At War with Self

Lore & Background

At War with Self was conceived by Glenn Snelwar, who had previously played guitar on the Gordian Knot debut album. The project's first album, Torn Between Dimensions (2005), featured drummer Mark Zonder and bassist Michael Manring as an instrumental trio, creating tight-knit compositions that blended progressive rock, metal, jazz, ambient, and classical styles. The album received critical acclaim and grew a following through word of mouth.

For the second release, Acts of God (2007), Snelwar changed nearly every facet of the project while staying true to its underlying inspiration of combining disparate styles. The duo of Snelwar and Damon Trotta (bass, vocals, synths, programming) was assisted by several other musicians including James Von Buelow, Steve Decker, Mark Sunshine, Dave Archer, and Manfred Dikkers.

The third album, A Familiar Path (2009), returned to Snelwar's roots, combining classical guitars with progressive and thrash metal. Featuring drummer Manfred Dikkers, the album included instrumental tracks such as a hybrid half-classical, half-metal rendition of a Heitor Villa-Lobos guitar study, and a new rendering of 'Reflections' originally from the Gordian Knot debut. The album also featured vocal-centered tracks and artwork completing the emotion and intensity of the music.

Circadian Rhythm Disorder (2015) featured drummer Marco Minnemann, though the recording was described as another version of Minnemann's drum solo project Normalizer 2. For the untitled fifth album, drummer Alex Arellano was invited to play.

Reader's Guide

At War with Self represents a deliberate, evolving approach to progressive music, with each album featuring different collaborators and stylistic shifts while maintaining a core concept of boundary-free composition. The project's significance lies in its demonstration of how a single artist's vision can be realized through multiple configurations, from instrumental trios to duos with guest musicians. The inclusion of classical guitar elements within metal and progressive frameworks, particularly on A Familiar Path, highlights Snelwar's ability to merge seemingly disparate genres. The project's legacy is tied to its critical reception and growing word-of-mouth following, as well as its connections to notable musicians from the progressive and metal scenes, including members of Cynic, Watchtower, King Crimson, and Dream Theater through Snelwar's earlier work with Gordian Knot.