This article refers to an English musical group. For other uses of the name Sol Invictus see Sol Invictus (disambiguation)

Sol Invictus is an English Pagan Folk and neoclassical group fronted by Tony Wakeford.

Wakeford founded Sol Invictus in order to pursue his own musical ideas. He was an original member of Death in June with Douglas P.. He left in 1984 and recorded one album of his own material as Above the Ruins before taking time off to pursue his magical studies. He returned to music and formed Sol Invictus in 1987, working with Ian Read and Karl Blake . He has been the sole constant of the group, as it continues to bring forth new forms and conceptions.

Wakeford has described Sol Invictus as a "cabaret band from Hell for the fin-de-siècle". He has said the name "comes from a pre-Christian Rome-based cult. Many of its trappings were taken over by the church. The name means 'the unconquered (or victorious) sun', and it was brought back by the Legionnaires returning from Persia. The sun has always been an important symbol and as the cult of Sol Invictus nearly defeated Christianity at one point it seemed a good name to use. I also love the sound of Latin. "

Sol Invictus imagery and lyrical content has shown consistent use of pagan themes, often reflecting an antipathy to Christianity and the modern world's materialistic plutocracy. The 1997 album, The Blade incorporates an Odinic chant, Gealdor, into its varied laments. Wakeford has written from a melancholic position of doomed Romanticism, which laments the loss of beauty, love, and Culture. He sees Americanism as a scourge upon Europe, as expressed with pitch-black humour in his song, "Death of the West" from the album of the same name.

Discography

External Links

• Sol Invictus Home Page
• Excellent Links, history
• Lyrics
• everything2 Sol Invictus entry