Sol Invicto (Featuring Stephen From the Deftones) Reveal EP Cover — Exclusive

Sol Invicto, the side project of Deftones' guitarist Stephen Carpenter and producer Richie Londres, will be issuing a new EP soon entitled 'Initium II.'

The EP features the kind of instrumental tuneage that delivers a swift boot to the groin, but it's certainly not Deftones sans vocals, either. Sol Invicto is something entirely different and fresh, but still boasts Carpenter's signature, teeth-rattling tone, and is more metallic than the band's earlier offerings. 'Initium II' is seven tracks long, will be available for free from the band, and follows Sol Invicto's debut EP which was released in August 2011.

"Everything is much more in focus since we put out 'Initium I," Londres told Noisecreep. "It got a great reception from fans, which is nice because we made something different to what people were expecting. But then if they get what they are expecting, where's the fun in that!? We keep them guessing!"

Sol Invicto has partnered with Noisecreep to exclusively reveal the cover art for 'Initium II.' That's Suicide Girl Gogo Blackwater looking all hot and tatted on the cover. Check it out below:

Additionally, the EP (did we mention its free?) will include a bonus track featuring random audio clips submitted by fans. Londres said they chose to include the fan track since "it would be a nice idea to get fans directly involved. What better way than put them in a track?" The song has about 40 different clips and the submission process certainly made things interesting. Londres said, "We got some really random submissions, but that's what we asked for. I think there is one with a someone screaming out their cat's name for seven seconds. I'm sure we can turn that into a bassline without too much trouble."

Londres summed up the link between the two EPs, saying, "The sound of 'Initium II' is the natural progression from the debut EP. 'Initium II' is a nice bridge between the old stuff and the new stuff we have coming up. It's heavy, but not over the top but still has a strong electronic vibe running throughout. We mix up live sounds but treat them as samples and back them up with midi."

The duo purposefully keeps things dirty and imperfect, releasing music as is without too much spit shine or processing. "It's still in its experimental stages," Londres said. "I like the fact that people will be able to see the project growing musically rather than come out the gate with a polished product."

As for the "product" element of this project? "We are still keeping this project underground and rather lo-fi at the moment. Everything is done in-house. Even Gogo took the cover photo herself. It's a nice organic way to work," Londres said. While this EP is free, like its predecessor, Londres (sort of) joked that "after this point we will be after your money."

Speaking of the third installment? What might that EP sound like? "We do plan to keep this instrumental for the most part but that won't stop us working with certain people on the side," Londres admitted. "We are hoping to start work on a few tracks with Josh from The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza this early year which we are all really looking forward to!"

For more details on the new EP's release, hit the band's Facebook page.