Draft:Arctic Dreams (band)

• Comment: Please indicate which criteria the band meets for WP:MUSICBIO. AngusW🐶🐶F (bark • sniff) 17:53, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

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Arctic Dreams (Metal Band)
Origin	Saint Petersburg, Russia
Genres	Heavy Metal, Sympho Black Metal, Industrial Metal, Extreme Metal
Years active	2009 (2009)–present
Labels	Arctic Sonic Wave
Members	Alexander "Alex_Y" Yarvinen Igor "Sydius" Pokatilov Nenad Krpešić Gennady Zhupakhin Roman "Ascet" Dubrovin
Past members	Max Borin Nikita Orlov Sergey "Glam Dickens" Dik
Website	Official website

Arctic Dreams is a Serbian-German arctic-metal (sympho-industrial-black-death-metal) band originally founded in 2009 in St. Petersburg, Russia by Alexander Alex_Y Järvinen and Igor Sydius Pokatilov, and based in Belgrade, Serbia and Berlin, Germany. The name of the group is imbued with the spirit of Scandinavia, reflecting traditional phenomena such as the northern winter, cold, and polar night. The themes of the compositions vary greatly, ranging from abstract concepts to topics inspired by books, movies, and games. For a long time, the project remained a studio endeavor, but since 2020 it has resumed its activities. In 2022, former members of the band were forced to relocate from Russia.

History 

The project started in 2009 when vocalist Alex_Y moved to St. Petersburg and met guitarist Igor Sydius. They found bassist Max Borin and drummer Nikita Orlov. The band began rehearsals, and in January 2010, they recorded a debut demo, Cosmic Pleasure, which was stylistically completely different from their current material. In the same year, Alex_Y moved to Finland, where he began composing material for their debut album, which would be released 12 years later. A year later, after returning to Russia, he continued composing for the album until 2014. In 2014, the band finally began recording their debut album. The rhythm section was recorded quickly, but after that, a long process of finding the band’s sound began, which led Alex_Y to found his own studio and label. The work on the album continued until 2022, spanning almost eight years. In terms of lyrical and thematic content, the album explores dystopian and environmental disaster scenarios, inspired in part by events like the Chernobyl disaster, which particularly influenced guitarist Igor Sydius. After many years of silence, the band released four releases in one year: The City Built on Bones (single), Let Me Introduce My Cosmic Hell (single), The Way to Infinity (EP), And the Agony Has Started (LP) and they also filmed their first official video for the track The City Built on Bones. In the same year, the group left Russia, with Igor relocating to Berlin and Alex_Y to Belgrade, where the band is now based and continues its activities. In January 2023, guitarist Nenad Krpešić joined the band, followed by bassist Gennady Župahin in June of the same year, and the band began working on their second album. At the end of April 2024, the band remixed and re-released the album And the Agony Has Started after parting ways with their distributor earlier that year. The current lineup was finalized after drummer Roman [ASCET] Dubrovin joined in June of the same year. After a pause following the release of the debut album, the first single Storm from the new album was released in August 2024.

Style 

Alex_Y described the band's vision as a 'metal universe' influenced by various existing elements, including cinematic references like Saw and video games like Half-Life, which they incorporated into their unique musical vision. The band's music reflects not only dystopian and post-apocalyptic imagery but also the environmental implications of nuclear disasters. As Sydius mentioned in an interview, the Chernobyl disaster profoundly shaped his worldview and continues to influence the thematic content of the band's work. Musicians also draws inspiration from disaster movies such as The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, and series like The Walking Dead, reflecting themes of catastrophe and apocalypse intertwined with humanity.

The band's musical style has its origins in symphonic black metal, although the first demos came out in the style of gothic-industrial metal inspired by such bands as Deathstars and Dope Stars Inc.. For eight years of painstaking work in the studio, the style has transformed into something unique, including a variety of styles of metal, into what the project members themselves call 'arctic dreams metal'. In the musical material, the influence of completely different performers is felt, ranging from classical composers such as Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and ending with representatives of cyber-gothic and dark electro Hocico, Diary of Dreams, Die Sektor, and Nurzery. It was not without the influence of a wide variety of styles: gothic metal Type O Negative, Tiamat, Atrocity, death-metal Death, Cynic, melodic-death-metal In flames, Dark Tranquility, At The Gates industrial metal Rammstein, Pain, heavy metal Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, thrash metal Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Kreator, norwegian black-metal Burzum, Mayhem, Satyricon, Darkthrone, Immortal, symphonic black metal Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, power-metal Startovarius, Sonata Arctica, doom metal Therion, Crematory, and many others.

Critical Reception

In the review of the mini-album The Way to Infinity, published on the Astarta View website, the album is described as a "strong statement of intent" by the band, showcasing their unique approach to musical creativity. The critic notes the variety of styles and high level of craftsmanship, emphasizing that Arctic Dreams has managed to create an atmosphere that immerses the listener in their "arctic" sound. The album received positive feedback for its bold genre experiments and its ability to unite various musical influences into a cohesive whole, making the band stand out among other representatives of the metal scene.

The band’s debut album And the Agony Has Started received mixed reviews. For instance, in a review from *Metalized* magazine, Arctic Dreams’ sound was described as a form of cyber metal, drawing comparisons to bands like Deathstars and The Kovenant. However, the review noted that the production quality and song structure did not fully meet the standards set by these influences. Despite this, the reviewer acknowledged the band’s potential, commenting that Arctic Dreams "has something that could become much better. In another review from *Ammo Underground*, the album was described as an "excessively eclectic work" that leaves the listener puzzled, highlighting both the unique sound and production quality of the band.Rock Hard Italy gave the album a score of 7.5/10, praising its complex structure and the blend of classical music influences with progressive elements, while noting that the result is both diverse and meticulously composed.

Discography

Singles 

• "The City Built on Bones" (2022)
• "Let Me Introduce My Cosmic Hell" (2022)
• "Storm" (2024)

EPs

• "The Way to Infinity" (2022)

Studio albums

• "And the Agony Has Started" (2022)

Official videos 

• "The City Built on Bones" (2022)

External Links

• Official website
• Arctic Dreams on BandCamp
• Arctic Dreams on ReverbNation
• Arctic Dreams on YouTube
• Arctic Dreams on SoundCloud