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."