2006 news

Recording for Acts of God is almost completed, with the addition of Manfred Dikkers on drums for a couple of tracks. Manfred is a great drummer who I'm collaborating with for a solo project just underway, and he's the perfect choice for the remaining tracks on Acts of God that needed some aggressive drumming. Check out Manfred's website for more info on him and his projects.

We are still anticipating an early 2007 release for Acts of God. Download Threads, a full song from the upcoming disc (9 MB MP3)

Click here to be directed to an interview I did recently for a Moroccan site called Chaos Forum, where the new disc, Acts of God, is discussed, and much more.

A change in plans...the next At War With Self disc will be released early 2007. This is to allow the best timing for the label to release the disc and have it coincide with the launch of other releases at the beginning of the year.

Damon Trotta and I just finished mixing most of the songs for the new At War With Self CD, Acts of God, in New Jersey. Preview MP3s for tracks will be posted within the next week. As for a release date, it will be sometime this summer. Details for mastering and promotion are in the works, and the release will coincide with other releases on the Sluggo's Goon Music label...here's the press biography that describes the project and the musicians that contributed to Acts of God - huge thanks from Damon and I go out to Mark Sunshine, Steve Decker, James vonBuelow, Pete Teresi, Rodney Zodda and Dave Archer for making the tracks what they have become. Be sure to check out Sluggo's Goon Music to find out more about these musicians and their projects on the label, to be released in 2006.

At War With Self - "sounds more like a psychological diagnosis than a band..." an appropriate description in the biography for the debut of the project and its first release, Torn Between Dimensions, led by Glenn Snelwar (Gordian Knot), featuring Michael Manring (Michael Hedges, Attention Defecit) and Mark Zonder (Fates Warning, Temple Within). The instrumental trio created an amalgam of tight-knit compositions encompassing progressive rock, metal, jazz, ambient and classical stylings, often within the boundaries of each composition. The end result was critically acclaimed and continues to grow a following as word of mouth of the project expands.

For Acts of God, the second release from the At War With Self project, Snelwar has desired to create a set of compositions with the intentions of living up to the label 'progressive' by dramatically changing almost every facet of the project while staying true to the underlying inspiration of the project's inception - to combine disparate styles and create music with no boundaries. No better choice than Damon Trotta as a co-writer and bassist to create what is sure to be as intriguing a release as Torn Between Dimensions. Trotta's background ranges from co-founder of metal acts Non-Fiction and System Addict, to the funk outfit Vehicle and has worked with the likes of Bernie Worell and Isaac Hayes. Prior to that, Snelwar and Trotta were in a progressive hardcore/metal trio with Rodney Zodda. Trotta, Snelwar and Zodda on percussion are here and back to their roots, with some added influences. With Trotta on bass, vocals, synths and programming and Snelwar on guitars, mandolin and synths, the duo is assisted by Sluggo's Goon Music labelmates James vonBuelow (guitars), Steve Decker (drums), Mark Sunshine (vocals), Pete Teresi (guitars), Rodney Zodda (percussion) and Dave Archer (synths) to create some truly stunning, inspired progressive music.

Torn Between Dimensions had a warm, organic feel as the all-instrumental interplay of Snelwar, Manring and Zonder created a complex, but introspective, set of related compositions. For Acts of God, that introspection is turned outward in the form of a cold stare at conflicts and resolutions prompted by recent world events. From the intensity and imagery-invoking 911 and Martyr, to the elated solace present in No Place and Ursa 5, to the desolation of End in Blue and Refugee, Acts of God has managed to strike a balance of emotions that once again run the gamut from elation and warmth to fear and horror.

Snelwar describes his collaboration with Trotta as the latest incarnation of At War With Self: "What's so amazing to me about Acts of God is that the vocals lend themselves perfectly to this set of compositions. To change focus from an all-instrumental project to a set of songs mostly containing vocals has strengthened the idea that At War With Self can successfully morph, live up to its name and push the boundaries from one release to the next. That, together with the heavy intertwining of funk and electronic styles with metal and progressive ideas really make this something unique - add to that the ability to get all of the musicians from the label to contribute tremendously in their own way without limitations on what they do - who all come from different backgrounds with vastly different styles - the project took on a life of it's own, yet stayed true to the original idea of combining disparate styles effectively and with incredible intensity".

Acts of God will be released early 2007, on Sluggo's Goon Music.

Thanks to a very generous fan who chooses to remain anonymous, the site has been redesigned! I've updated most of the information within the pages. Under the Results page, past and current projects have been broken out separately. This is to emphasize that in the future, everything I do may not be associated with the name "At War With Self". For example, I just finished recording mandolin and guitar parts for James Vonbuelow, a guitarist that will be releasing a CD later this year. A solo CD is something that I'm considering for the future as well.

Also under the results section, I've posted the MP3s for the entire Reflections demo. I've received a lot of inquiries on this so I figured I'd post them. More info behind the demo and some history behind the different projects I've been involved with can be found in the updated Biography section.

Progress on the next At War With Self CD, Acts of God, is coming along nicely. The release date will be sometime the first half of this year. Damon Trotta and I are still working out the details for mixing, mastering, artwork and manufacture. Additional guest musicians are yet to be determined. At this point we're focusing on getting the compositions completed, and other musicians will be brought in soon after. The preview MP3s for some of the songs, and a tentative track listing, can be found on the Results page.

I've added a few more reviews that have recently been done, for Torn Between Dimensions.

Thanks to all of you who take the time to send an e-mail, it's great hearing from you! Thanks for your support.