A Dirty Dozen with SOFIA FRASZ from EXILED HOPE – December 2024

According to a recent press release: “Maryland-based blackened power metal artist EXILED HOPE is excited to announce the release of Apocrypha, the third installment of its ongoing musical narrative, set for release on April 11th, 2025. This twelve-track album follows a new protagonist who seeks guidance from familiar (yet otherworldly) forces as he uncovers the truth about the path to success laid out before him, further expanding the story EXILED HOPE has crafted. Multi-instrumentalist Sofia Frasz established EXILED HOPE in 2019, and draws musical inspiration from the likes of AVANTASIA, NIGHTWISH, KAMELOT and CRADLE OF FILTH to name a few. EXILED HOPE’s releases all take place in the same fictional universe and combine to form a dark fantasy metal opera. Each album centers on a character dealing with both an internal and external conflict in this world, and the lyrics explore how they navigate those conflicts. This is intended to provide some kind of escapism through the lyrical world building, while still keeping the songs grounded in real, relatable emotions despite their fantastical setup.” We get Sofia to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

My latest release is with my folk metal band, Forgotten Shrine. We released a cover of “Hero” by Skillet. Honestly, I think the hidden nugget is the fact that most people probably weren’t expecting a cover of an alt-rock/alt-metal song, given our strong folk metal leanings. But we’re both huge fans of that style in addition to folk metal, so we felt like this cover was a natural-sounding way to introduce our fans to that part of our influence.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I’ve been into music ever since I can remember because my parents both love music and were always playing it around the house. But I think I was 14 (and a huge Iron Maiden and Dio fan) when I seriously contemplated getting involved in the music industry. I had been playing guitar for 2 years at that point and had started working on some original songs and getting a band together with a friend from high school. That band never went anywhere, but it was an important stepping stone and it helped me start learning to write songs and work with other musicians.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Not metal, but I think Daughtry’s Break The Spell album significantly influenced my songwriting style with deeply personal lyrics, catchy riffs, and a very strong focus on melody and sing-ability. I think those basic foundations translate well across genres, and they work especially well for my brand of metal. You’ll notice that even on songs where I’m primarily performing harsh vocals, there’s a strong melody that provides a hook for the song and makes it potentially sing-able. My songwriting always starts with a hook, no matter how heavy the song will be.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I would love to work with Tobias Sammet from Edguy and Avantasia (long shot, I know). He’s another huge influence on my style of melodic metal songwriting. Like me, he’s always experimenting with different genres and doesn’t let anyone else’s expectations for what should or shouldn’t work hold him back from exploring.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

When I’m not at work or making music, I love taking long walks and lifting weights. It clears my mind and feels almost meditative at times.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Someone who’s never listened to me before can expect plenty of cross-genre experimentation with the consistent undercurrent of strong hooks, melodies, and storytelling lyrics. I once saw someone describe my music as “AI-generated doom metal”, and I thought it was so funny because there’s no way AI could replicate the emotions and slight imperfections that abound in my music and give it its signature character.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Since Exiled Hope is just me, myself, and I, I’ll do this for Forgotten Shrine: Josh would be the first to crack out the acoustic guitars (or banjo or mandolin or hurdy gurdy or banjolin or oud or lute, you get the idea) for a singalong, and I’d cook since I like experimenting in the kitchen.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I found out that one of my longtime collaborators, Metal Matt, knows Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear, and that got me thinking about possible collaborations between all of us haha.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

When I work on music, I get so in-the-zone that I can completely relax and forget about everything else that’s happening. Nothing can break my focus for a few hours. If I could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, I’m also a metal publicist and will most likely be an entertainment lawyer by the end of next year, so I have options!

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I love answering questions about my influences and inspirations for the concepts behind my albums, because I could talk about that all day. I’m a little tired of answering questions about whether I’ll ever play live, because the answer is always no outside of a few one-off guest appearances. Exiled Hope is a solo project and there is no chance I’ll be able to handle the logistics involved for touring and live shows.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I should have attended a music-focused college for undergrad and majored in music business instead of public policy. My degree in public policy is kind of a stereotypically useless college degree even though I’m a law student now, and I didn’t have my priorities straight when I was in undergrad. I took music business courses in undergrad, but a whole major focused on music business probably would have made me a better lawyer and given me a more thorough understanding of clients’ issues that go beyond my own personal issues in my music career. There’s a lot that I encounter while working at a law firm that I would have love to have more context behind, and that I probably would have dealt with if I had majored in music business.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I choose The Scarecrow by Avantasia. This album was hugely influential for me because it’s the perfect blend of my more modern sound and my classic rock / metal sound. It was also my first exposure to a more “solo” project by a metal musician, and it made me think more seriously about starting Exiled Hope as a solo artist. Finally, The Scarecrow is a concept album, but not a cheesy one that holds your hand and drags you through every event in the story, and this got me interested in turning Exiled Hope into a concept album-focused project that takes its story and the emotions behind it seriously.

EXILED HOPE LINKS:

FACEBOOK

X – TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

Category: Interviews