those experiences shaped a deeply personal album filled with ugly and uncomfortable subjects, as you’ve noticed in previous questions! It’s sometimes difficult to talk about, but we hope that by addressing these topics so plainly in our lyrics, people will feel understood and seen.
MGM: The production on A Fortress Called Home has been noted for its rawness, with the guitars and drums sometimes buried in the mix. What was the reasoning behind this production choice, and how do you feel it contributes to the album’s overall atmosphere?
Jack Kosto: This was a very intentional decision. The inspiration came from the sheer power and all-encompassing presence of an orchestra in a live performance. It’s 60+ players filling an entire room, and much of this grandeur is often lost in modern metal productions. The laws of physics are the enemy here, and balancing a massive metal band while also highlighting a full orchestra in all its splendor is a challenge—but when done right, it’s like nothing else.
MGM: Jack, you handled the production, mixing, and mastering for this album. What challenges did the band face in creating the soundscape, and how did you all work together to balance the symphonic elements with the extreme metal components?
Jack Kosto: Lots of blood, sweat, and tears—fistfights, shouting matches, and rock-paper-scissors for decision-making. Just kidding! In reality, the process wasn’t too difficult aside from the technical aspects of the mix, as we all knew what we wanted the album to sound and feel like from the early demo stages. Layers, recordings, and soundscapes were all done with that end goal in mind, which made it easier to make everything find its place.
MGM: “Love’s Souvenir” stands out for its jazz-infused elements and emotional depth. What was the creative process like for this song, and how did you manage to blend such diverse influences into one cohesive track?
Jack Kosto: I often say that the thing that allows us to blend all these elements and genres cohesively is that it’s the same four people playing them! It would be super weird to have different bands from these genres play together, but since we’re the same people, our expressions, tastes, and individual sounds come through and make everything feel more coherent than it probably should.
MGM: “Almosttown” was chosen as the first single from the album. What made it feel like the right choice to introduce listeners to the themes and sound of A Fortress Called Home?
Jack Kosto: It was a track we felt was super fun musically, and an earworm from the moment we finished writing it! It felt like a natural first glimpse of the album, and it seems like it went over relatively well!
MGM: Looking ahead, what ideas or plans does the band have for future projects or collaborations, whether within Seven Spires or in your other musical endeavors?
Jack Kosto: Hopefully, lots more live shows announced soon, and we’re itching to start writing new music already. There are a few more exciting things that we can’t talk about yet, but all in good time!
https://www.sevenspiresband.com/
MGM’s review of Seven Spires – A Fortress Called Home
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