Sophia by Vestige of Virtue

Musically, VESTIGE OF VIRTUE derives from styles of both contemporary and archaic origin. Based in a melancholic core of gothic doom metal, the debut album «Sophia» extends into chamber music, liturgical passages, movements inspired by Viennese classicism and occasional elements of musique concrète. The aim being a dialogue between the modest and the dramatic; the mellow and the powerful; an interplay led by Forsmo's salient baritone.

Lyrically, VESTIGE OF VIRTUE is a philosophical statement with «Sophia», meaning «wisdom» as idolised by the ancient Greeks, being an ode to philosophy and the philosophers. The general idea is that the opposite of wisdom is not necessarily the lack of wisdom, but rather that of acting against it - knowingly. A possible end result of such friction is a system where the contemplation of truth is shunned, and the untrue is rationalised to be true; shaping one’s own comforting reality. Analogous to entropy or death, this condition manifests itself as an obstinate and efficient movement towards non-movement; a system that turns hostile towards the very fundament of its own subsistence. A hostility nourished by fear.

History has witnessed many such systems go berserk.

Caught between the blind on the one hand and the deaf on the other, many philosophers have lived dangerously and have typically been regarded as imbecile, mad and even threatening. Nonetheless, the essence of learning is widely indebted to them. «Sophia», then, is more than an artistic outlet: It is purpose. Accordingly, the album is a meticulously crafted opus wherein all instruments are intimately coupled with the philosophical themes reflected in the lyrics, offering a consistent and holistic labour of pure ideal.

VESTIGE OF VIRTUE is a trio consisting of Kjetil Ottersen (In_zekT, Omit, Funeral) Frode Forsmo (Minas Tirith, Funeral, Old Man’s Child) and Shaun Winter Taylor-Steels (Solstice, Anathema, My Dying Bride).