Sol Invicto Feature Members of Deftones, Cypress Hill, Sikth

Sol Invicto is a project featuring members of Deftones, Cypress Hill and Sikth. London-based producer Richie Londres is manning the boards alongside A.J. Cookson, with Deftones' guitarist Stephen Carpenter, Sikth drummer Dan Ford and Eric Bobo from Cypress Hill, who will provide some percussion. The project is currently instrumental with projected guest vocalists while they work on finding the right voice for the sound.

"It's a combination of two genres which have never really been pushed to their full potential," Londres told Noisecreep. "We aim to provide a solution and correct this problem."

The project came to fruition through Londres' connection to Cypress Hill. "DJ Muggs linked me up with Eric Bobo and we started working on a Spanish hip-hop project CLP -- Cultura Londres Proyecto -- back in 2005," Londres said. "Then Eric played Stephen a drum and bass track we had produced for his solo record and without our knowledge, he laid down some nasty heavy guitar lines across it. As soon as I heard that, I decided that this really needs to be a full project on its own since it's always something we have been wanting to do and the guitar tone blended into the production perfectly."

The project is currently instrumental, but only because the principals are seeking the right voice for it. "We are really happy with how the music has turned out, and it's important not to ruin it all with some dodgy vocalist [laughs], so it's worth taking the time," Londres revealed. "We have a few people on the shortlist who we are speaking with. We might even use a few guests for the first record, then settle on one for the second album so we can tour it as a band."

Londres feels the project could appeal to fans of Deftones, Cypress Hill and Sikth, even though they all have their own unique sounds that don't claim the same genre. "Being a fan of all three of those bands, I am exactly the right person to ask," he laughed. "It's definitely its own thing, but I would stay that fans of the heavier side of the Deftones will dig it. Cypress Hill fans are always an eclectic lot, so I'm sure some of them will dig it, and Sikth fans can definitely appreciate Lord Ford on the drums letting loose. It all hangs on the vocals I think; that will shape the direction but we are just going with the flow and seeing what style fits best within the songs."

Being spread out across the globe, the digital age allows a project like Sol Invictus to prosper and thrive, since it's rare that the involved parties are ever in the same room. "It can make things easier, but there is nothing like working with people in the same room, so we try to link up for the main recordings and then we sort out the overdubs back and forth using the technology available," Londres said. "Raw recordings are made by myself and A.J., and then we piece it all together in the lab till it makes sense, then arrange to get everyone together to jam out the idea and see where it goes. I would hope we can get in a studio together for a few weeks later in the year."

Everyone involved thanks the fans for their "outstanding patience" despite the delays. Londres said, "I'm just so eager to get this out to people as soon as possible but its got to be right, because it is all about the music as far as we are concerned and I would like to build the band as organically as possible." Sol Invicto are also in the process of remixing other bands and are always hungry for more work, as well. "If you would like your track chopped up and spliced back together in some form, please get in contact with us," Londres said.