Victor Smolski - Biography
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Biography
Musician, producer, composer, teacher, author of one of the most successful German guitar learning DVD "School of Metal".
Many guitar magazines like the Russian magazine "Classic Rock", the German "Guitar magazine", the Japanese magazine "Burrn!" voted him many times in the Top 20 guitarist of the reader´s pop poll.
He is jury member for many international music competitions and worldwide representative and co-developer for prestigious companies in the music industry, such as YAMAHA, ENGL, SHURE, CORDIAL, Thomastik-Infeld, KSE Music etc.
Victor was 6 years old when he began studying the piano and cello in Minsk/Belarus, the guitar followed at the age of 11. Victor awarded diplomas in classical education, rock and jazz guitar as well as in composing and arranging music. With 14 years he already started touring with one of the most successful band in Russia "Pesniary".
In 1988 Victor Smolski founded the band "Inspector". During 1989 and 1993 the band played lots of shows in Europe and released their CD "Russian Prayer" (Aris / Ariola).
1993 Victor Smolski decided to stay in Germany. He worked as a studio musician and produced his first solo-CD "Destiny".
In 1995 Victor Smolski joined the progmetal band Mind Odyssey, being successful soon. Europe tours with "Vicious Rumors" and "Savatage" were played and their video was regularly shown on MTV and VIVA. On the successful Mind Odyssey albums "Nailed To The Shade" and "Signs" most of the songs were composed by Victor Smolski.
In the year 1999 Victor joined the German Heavy Metal institution RAGE as guitarist, producer and composer with hits penned by him like "Down", "Soundchaser", "War of Worlds", "Straight to Hell" (was used for the most successful German movie "Manitu's Shoe"), "Carved in Stone", "Forever Dead", "Empty Hollow" and "Cleansed by Fire".
The guitar virtuoso's composition "Suite Lingua Mortis", released first on the successful 2006 RAGE record "Speak Of The Dead", built the Classical foundation for the new, more versatile yet even playful LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA sound and their LMO release in 2013, which scored a big success by outselling all most recent RAGE releases and charted in Germany at #24 on the official album charts.
In comparison to RAGE, LMO offered fresh song material entirely composed by Smolski, a new musical concept combining Heavy Metal with Classical music, songs written especially for band & orchestra plus several male and female singers sharing the lead vocal job.
It was a great honor for Victor, working on a compilation CD for the 20. anniversary of Nuclear Blast. It is an album with songs of 10 of the great metal singers like Peavy/Rage, Hansi Kürsch / Blind Guardian, Andy Deris / Helloween, Tobias Sammet / Edguy, Tarja Turunen / Ex-Nightwish and many more of Nuclear Blast history. Victor composed all songs, produced and recorded all guitars, keyboards and bass. The anniversary CD "Into The Light" was released in spring 2007.
In the beginning of 2000 Victor Smolski composed and produced his second solo CD, which was recorded in co-operation with the Belarussian Orchestra and his colleagues from RAGE. This symphony, a perfect mixture of classic and metal, entitled "The Heretic", deals with the time of burning witches. On this CD you cannot only find inspired guitar solos like the 7 minutes long "Hex of the Six Strings" but also historical deliveries, which were narrated in three languages.
His next solo album "Majesty & Passion" outshines everything he has done to date. On "Majesty & Passion", Smolski transports music by Johann Sebastian Bach into the present, making it come alive with a new, surprising sound and a contemporary flair without changing the original notes. Modern versions of classical Bach compositions were recorded with the Symphony Orchestra in Minsk and then complemented by his amazing guitar and numerous guests.
In 2009 Victor released his first instructional DVD "School Of Metal". The DVD was presented in spring at the music fair Frankfurt by PPV media and ment to be a top seller since the beginning.
This successful story now continues with his new band ALMANAC, who add a powerful touch of heaviness to LMO's unique sound. Melodic power metal in conjunction with classical orchestra and modern sound are making ALMANAC an absolute listening experience.
ALMANAC's debut album »Tsar« ( release date March 18th 2016 through Nuclear Blast ) has entered the charts at the following positions: Germany #74, Swiss #87 and was also nominated at the Metal Hammer awards as best debut album 2016.
ALMANAC recorded their second longplayer entitled »Kingslayer«, which has been released on November 24th 2017 via Nuclear Blast. Even there was hard christmas competition, »Kingslayer« reached position 71 at the Viva charts.
ALMANAC third album "Rush Of Death" includes a bonus DVD and has been released on March 6th, 2020. "Rush of Death" is a split album whose mid-section is dedicated to "Suite Lingua Mortis Part 2", a direct sequel to the much revered metal-meets-orchestra spectacle found on RAGE's "Speak of the Devil" (2006). Listening to ALMANAC going all in with the Inspector Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Virtuoso will enchant Smolski fans and avid RAGE followers alike. Simply no other metal band working with a huge orchestra manages to pull off such a direct and organic sound.
Metal and a need for speed are his ultimate combination, backed up by a personal story; among lots of triumphs, Smolski was vice champion of the Division Supercars at the German Rallycross Championship 2018/2019, is 17-times class winner on the Nürburgring, Hockenheimring and Spa-Francorchamps and soldiered through the 24-hour race on Nürburgring a stunning 14 times. "I risked my life plenty of times, always asking myself afterwards how utterly idiotic I am. But adrenaline changes the way you think. When I put on my helmet, I am entering another world. The start button of my car is my reset button."
In the year 2020 Victor also released with the band "Voodoo Gods" the album "The Divinity Of Blood". When death metal icons like George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, guitar virtuoso Victor Smolski, bass titan Jean Baudin and guitar god Jacek Hiro join together to form a death metal band, it reads like the membership list of the Metal Hall of Fame. This is the case with VOODOO GODS and therefore this band can be called a Death Metal Supergroup without exaggeration.
The Corona pandemic in 2020 stopped Victor´s worldwide touring with bands and solo workshops. So, he had enough time concentrating on his online guitar teaching in his Unity Music School and working on new solo CD which is planned to be released in 2022.
[i]Source: Official website
Many guitar magazines like the Russian magazine "Classic Rock", the German "Guitar magazine", the Japanese magazine "Burrn!" voted him many times in the Top 20 guitarist of the reader´s pop poll.
He is jury member for many international music competitions and worldwide representative and co-developer for prestigious companies in the music industry, such as YAMAHA, ENGL, SHURE, CORDIAL, Thomastik-Infeld, KSE Music etc.
Victor was 6 years old when he began studying the piano and cello in Minsk/Belarus, the guitar followed at the age of 11. Victor awarded diplomas in classical education, rock and jazz guitar as well as in composing and arranging music. With 14 years he already started touring with one of the most successful band in Russia "Pesniary".
In 1988 Victor Smolski founded the band "Inspector". During 1989 and 1993 the band played lots of shows in Europe and released their CD "Russian Prayer" (Aris / Ariola).
1993 Victor Smolski decided to stay in Germany. He worked as a studio musician and produced his first solo-CD "Destiny".
In 1995 Victor Smolski joined the progmetal band Mind Odyssey, being successful soon. Europe tours with "Vicious Rumors" and "Savatage" were played and their video was regularly shown on MTV and VIVA. On the successful Mind Odyssey albums "Nailed To The Shade" and "Signs" most of the songs were composed by Victor Smolski.
In the year 1999 Victor joined the German Heavy Metal institution RAGE as guitarist, producer and composer with hits penned by him like "Down", "Soundchaser", "War of Worlds", "Straight to Hell" (was used for the most successful German movie "Manitu's Shoe"), "Carved in Stone", "Forever Dead", "Empty Hollow" and "Cleansed by Fire".
The guitar virtuoso's composition "Suite Lingua Mortis", released first on the successful 2006 RAGE record "Speak Of The Dead", built the Classical foundation for the new, more versatile yet even playful LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA sound and their LMO release in 2013, which scored a big success by outselling all most recent RAGE releases and charted in Germany at #24 on the official album charts.
In comparison to RAGE, LMO offered fresh song material entirely composed by Smolski, a new musical concept combining Heavy Metal with Classical music, songs written especially for band & orchestra plus several male and female singers sharing the lead vocal job.
It was a great honor for Victor, working on a compilation CD for the 20. anniversary of Nuclear Blast. It is an album with songs of 10 of the great metal singers like Peavy/Rage, Hansi Kürsch / Blind Guardian, Andy Deris / Helloween, Tobias Sammet / Edguy, Tarja Turunen / Ex-Nightwish and many more of Nuclear Blast history. Victor composed all songs, produced and recorded all guitars, keyboards and bass. The anniversary CD "Into The Light" was released in spring 2007.
In the beginning of 2000 Victor Smolski composed and produced his second solo CD, which was recorded in co-operation with the Belarussian Orchestra and his colleagues from RAGE. This symphony, a perfect mixture of classic and metal, entitled "The Heretic", deals with the time of burning witches. On this CD you cannot only find inspired guitar solos like the 7 minutes long "Hex of the Six Strings" but also historical deliveries, which were narrated in three languages.
His next solo album "Majesty & Passion" outshines everything he has done to date. On "Majesty & Passion", Smolski transports music by Johann Sebastian Bach into the present, making it come alive with a new, surprising sound and a contemporary flair without changing the original notes. Modern versions of classical Bach compositions were recorded with the Symphony Orchestra in Minsk and then complemented by his amazing guitar and numerous guests.
In 2009 Victor released his first instructional DVD "School Of Metal". The DVD was presented in spring at the music fair Frankfurt by PPV media and ment to be a top seller since the beginning.
This successful story now continues with his new band ALMANAC, who add a powerful touch of heaviness to LMO's unique sound. Melodic power metal in conjunction with classical orchestra and modern sound are making ALMANAC an absolute listening experience.
ALMANAC's debut album »Tsar« ( release date March 18th 2016 through Nuclear Blast ) has entered the charts at the following positions: Germany #74, Swiss #87 and was also nominated at the Metal Hammer awards as best debut album 2016.
ALMANAC recorded their second longplayer entitled »Kingslayer«, which has been released on November 24th 2017 via Nuclear Blast. Even there was hard christmas competition, »Kingslayer« reached position 71 at the Viva charts.
ALMANAC third album "Rush Of Death" includes a bonus DVD and has been released on March 6th, 2020. "Rush of Death" is a split album whose mid-section is dedicated to "Suite Lingua Mortis Part 2", a direct sequel to the much revered metal-meets-orchestra spectacle found on RAGE's "Speak of the Devil" (2006). Listening to ALMANAC going all in with the Inspector Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Virtuoso will enchant Smolski fans and avid RAGE followers alike. Simply no other metal band working with a huge orchestra manages to pull off such a direct and organic sound.
Metal and a need for speed are his ultimate combination, backed up by a personal story; among lots of triumphs, Smolski was vice champion of the Division Supercars at the German Rallycross Championship 2018/2019, is 17-times class winner on the Nürburgring, Hockenheimring and Spa-Francorchamps and soldiered through the 24-hour race on Nürburgring a stunning 14 times. "I risked my life plenty of times, always asking myself afterwards how utterly idiotic I am. But adrenaline changes the way you think. When I put on my helmet, I am entering another world. The start button of my car is my reset button."
In the year 2020 Victor also released with the band "Voodoo Gods" the album "The Divinity Of Blood". When death metal icons like George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, guitar virtuoso Victor Smolski, bass titan Jean Baudin and guitar god Jacek Hiro join together to form a death metal band, it reads like the membership list of the Metal Hall of Fame. This is the case with VOODOO GODS and therefore this band can be called a Death Metal Supergroup without exaggeration.
The Corona pandemic in 2020 stopped Victor´s worldwide touring with bands and solo workshops. So, he had enough time concentrating on his online guitar teaching in his Unity Music School and working on new solo CD which is planned to be released in 2022.
[i]Source: Official website