and other members in neopagan groups. The 1997 album The Blade incorporates an Odinic chant, Gealdor, into its varied laments. Wakeford tended to write from a melancholic position of doomed Romanticism, which lamented the loss of beauty, love, and culture. He saw the American influence on global culture as very damaging to Europe, something he expresses with black humour in the song "Death of the West", from the album of the same name. The later albums have seen a turn to a more personal writing style, as interest in what Wakeford calls "knee-jerk anti-Americanism and anti-Christianity" has been rejected. Sol Invictus album artwork has often showcased the expressionist paintings of American artist, musician and friend Tor Lundvall. Controversy Wakeford's mid-1980s membership in the British National Front and the appearance of a track from his band, Above The Ruins, on the No Surrender! compilation released in 1985 by Rock-O-Rama Records, alongside the Nazi groups Skrewdriver and Brutal Attack, has led to accusations of neofascism. Wakeford has responded to this criticism various times, stating that his involvement with the National Front "was probably the decision of my life and one I very much regret", and that various members of his band (including his wife of eight years at the time) "would be at best discriminated against or dead if a far-right party took power" and further that "none of the artists I work with hold such views either, and I doubt they would want to work with me if they thought I did." In June 2011 the band, following attempts to cancel one of their concerts in London, stated that all its members "are personally completely and unequivocally opposed to fascism, racism, anti-semitism and homophobia, [...] and our work makes no attempt to appeal to an audience looking for this kind of message", also stating explicitly that they did not have "any sympathy with national anarchism, or any desire to work with its adherents". Discography References External links Sol Invictus on Myspace Reviews Review of The Devil's Steed Review of Angel Review of Sol Veritas Lux Interviews Interview with Tony Wakeford, 2006 Musical groups established in 1987 English folk musical groups Neofolk music groups British industrial music groups Modern pagan musical groups Modern paganism in the United Kingdom LGBT-related controversies in music Obscenity controversies in music