Legacy Media is proud to present the story and the music of Novacosm. Dance-floor-friendly grooves are punctuated by guitar, live drums, symphonic synths, and melodic lead vocals provided by primary songwriter, George Burdi. An enigmatic and iconoclastic personality, Burdis controversial past serves as the landscape upon which the sonic hues are presented.

Once an internationally renowned neo-Nazi leader and the frontman of notorious haterock band RAHOWA (an acronym for Racial Holy War), Burdi left the movement in 1997 and never looked back. He always expressed himself best throughmusic, and his life experiences took shape in songs that would eventually become Novacosm. If RAHOWA was the soundtrack to white revolution, Novacosm is the thematic music that defines an emotional self-evolution. In his article "Volte-Face", Burdi discusses his ideological process of change.

"It may be hard for people to understand the shift in the paradigm I've experienced," says Burdi. "I know it has definitely been hard for me. Today I select my companions based on their merit as individuals, not their race or political opinions. No other approach could withstand the weight of my experiences with people.

Teaming up with English expatriate B. Valentine on bass, and Sy Sylver, aguitarist gigging with DJs in Toronto nightclubs, the music that emerged has quickly overshadowed the drama of the bandís story. Richly produced and filled with dynamic contrasts, Novacosm is a lyrical journeythrough the heart of a man searching for meaning..

"It may be hard for people to understand the shift in the paradigm I've experienced,"

Burdis previous material showed great talent, as one reluctant reporter from the New York Times confessed, "the music is actually quite lovely ..." Apparently many agreed, as sales of RAHOWA's last album, Cult of the Holy War, are estimated at over 40,000 units, mostly through mail order. It is to this day the top selling CD in the Resistance Records catalog. After leaving the movement in 1997, George gradually reintegrated himself into normal society. Coming from such a radical underground scene, the process of adjustment was hard for him at first, but as time passed, he felt his old attitudes fade into the background, and a new man began to emerge.

A year and a half later, in the winter of 1998, Burdi met B. Valentine, a producer and bassist from England living in Toronto. After speaking to him on the phone a couple of times, Burdi visited his recording studio where he would discover that Valentine is black. "I figured that he wouldn't want to work with me once I told him about my past. But instead, we ended up clicking."

Valentine remembers that moment well. "I was full of mixed emotions. But feeling where George was coming from, I felt that working with him was an important thing to do, not just for myself or for him, but for a lot of other people in the world."

"I felt that I working with him was an important thing to do..."

As a multi-instrumentalist that has played with the likes of Brian Eno, Tom Cochrane and Jane Siberry, Valentine's songwriting abilities represented a major piece to the puzzle. But to form a great band, Burdi knew he needed a great guitarist. Serendipity would bring just the right element to the mix in Sy Sylver.

"I had ameeting with B. to discuss the band lineup," recalls Burdi, "and I told him about a Toronto-area guitarist that was gigging in nightclubs with DJs spinning house and trance music. I didn't know his name or muchelse about him, but for the music I wanted to create, he sounded like the perfect fit."

Two days later, Burdi was at a nightclub and met some friends from the health club where he trained. "I was introduced to Sy,who tells me he's a guitarist. I start describing the guy I'm looking for, and it turns out I'm talking to him! It was hilarious.".

Backstage before the band's first show, May 31st, 2001

"I come from the school of hard rock," says Sylver of his playing style. "I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, KISS, and Aerosmith. But when a friend of mine, a busy Toronto DJ, asked me to come out and play at some nightclubs, I thought the experience would be interesting. He spins the house music, and I stand on a riser in the middle of the dance floor and just jam along with my Les Paul. It's turned into a good attraction and I get regular gigs at somepretty wild parties."

He was brought in to the studio to do some session work, but knew nothing about Burdi's background. "After about a month of recording, we were taking a break in the studio and George says to me,'there's something I want to tell you, and I want you to hear it from me first before you hear it from somebody else.' He proceeds to tell me about his past. I was completely floored. I could never have seen it coming."

Somewhere in that conversation, Sy informed Burdi that he was Jewish. Burdi reflects, "Here Iwas working with a black producer and a Jewish guitarist. It was very surreal for me. If someone had told me that this would happen a few years ago, I would have considered them crazy. But we have amazing chemistry."

The next two years saw the band write 40 songs. We wanted to create a sound that is programmed and electronic without becoming too synthetic, says Valentine. The rock edge and live drums maintain the organic elements." You can download Novacosm's early recordings in MP3 format, or check out the B. Sessions included on their enhanced CD.

The sound of Novacosm is eclectic. Present throughout are Burdi's unique vocals, richin tone and full of feeling. Sylver's guitar hooks spice up the mix, and the bottom end is driven by Valentine's groove-conscious bass. The lyrics are poetic, and strewn with metaphor and meaning.

Fate and chance brought Novacosm together. Against the backdrop of a unique human-interest story, it was the love of music that united them. Ultimately, when all of the drama of their unusual tale subsides, the band will have to take to the stage and show the world that Novacosm is far more than an intriguing story. "We know that the story behind our formation is going to attract a lot of interest in Novacosm," says Sylver. "That's fine. This has got to be the craziest story Iíve ever heard surrounding a band. But what we do with that attention will be determined on stage and in the recording studio. The music stands on its own. At the end of the day, that's what matters most to us."