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Ben Sollberger Project - I Hate To Say - Reviewed By Metal Digest! Tuesday August 3 2021, 5:37 AM

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Ben Sollberger Project - I Hate To Say - Reviewed By Metal Digest ! Check it out here at this link: https://metal-digest.com/2021/08/03/ben-sollberger-project-i-hate-to-say/

Sollberger is no stranger to the Swiss music scene. Active for nearly three decades, he has played guitar with Age of Disclosure and Distant Past. On this solo outing, he sought to break free of any genre specifics. Instead, he chose to focus on emotion and personal introspection. With ‘I Hate To Say,’ he has done exactly that.

Built on a foundation of solid riffs and instrumentation, this album is filled with songs of life observations and self-reflection. Some takeaways are positive (“Breaking Free”) and some not so much (“I Couldn’t Care Less.”) Sollberger offers a smattering of social commentary (“Information War”) and touches on personal relationships (“I Hate To Say.”) Most importantly he stays true to his stated objective of making music he wants, not bound to anyone’s expectations.

Sollberger’s fretwork is quite impressive. Some seriously catchy riffs encouraged me to grab my six-string a time or two. Too bad he didn’t showcase his skills a bit more; he certainly has the chops.

Lyrics are fairly pedestrian, and Sollberger’s Scandinavian accent shines through. Overall, things could use a little more bite, but again, he made the album he wanted. Kudos for that. - Metal Digest

FFO: Poets of the Fall, H.I.M., Queensrÿche

Released March 19, 2021

"This album is a really valuable discovery."
Stormbringer HeavyZine Austria (4.0 / 5.0)

"An interesting album with very good songs that are fun to listen to over the whole length of the record."
Rock Garage Magazine Germany (9 / 10)

"Very well done in terms of craftsmanship and sound and therefore a fat recommendation."
TRACKS MAGAZINE Switzerland

Have you ever wondered what makes a good song? Chances are you have not. If it fits your style and you can enjoy the music, then why bother? Fair enough. But of course, songwriters care about this question. Indeed, it was the very starting point of the Ben Sollberger Project.

Ben is a musician and songwriter from Bern in Switzerland who has been playing in bands for 28 years. In early 2018, when he went out often at weekends, Ben noticed that the music the DJs played was quite diverse. But no matter if it was pop, rock, or hard rock, the songs were usually hits from the past 50 years. Watching the crowd enjoy the music, Ben began to ask himself: Are there are any characteristics good songs share, irrespective of musical style?

After having pondered on this question for quite some time, Ben decided to approach writing in a new way. He put the song first and stopped caring about musical styles or band images. He wrote lyrics that reflect his personal experiences, as in “Lost in Translation” or “Legends Never Really Die” (which he wrote when he learned of the passing of guitar God Eddie van Halen). He looked out for catchy song titles and a good melody for them, such as in “Whenever There is Love”. Also, Ben started writing songs based on musical motives inspired by some of his legends, such as in “I Hate to Say” or “Breaking Free” (Can you guess the inspiration?).

Ben enjoys his musical freedom, recording the songs all by himself in his studio. And he hopes you enjoy his songs.

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