Singer-songwriter with a razorblade edge.

In a business where image often overshadows substance, Amanda Somerville gives the industry CPR with music that is so real, it's goosebump-inducing. The windows to this songwriter's soul are her songs, which are ambient and groovy, yet extremely radio-friendly. Combining heart and soul with hit songwriting, you're bound to be moved.
Since 1999, Amanda has resided and worked mainly in Germany and the Netherlands. She is currently engaged in both studio and live work in Europe, putting the finishing touches on her new album, “Windows.”
Amanda has also worked with many other bands as a vocalist, vocal coach, co-writer and producer.

Releases:
In the Beginning there was... (Debut Album, 2000)
Blue Nothing (2000)
Never Alone (2003) sold 5,000 copies in Germany.
Aina: Days of Rising Doom (2003) - wrote all lyrics, co-wrote music, worked as vocalist, vocal coach. Sold 40,000 copies and garnered many new fans world-wide

About Amanda Somerville

Singer-songwriter with a razorblade edge.

In a business where image often overshadows substance, Amanda Somerville gives the industry CPR with a breath of sincerity through music that is so real, it's goosebump-inducing. The windows to this songwriter's soul are her songs, which are ambient and groovy, yet extremely radio-friendly. Combining heart and soul with hit songwriting, you're bound to be moved.

Since 2000, Amanda has resided and worked mainly in Germany and the Netherlands. In that time, she has independently sold over 7,000 CDs of her solo work and gained thousands of fans all over the world. She is currently engaged in both studio and live work in Europe and is exploring options for her latest solo album, "Windows."

Discography

Solo:
-In the Beginning there was... (Debut Album, 2000)
-Blue Nothing (EP, 2000)
-Never Alone (EP, 2003) sold approx. 5,000 copies in Germany.
-Aina: Days of Rising Doom (2003) - wrote concept and all lyrics, co-wrote music, worked as vocalist, vocal coach. Sold approx. 40,000 copies and garnered many new fans world-wide. Included several famous guest musicians such as Glenn Hughes, Sass Jordan, T.M. Stevens.
-Windows (due in 2007) new solo album currently being finished

Other bands & projects:
-HDK - System Overload (due in 2008); co-writer, vocalist, co-producer, engineer
-Avantasia - The Scarecrow (due in 2007); vocalist
-Andre Matos - Time To Be Free (due in 2007); worked as vocalist, engineer
-Epica - The Phantom Agony (2003), We Will Take You With Us (2004), Consign To Oblivion (2005), The Road to Paradiso (due in 2007), The Divine Conspiracy (due in 2007); worked as vocal coach, vocalist, co-writer, engineer, producer
-After Forever - Invisible Circles (2004), Remagine (2005); worked as lyric editor, vocal coach, vocalist, producer; After Forever (2007); worked as lyric editor and vocalist.
-Asrai - Touch in the Dark (2004): worked as lyrical editor; Sour Ground (due in 2007); worked as songwriter, vocalist
-Ebony Ark - Decoder (2006); worked as vocalist, producer
-Kamelot - Black Halo (2005), Ghost Opera (2007); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
-Phaeno Science Center (2005); commissioned to write and perform song about and for the grand opening of science center
-Boehringer Ingelheim (2005); commissioned to write 2 jingles for new swine vaccine :-)
-Edguy - Hellfire Club (2003), Rocket Ride (2005); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
-Shaman - Ritual (2002), Reason (2005); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
-Mob Rules - Hallowed Be Thy Name (2002), Ethnolution A.D. (2006); worked as vocalist
-Luca Turilli & Rhapsody - Prophet of the Last Eclipse (2002); worked as vocalist
-Virgo - Virgo (2001); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
-Various other bands (Felony, Reverend Right Time and the First Cousins of Funk, Lunatica, etc.)

Spolight on Amanda Somerville

"I know what I want, and I definitely know what I don't want."

As character sketches go, the above statement sums up singer/songwriter Amanda Somerville in a nutshell. Not that she suffers from diva-like tendencies, but she certainly hasn't let other people's expectations dictate the direction of her musical career. A twentysomething native of Flint, Michigan, Amanda rose to fame - or at least "Hey, it's the chick we saw playing at the bar last night" status - in the late '90's with her own unique brand of ambient yet accessible music. It wasn't until she moved to Wolfsburg, Germany in 1999, however, that her career took off. And certainly not in the way she or anyone else had expected.

Amanda released her first album, in the Beginning there was..., in 2000 on the strength of a song entitled "Blue Nothing". As fate would have it, she attracted the attention of Wolfsburg resident and producer Sascha Paeth, a well respected personality in the heavy metal / rock world thanks to his work with bands such as Sisters of Mercy, Kamelot, Angra and Rhapsody. Amanda was brought on board for Paeth's Virgo project with Shaman singer Andre Matos to provide backing vocals and fine tune the lyrics, which acted as a springboard to bigger and better things. Since the 2001 release of Virgo, Amanda has worked extensively with After Forever, Epica and Edguy as a vocalist, vocal coach and lyrical editor to help shape each respective band's sound, with spectacular results.

In 2003, Amanda cemented her presence in the metal world with the Aina rock opera, Days Of Rising Doom. The collaboration between Amanda and the Gate Studios production crew of Paeth, Robert Hunecke-Rizzo and Miro brought together numerous talents from all parts of the rock and metal genre, with Amanda calling the shots. The monstrous work, which includes a bonus CD and a DVD, sold over 30,000 copies world wide.

Although metaldom has welcomed Amanda into its ranks with open arms, her career as a solo artists hasn't fallen by the wayside. She has been composing material that is a far cry from the walls of distorted guitars and over-the-top symphonics, continuing instead to write songs that are ambient and dark yet commercially accessible. Make no mistake, however; Amanda has no designs on becoming the next pop icon or clicking with the "in crowd". In a business where image often overshadows substance, she chooses to concentrate first and foremost on the music.

Admitting to being a control freak, Amanda's solo work is a true reflection of who she is even though she puts just as much heart and soul into her outside projects.

"I've always been very goal oriented," she says of her career. "It works out for me better if I compose my music alone, but I'm open to doing new things, which is why it's so awesome when I work with Sascha and Miro. They bring a whole new perspective to the music regardless of what kind of music it is. Working in the metal scene has definitely influenced me, but the stuff that I love is the grass roots level Joni Mitchell-type sound. That's where I come from."

Amanda expects to have her new album ready in 2006, with an eye on widespread distribution. Given her track record thus far, she's certainly worthy of the attention.

-- Carl Begai, BW&BK Magazine

Five Stars out of Five

In a review for Amanda's work on Aina: Days of Rising Doom, Walls of Fire wrote:

"If you let the effects of "Days of Rising Doom" go to work on you the first time, despite all of its rich multi-facettedness, there is still one voice to be garnered as a pure win, namely the voice of Amanda Somerville. She is the "new discovery" in the classic metal scene who played a huge part in contributing all that made this project tick. Not lastly, we have her to thank that this album is already now an absolute reference in this genre and in being so, pretty much blows away any of the competition standing in her way."

Killer

"Next up is Amanda Somerville. Not only is she a beautiful woman, but she can sing like an angel and could be ranked up there with the likes of Tarja from Nightwish or Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil. Amanda was responsible for writing the story, lyrics, vocal coaching and creating a language that ranks up there with Klingon." - Joe Florez, Live 4 Metal