Seven Spires: Interview with Jack Kosto

Seven Spires are releasing their 4th full length album called A Fortress Called Home this Friday. We took the chance to approach the band and are very happy to share that guitarist Jack Kosto was available to answer our questions.

Hello Jack, congrats on the new album, we are talking about an exemplary release. Can you share some insights on its creation process? 

J: Hi Pavlos! Thank you very much for the kind words. The new album was an interesting one to work on because of the timeline and deadlines. Our previous album was mostly written mid-lockdown, so we had nothing but time to work on it. This one was more intense to schedule time to focus because we’re all back to our normal busy schedules of travel, touring, and other musical projects outside of the band. In the end, diamonds are made under pressure, and I think we accomplished everything we set out to do with this album!

Lyrically, does it expand the lore of Solveig’s story? If yes, any spoilers on where this album will lead her? 

J: Yes and no! This is the first concept album we have done that doesn’t have a linear storyline and set of characters, and it’s more of an in-depth emotional exploration of things that inspired the first three records. It deals with some of the harder-to-talk-about subjects we all face, things like grief, loneliness, and isolation, and I think it’s something that there are no spoilers for because we all already know our own experiences with those things!

Jack, you are also the producer of “A Fortress Called Home”. What are, for Seven Spires, the main benefits but also challenges of not working with an external producer?

J: I am, this is the first Spires album I’ve mixed and mastered myself, aside from the “Live at Progpower USA XXI” one. I have had a big hand in the recording process for the previous two albums, but this is the first time we didn’t work with Sascha Paeth for mixing. It was a challenge doing it myself as well as recording and writing lots of the music, but I had such a specific vision for the sound this time that I wanted to be hands-on. The time commitment is extreme for me, but the reward is exponentially greater, and financially it’s also a benefit to have it done in-house, haha. For us, it’s also always been great working with Sascha too, and we love him to death 🙂 

Your songs vary in styles both within themselves and between each track. What is your favorite from the new album and what song was the most difficult to compose? 

J: SUPER tough question, it’s like asking which one of your children you love the most! They are all very different, and they hit different high and low points depending on the day or how I’m feeling at each moment. Today I will say the song “Emerald Necklace” is a real gem though, lyrically and musically. It’s a thoughtful ballad with a pretty immense soundscape inspired a lot by music from Skyrim and some softer pop music, and there are sneaky vocoders and things in the arrangement that are pretty unique. One of my favorite guitar solos on the album too, and I’m excited for people to hear it! Be prepared to cry though.

Orchestrations in Seven Spires records are sounding very natural and clear. Are they all created by Adrienne and the band, or are you also utilizing an orchestra/ live instruments for recordings? 

J: The orchestrations are done by Adrienne, and she’s absolutely brilliant at it! Some people don’t always know that aside from her amazing voice, she’s also a great keyboard player, and she also studied orchestral scoring in university. In addition to being the lyricist and main songwriter, the fact that she’s doing all of the orchestrating means she’s able to tug on the exact right heartstrings for each song and use specific instrument textures to bring out emotional details that maybe an external orchestrator would miss or do differently. Every once in a while we’ll record a real solo instrument for certain parts (like a violin solo in the song “Love’s Souvenir”), but up until now all of the main orchestral scoring is done with software. All of that said, we’d LOVE to make a record with a live orchestra as soon as there is budget and time!

I believe that Alessandro Conti is a guest in “Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues” expanding the list of artists you have collaborated with. Who would be your dream guest for a Seven Spires song? 

J: That is correct! Alle is a good friend and obviously an immense vocal talent, and it was really great to have him on the album. As far as dream guests go, on the last album, we had Roy Khan on the song “This God Is Dead”, and I don’t know if there’s more of a “dream guest” than him for us. For us, having someone as a guest isn’t really about how famous they are or anything, but more a respect for the artistry and musical skill, and often also an appreciation for how much we like them as people! So our dream continues to be inviting talented friends to make fun art with us. 

You just finished a mini tour with Kamelot in the US and an EU tour as support for Skalmold, with a Japan round coming in December. Are you working on any touring plans for promoting your new album?  

J: Yes, we absolutely are! Nothing I can drop here yet, but keep an eye out on our social media pages for announcements when we are able to make them. It will be really fantastic to tour this new album as much as we can! 

A Fortress Called Home marks the last studio appearance of Chris Dovas with the band. Are you searching for a permanent member to cover the position or will you continue as a team of 3? 

J: Yes, this is a really special final performance from Dovas! Sad that he chose to leave, but understandable and we’re happy for and proud of him! We will be filling the slot with a permanent member, and we’re in the process of deciding who that will be. Right now we have an amazing guy named Dylan Gowan touring with us, and that has been a blast onstage and off, no pun intended.

In the past you created a dark Jazz version of Paradox that was welcomed by the fans. Any plans of doing something similar in the future, perhaps as a bonus track? 

J: Maybe so! Actually, there is some of that on the album, particularly the song “Love’s Souvenir”, which starts in a pretty moody jazz style, and by the end evolves into a pretty insane symphonic death metal piece. We like many different kinds of music, and it makes a lot of sense to throw some alternative versions around in different musical styles.

Any news regarding your other band, Threads of Fate?

J: Not really! That hasn’t been an active project in a while, and I’d be surprised if it picked up again. We made some cool songs, but I think all of us have moved on to other projects and are happy to let sleeping dogs lie 🙂

Last question Jack,  Seven Spires are a growing force in today’s metal scene. What should we expect from them in the future and what is the milestone you are looking forward to, the most? 

J: Well, for now, you can look forward to the new album coming in June, and hopefully lots of touring for it! We’re always hoping to fill our schedules more, and right now that’s the goal. I’m excited to start working on new music when the time comes, and excited to see what opportunities the future holds for us that we don’t yet foresee! Thanks for the great questions and kind words!

Thank you for your time Jack and wishing all the success for your new musical endeavor!

Pavlos Pavlakis

On behalf of Metal Domain