Jeff Montalvo, better known to the world as Seven Lions and Ophelia Records head honcho, continues to redefine melodic bass and cinematic dance music with raw emotion and epic scale.

Jeff has forged a reputation for emotionally charged soundscapes that blend melodic dubstep, trance, and progressive elements into something uniquely powerful. His signature style—sweeping melodies, thunderous drops, and intricate storytelling—has made him a staple at major festivals worldwide and has carved out a unique lane that connects deeply with fans across the world.

On April 3, he released his latest single ‘Free’ (with Brieanna Grace), the second release from his forthcoming EP ‘The Dreams Strange and Eternal‘, arriving May 1 on Ophelia Records. Expanding on the mythic sonic universe introduced in his 2025 album Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars, ‘Free’ deepens the immersive world-building that has become central to this era of his music. The track fluidly weaves bright melodies, euphoric vocals, and shimmering builds while continuing his dynamic storytelling.

This spring, he brings the world of Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars to stages across North America, headlining iconic venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Armory, The Radius and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. We got a chance to have a chat with Jeff right before his 6000+ sold out show at the Brooklyn Storehouse to discuss his year.

We have to talk about MMW where you had your Ophelia Showcase party and your panel event, what was the highlight from all the craziness that happened that weekend?

Definitely just seeing all the friends for sure. Every time we do that, we end up getting an Airbnb, and then everybody who’s playing the show stays at it. It’s all the people on Ophelia, plus the rest of team. So just hanging out with everybody is a highlight.

The title Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars, when I say it out loud, I think of a rich fantasy world. What inspired the name, and how does it reflect the overall theme or emotional journey of the album?

It’s definitely ripping off of H.P. Lovecraft and that whole vibe, which I’ve been a fan of his writing for a long time. The title pulls the horror elements in some way, at least visually, even though musically, it’s not super far in that direction. It pulls from a bunch of art that I really love and by looking at the landscape, I wanted to do something as authentic as possible. The way I believe to do this is to look at all the things that you love growing up, and look at all the things that inspire you and bring them together into something really cool.

You’ve mentioned inspirations like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and bands such as Opeth. Are there specific books, games, or metal albums that directly influenced certain tracks?

Yes, Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars is directly from H.P. Lovecraft. So that’s where the cosmic element comes in. As far as visually, the movie Mandy, I know that was the key inspiration for Abraxas, but it also kind of creeped into this one. That’s where you get a lot of the purple, red psychedelic vibe that’s going on. Another band that I’ve been into a lot recently is Blood Incantation. They’re also one of those bands that pulls from a lot of different things. It’s worth a listen and if you don’t like metal, I think you’d be surprised at how dynamic a band like that can be.

Now that the album has been out for a few months, which fan reactions or live moments have stood out to you the most?

Closing with ‘Breathe it out Slowly’ has been a big moment for me for sure because when I wrote that, it was intended to be the outro of the album, and I always knew that would happen.

‘Dreams Strange and Eternal’ is positioned as a companion EP to Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars. How does this project continue or expand the narrative and emotional world you built on the full album?

Some of the songs were at least in the running for the album for most of the time, and then it came to me last year. I was just on a roll, just writing and writing and making more music. And then I realized the album was getting too big. It was getting to be over an hour.

I wanted to shorten it and tighten it up, and we decided to move some of the tracks to an EP and not just make it a deluxe because, we did the deluxe before on a previous album, and that just feels like you’re tagging on the songs at the end. And I really wanted it to be its own thing. So it’s a full EP, it has an intro and outro with four tracks. But it is very much its own thing, and it can exist on its own and won’t feel like it’s missing something,

Elden Ring is one of your all-time favorites. If you could add one Seven Lions track as an in-game boss theme, which song would you choose and for which boss?

It would definitely be either ‘The Blood’ or ‘Moonlight’ for Elden Ring or Bloodborne. Those songs are directly inspired by them. Kill The Noise is also a huge fan of those games.

Who is the hardest Elden Ring boss for you to fight?

Radahn is definitely the hardest boss.

I also know that you start playing Dungeons and Dragons last year, what is your favorite type of character to play with and build?

That particular game is a grim dark version of DnD, so you’re only limited to a certain amount of classes, and I’m pretty sure I’m a paladin. That wouldn’t be what I normally play though. Normally, I’d go for a rogue.

If someone were to make a movie about your life as Seven Lions, who would you want to play as your character?

Daniel Day-Lewis, because he’s a great method actor. I feel like that’d be fun to watch, either him or Gary Oldman.

Anything else that you can share with your fans about the rest of your year?

A lot. It’s a busy year, a lot of touring, a lot of travel. Some people are asking about some songs that I’ve been playing and haven’t released yet that will be coming out that aren’t even a part of the EP, so more music. It’s kind of daunting right now but I know it’ll be fun, and I love my team, and we’re gonna have a good time.

And on the album and EP, I felt really cool about how they line up together. It’s a mouthful but both the logos come together, and there will be a vinyl. I think it’s one of the biggest bodies of work I’ve ever put together.

Catch Seven Lions on his remaining tour dates down below:

5/8 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

5/9 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall

5/22 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

5/29 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

5/30 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium