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Mad Gallica, recognized since 2018 for her role as an "anonymous" masked keyboardist and singer in internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning rock band Ghost, as well as recently featured in the concert film "Rite Here Rite Now," released her debut solo EP, Enter the Vortex: Act One, on April 12th, 2024.
Accompanied by the Czech Studio Orchestra in Prague, co-produced and co-arranged with Hayden C. Scott (AWOL Nation, Paramore, Ghost) and mixed by multi-platinum Grammy-winner Bob Horn (Usher, Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson), this progressive rock opera received initial funding from a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign supported by hundreds of fans and highlighted on Kickstarter as a "Project We Love."
Inspired by Mad Gallica's personal story, Act One explores her near death experience in which she leaves her body and journeys through the Vortex to the Beyond Within. Here she discovers an intergalactic rose nebula—the origin of her soul—and learns the reason behind her incarnation on Earth. This genre-bending composition arose from what Mad describes as the fever dreams and sonic hallucinations she experienced while overcoming a three year illness.
Enter The Vortex: Act One is an epic space odyssey of uninhibited artistry featuring Mad's dramatic vocal performance backed by a colossal choir, driving rock elements, and a powerful orchestral arrangement that invites listeners to embrace their Madness and explore the beyond within themselves.
SINGLES
PRESS
"...a style of music that can only be described as a blend of theatrical, rock opera, classical, a sprinkling of pop, and a whole lot of 'wow' thrown in. These were original songs that didn’t sound like anything we’ve heard before, and that excites us to no end because it just doesn’t happen very often. [Mad's] voice can go from a subtle whisper to operatic bellowing within a single phrase, all while her hands deftly navigate the keyboard. Her piano playing is exceptional, and it’s wonderful to see a singer this good not sacrificing her musicianship for the sake of vocals. Her music is pure jaw-dropping magic."
- Karmic Fury Records
QUOTES FOR PRESS
Mad Gallica on the concept
"I remember the first time I entered the Vortex. I was in bed sick, as I had been for a long time, and simply put, I felt as though the tether that held my soul to my body was becoming weak. I saw a blurry figure standing next to my bed, and I asked her if I was dying. She said yes. But I had a choice to stay and if I did, it would be hard. I realize this person was indeed my soul. I am so glad I chose to stay, because after I made that conscious choice, I started to hear this music. It poured out of me. And I started to heal and become more alive. Now, over a decade later, it's found its time to be released from my inner MADness to the madness of the world."
Hayden C. Scott on working with Mad Gallica
"Mad Gallica harnesses the creative spirit in her music with such commitment—she is fearless!"
Mad Gallica on working with Hayden C. Scott
"I've worked with a handful of industry professionals who tried to put me in a box; I'd often hear 'you're too theatrical,' or 'let's dumb this down.' Hayden honored my vision from day one and only made it better! He helped me find new confidence in my music, embraced its over-the-top dramatic nature, and helped me push the boundaries of its cinematic progressive rock sound. We have amazing synergy, we are very much on the same wavelength. He added so much power and beauty to this music with his producing, recording, arranging, and drumming—and we had a lot of fun in the studio building this together from scratch!"
BOB HORN ON ENTER THE VORTEX: ACT ONE
“Mad Gallica’s new project is an exciting journey—I can’t refer to it any other way. It’s not like listening to any regular songs. It’s an experience you have to be ready for. It’s deep and moving. She takes no prisoners so be ready!”
Mad Gallica on mixing the music with legendary Bob Horn
"Yes, this EP is built on a solid foundation of rock. But when it came to mixing, I wanted to show people how an orchestra and epic choir can be just as exciting as rock n' roll, if not more-so. With all the diverse elements of an orchestra, it covers a wider spectrum and we get to play with all the colors of the sonic rainbow. Bob Horn was incredible at finding the special moments to highlight in the orchestration and balancing it with the band and hundreds of vocal tracks—it's no simple task mixing songs with this unusually large volume of tracks—Bob unsurprisingly nailed it. I really think we found that sweet spot with the mixes, I couldn't be happier. It's so dynamic and fierce!"
Mad Gallica on recording the orchestra
"Both Hayden and I were in the midst of a world tour, which made the task of recording the orchestra in Prague its own unique challenge. I remember I was in my hotel room with my husband who had just flown in to visit me on a brief stop in LA, both of us tired as hell, waking up at 4am to zoom with our Czech Studio Orchestra team. When I heard the music being played for the first time by a live orchestra, I was overwhelmed. It is truly a dream come true, and none of it would have been possible without Hayden and the Kickstarter backers. I still pinch myself that it's not having to exist in my head anymore—it's finally actualized and it's more beautiful than I could have imagined it to be on my own."
Mad Gallica on the vocal arrangements
"Hayden and I created this project with an all-star team. The epic choir arrangements were made alongside my brilliant friend Dr. Matthew Goinz, and it's wild to think that we created an enormous choir sound with just four singers—Matthew, Sophie Amelkin, Jutty Taylor, and myself. It's common for backing vocals to be more tucked away in mixes, but with our music, it's a calling card, it's such an important part of the vibe. It's another unique element that I believe makes this music hit harder and stand out."
Sophie Amelkin (NYC The office, a musical Star)
“During the process of laying down vocals on Enter the Vortex, I knew with total certainty that this EP was going to be something earth-shakingly unique. The depth of emotion and layers of musical complexity Mad Gallica and Hayden Scott have woven into the album will reach into you and move you thoroughly. It was an incredible process led by amazing musicians at the helm. I can't wait for the rest of the world to experience it.”
Mad Gallica on fundraising with Kickstarter
"It was an incredible experience—scary at first, but so rewarding. Enter The Vortex is a bit of a hard sell to a label. It's expensive and it's not your typical slam dunk Top 40 banger. I'd gotten so used to industry people trying to change who I am as an artist, and I wanted to protect this project from that. What better way to ensure the music gets made how it was intended, than to have my 'label' be my amazing fans? And thusly, we have created this incredible community—we have all built this project together! The support of our Kickstarter backers and my dear Patrons is the gift that keeps on giving. I couldn't do any of this without them and I wouldn't want to. I just want to make them proud, always."
Mad Gallica on her composing inspirations
"I grew up playing classical piano before anything else, but also sang old-time Appalachian music with my family band. We didn't have a TV, but we had a tape player. I would lay on the floor and put on film scores, like Last of the Mohicans. I would close my eyes and let pictures and stories come to my head. That kind of auditorial cinematic experience is now what I hope to inspire people to explore when they listen to Enter The Vortex. You'll most likely hear my early love of film scores and composers like Danny Elfman and Andrew Lloyd Webber as well as classical influences of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff shine through this music."
Mad Gallica final thoughts
"We have only just begun with this project. To date I've written over 40 songs on this multi-act concept album. The end goal is to create an animated film much like Fantasia. As for the vision of what I'd eventually like the live experience to be, you can expect a big alien pipe organ and lots of other-worldly characters on stage, entering the vortex-state-of-mind together with the audience."
"I want to inspire a world where we embrace our MADness. This EP is my invitation to the listener to enter the Vortex and explore the Beyond Within themselves."
ENTER THE VORTEX PROMO VIDEOS
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"DAGGER"
PHOTOS FOR PRESS
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