Surface Of The Sun’s Music Video “Vanguard” Is A Compelling and Progressive Ode To Growth
Surface Of The Sun is a progressive metal band hailing from Canada. It is the solo project of Devon Eggers, who has been creating captivating and expansive soundscapes since 2011. SOTS has released three singles that are intertwined: “Oblivion” (off 2019 EP Panacea) and tracks “Dragon” and “Vanguard” (off 2020 EP Dragon), which all have corresponding music videos. “Vanguard” is the end of the cyclical process the singles are about – becoming a leader, passing on the strength found within, and allowing the process of growth to continue.
Eggers explains in detail:
““Vanguard” is a longer, progressive soundscape that follows a unique arrangement that allows for interesting builds and dynamics between sections. The vocal arrangement is kept simpler to allow for more complexities within the Asian instruments that complement the heavy guitar tracks. I hope to share with fans something on a more personal level. The songs touch on internal struggles, but ultimately end on being able to overcome those struggles to become something bigger, better, and stronger.”
For Eggers, “Vanguard” was a song that he really resonated with once he started writing it. The song was based around the opening guitar riff and finding ways to make it grow and expand throughout the track. The feeling those first few riffs created in him left him attached to the song, and he spent a considerable amount of time experimenting with different arrangements to get the emotional journey right. With his music, he hopes to immerse listeners in a musical soundscape that is both catchy but also something they can get lost in. The type of music one can close their eyes to, shut off all the lights, and just be carried away by the sounds and melodies.
Compared to the other two singles, “Vanguard” is meant to be more progressive and contrasting and a current example of the roots of Surface of the Sun. It is recommended for A Perfect Circle, Chevelle, and Tool fans.
Watch the video for “Vanguard” below and learn more about Surface of the Sun via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Devon Eggers. I am the musician behind the Canadian Radio Rock TOP 40 solo music project Surface of the Sun (SOTS). It is a Prog Rock/Metal project I started after years of working in the music industry as a recording and mixing engineer. So, since I had developed those skills as well, not only do I write and perform all music (except for playing the drums), but I also do all of the recording, editing, and mixing.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
My most recent release for SOTS is a 2-song album called Dragon. The song Dragon is on the catchier side of what I do, but it still has that Prog feel to it. It’s high-energy and a great song to groove to. Lyrically it follows the song, Oblivion, from my previous EP, Panacea, which peaked at 26 on the radio charts. Dragon also received radio support here in Canada.
The second song on the release is Vanguard. Lyrically it follows Dragon and concludes the message and meaning of the three songs. Musically it contrasts Dragon. It has a far more complex arrangement, is more progressive, and is towards the other end of what SOTS is. Still, it has a great groove to it and a soundscape you can get lost in.
Both songs have high-quality music videos that can be found on YouTube.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
My writing process is very improvisational. It usually starts with me messing around on my guitar and seeing what happens, which is impacted by how I feel at that moment. Music is emotion, so I let my emotions guide much of what I do. I just let whatever comes out come out. Eventually, something I do catches my ear, and then I’ll focus on that and take a more analytical or structured approach. I’ll break the riff down, think about how it might fit with something else I created, or consider how it makes me feel. Each riff kind of tells me where it wants to go or what should come next. I usually trust my instincts until the bulk of the foundation for a song is built. After much of the song’s foundation, or arrangement, is laid out, I tighten things up from a listener’s perspective until the song feels right.
Even my lyrics come the same way as the music, guided by my emotions at the time, improvised in a way that lets what’s on my mind, or what I’m feeling at the moment, come out. I’ll usually just let words or sounds escape in melodies that happen at the moment until something catches my attention, and then build on that word or emotion until I have a topic/focus for the song.
So, in summary, my inspiration comes from what’s happening at the moment or what happened earlier that day or week. Or perhaps something in society that had been frustrating me for some time, and I was really contemplating it. I rarely say something like, “I’m going to write a love song about a girl who…”. It usually feels forced if I do that, so I found my way to let life inspire my music.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
Since SOTS is a solo project, live shows have never been part of the gig. It’s pretty hard to get such complex arrangements on stage without hiring many musicians, which is expensive. However, in the weeks leading up to COVID, I was in the process of practicing and working towards doing live shows. COVID shut all that down, of course, which was unfortunate because I really enjoyed it. I don’t have any plans to start this again, but I hope that will change.
What’s your goal for 2023?
For 2023 I have quite a few goals. Some are focused on continuing to build my acting career. Some are focused on starting the third and final novel in my book series, Sky View. Musically, though, I want to get the bulk of the work done writing the songs for the next SOTS album so that I can release an EP next year. The last few weeks, I’ve been reviewing old ideas, and working on new ones, slowly piecing together things to become the next album. I have a lot of ideas I’ve saved over the years, and it’s neat going back in time to review them. I’ve found a lot of cool riffs and created some new ones, and I’m pretty excited to create more music.