Formed just last year, Stockholm-Montreal-based progressive metal band Voidchaser has wasted no time making their mark. Following the release of their well-received EP Odyssey earlier this year, they have returned with their full-length debut album Solace, launched on September 6th. The album, a concept-driven masterpiece structured as a continuous piece of music, showcases Voidchaser’s distinct blend of technical precision, emotional depth, and theatrical flair. In this interview, we delve into the creative process behind Solace, the band’s rapid rise, and their ambitious plans for the future.

Progarchy talked with Voidchaser’s singer and rhythm guitarist Chad Bernatchez and bassist Jici LG.

Voidchaser formed just last year, yet you’ve already released an EP and are now gearing up for your debut album Solace. How has the journey been for the band so far?

The journey has been incredible. The band is really operating like a train without breaks. It feels like we are tighter and more creative than we’ve ever been.

Solace is a concept album structured as a continuous piece of music divided into movements. Can you talk about the creative process behind designing the album this way?

One of the things I love the most about music is the journey you take when listening and I always appreciate when an artist/composer recalls certain themes or melodies and uses them as identifiers, whether it be for characters, or emotions, etc. It’s story telling through songwriting. 

The two tracks, “Solace Part II: Only Human” and “Solace Part IV: Alien,” are vastly different in tone and style. How do these contrasting pieces fit within the larger concept of the album?

The two songs are very much tied together narratively by the experience of our protagonist but are very much opposing each other in terms of emotion. In “Solace Part II: Only Human”, our protagonist is dealing with surviving in a new environment. They are coming to terms with their isolation and are trying to embrace it. In “Solace Part IV: Alien” it is very much the opposite. Our protagonist is feeling an embrace that they have longed for and is blindly following it with little regard for anything else. All of a sudden, the desire to survive and push forward disappear and the only thing they care about is love.

Your sound draws from progressive death metal, but also includes elements of melodic and theatrical music. How do you strike a balance between technical precision and emotional depth in your songs?

I love feeling things when I listen to music. I love hearing something and it makes me cry. I’m a very big fan of musical theater because of this. When I write the heavy riffs, I really try to find something that can serve as a “home base” and I think it becomes a little “pop-y” as a result. Once I have that I just let my imagination run wild and go crazy with time signatures and all the other fun stuff. And it’s the same thing with the emotional stuff. I think that part of the balance is giving a space for these things to exist but also offering more to the song than just a standard song structure. It makes it so that when we land on those parts they shine more because we’ve been building towards it or around it.

Chad, you’ve described Solace as Voidchaser’s most ambitious project yet. What were some of the challenges and triumphs in creating such an intricate and cohesive record?

I think the biggest challenge for me personally was to let go of it. I kept thinking “it’s not perfect yet” or “oh this person will probably hate this part” and with the rest of Voidchaser’s support I was able to overcome that self-doubt and just say “fuck it, I like it, we like it, let’s go” After that it was a breeze, recording and producing it ourselves was smooth, the collabs were easy, the mix and mastering was like a glove. I think the stars really aligned for us after that.

Guest performances by Ashbreather on “Only Human” add another layer to the track. How did that collaboration come about, and what do you feel it brings to the album?

Ashbreather have always been our friends, we recorded our very first single at their studio. They have been there since the beginning really. After that we did the “Ashes of the Void Tour” and that made really strengthened our friendship, so we just asked, and they were super into it. I think it adds a great layer of chaos and emotion to that section. They killed it!

Your debut EP Odyssey made a significant impact earlier this year, and tracks like “Tyrant” and “Star-Crossed Lovers” have garnered tens of thousands of streams. How did that early success influence the making of Solace?

We were planning on doing Solace before Odyssey was even released so it never derailed the plan but I think it just made us want to go all in with it. We felt like something was happening and we needed to give it everything we had and do it justice.

Solace explores themes of survival, resilience, and toxic relationships. Can you share how these themes developed and how they resonate with the band on a personal level?

These are just all experiences that I have had and I’m trying to write them in a way that more people can resonate with. I use the narrative as a way to relate a feeling that detaches itself from me, myself and I. Solace covers a very important chapter in my life. Years ago I found myself in a situation where the rug was swept from underneath my feet and all of a sudden it felt like my entire world was collapsing. Then I left and I moved to Montreal. I had no point of reference anymore, I felt alone and wanted to use that as a strength. Then I met someone, and we were together for a few years, but it was unhealthy. We were both filing a void through each other. Finally once that break up happened I had a lot of cathartic moments with myself and I started feeling inner peace.

Voidchaser has roots in both Montreal and Stockholm. How do these two cities’ distinct metal scenes influence your sound and the way you approach music?

I would say that we’ve been more involved with the scene in Montreal and its had an influence that you’ve already heard and will continue to hear. You go see a gig, have a good time, get inspired and go home and jam something out. Stockholm is still a mystery to us, but being in a new environment has supercharged my creativity. I have been writing a lot of new stuff. Stuff you won’t hear for a while but you will hear it eventually.

You’ve shared the stage with Ashbreather and The Aphelion on the Ashes of the Void Tour, and you’re about to embark on the Terra Corp Presents: The Only Human Tour. How does performing live shape the evolution of Voidchaser’s music?

It’s just a constant flow of inspiration really. You make music that makes you wanna go out and play it in front of people. Then you go on tour with your friends, have a blast, grow closer and by the time you get home you’re just inspired to make more music. I think feeling the audience’s reaction to our music also helps inform some of the song writing. I’ll be making music and say things like “oh this is gonna make people jump around” or “I think we might lose the audience in this section.” Plus it’s just fun. Performing is the pay off for me.

Jici, you mentioned that Voidchaser feels like an unstoppable force since releasing Odyssey. What is it about the band’s chemistry that has allowed you to move so quickly and decisively in the past year?

At some point, we realized that this band could be the vehicle to help us achieve our dreams as musicians and artists, as long as we put in the effort strategically. I believe everyone in the band has a deep and existential drive to fulfill their own personal goals, which creates a powerful force behind everything we do as a band. We strive to break through our self-limiting beliefs and give everything we’ve got. Honestly, we’ve already accomplished so many of our goals so far, and it’s just the beginning. It’s overwhelming, but it’s one of the best feelings we’ve ever experienced.

Progressive death metal often demands a high level of musicianship. How do you as a band continue to challenge yourselves technically while still staying true to the emotional core of your music?

I think we stopped limiting ourselves to what we can play. The philosophy now is very much write what sounds good and if you can’t play it, learn how and if it’s hard, practice.

The remixed version of “Tyrant” was critically acclaimed. What made you decide to revisit that track, and how did the remix alter its impact?

What made us revisit that track was our current sound engineer, Jason Poulin, who just liked the band and asked us if he could do a remix of Tyrant for us.

We liked it so much that we just decided to release it. We’ve been working with him ever since and he became a ghost member of Voidchaser a very good friend of ours.

Voidchaser has a theatrical element in both your recordings and live shows. How do you incorporate that theatricality into your stage performances, and what can fans expect from your upcoming tours?

Matching costumes for one. I believe a live performance needs to transcend beyond just the music. So there will be as much visuals as we can get for now, as well as some light choreography stuff. We are also gonna be playing with backing tracks for the first time to really give a FULL sonic experience.

The progressive death metal genre is known for its innovation, but also for pushing boundaries. What do you feel sets Voidchaser apart from other bands in the scene?

I think that it is our roots. We have a lot of variety in the kind of music we listen to individually, as well as the music we were around while growing up. But I would say the most important thing for us is that we embrace some traditional songwriting elements that are more pop oriented. We allow ourselves to fluctuate between being very heavy and technical to being light and breasy.

Looking back on the making of Solace, is there a particular moment in the process that stands out as a defining moment for the band?

I would say we all really stepped up our game and we knew that this had to be big so that was something we collectively established early on. I think the defining moment, for me anyway was when we heard Jason’s first crack at the mix. We just sat there in complete awe and said, this is huge, there’s something going on here.”

Finally, as you gear up for the release of Solace and your next tour, what are your hopes for the future of Voidchaser? What’s next after this album?

Oh man, we have so much more plans we want to do. We have 1 more EP that we are hoping to put out this year. 2025 will have 2 albums and one tour at least, then 2026 will have something that I think is even more ambitious. We are going full force with Voidchaser until it dies or I do.

Solace is available now; check it out on Bandcamp. For all things Voidchaser check out this location.