Interview: Arctic Dreams (Written)

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life bring you an interview with industrialised metal band, Arctic Dreams.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

Alex_Y: Hi! Our project is called “Arctic Dreams”, we play a fierce mix of traditional metal styles, with classical music and electronic gothic. Our project started in Russia in 2009, but it happened that it was frozen for 10 years. We came back to active activity only in 2020.

Sydius: Nice to meet you! Once I took an acoustic guitar in my hands and couldn’t help noodling.

Glam_Dickens: We knew each other. So, one day Alex asked me to record bass for the album.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

Alex_Y: Well I’ll answer simply – we play arctic-dreams-metal. If a person asks, What’s that? I’ll answer, just listen to our stuff.

Sydius: Previously I used to roll up my eyes and mumble coming up with new names but that’s for memoirs, people just want to sort you to their boxes. Let it be the Rock box.

Glam_Dickens: For me it sounds like industrial heavy metal.

3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

Alex_Y: We are currently working on a new album. We have new members, but who they are is still a secret.

Sydius: Working on an album while struggling geographical difficulties.

4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

Alex_Y: Well in my case it was that I looked into the eyes of death…. Several times…

Sydius: One of the moments is when listening to a forgotten old record and being surprised with interesting ideas.

Glam_Dickens: Making music is always interesting. I like the process of composing, it is fascinating.

5. Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

Alex_Y: In my case it was probably insecurity under pressure from others. It’s when they tell you that everything you do is garbage and you won’t succeed.

Sydius: Just all the weak sides of your musicianship…

Glam_Dickens: Sometimes it is a challenge to play some complex parts of a song. But you just start and practice. Finally it is done.

6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

Alex_Y: Oh… That’s a really tough question. All the activities you describe are just as important as making music, and certainly more time-consuming. I, as the founder and leader of the project, am constantly working on creating a system and a team to take over all these responsibilities.

Sydius: Just gave up. At least for some time before future releases.

Glam_Dickens: So, we live in this world and we have to stick to the realities. Internet gives great opportunities to spread information as well as stay tuned. But at the same time, as I heard, it has made almost impossible to sell CD’s. Any song you can find and listen to for free. So, likes and follows do not raise money. I believe that musicians need time to make music and not to spend most of the time creating content and promote it all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVpFAvvNaN8

7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

Alex_Y: Lack of opportunity to earn money from music recordings. Nowadays musicians earn only from concerts and merch, the royalties from streaming platforms are ridiculous. I would be happy if there was an audio format that could not be pirated. Although I suspect it’s impossible, progress is unstoppable.

Sydius: Business has always been about inhumanity and cruel wilderness with a poster of innovation and benevolence. But I tend to positivistic ideas that it evolves to better. I know companies abandoning usual hierarchy structure and caring for employees more than money which are harbingers of what would someday inevitably become widespread just like slavery doesn’t seem normal today.

Glam_Dickens: I can not say that I personally or the band are engaged in the business. And I am not competent to comment it.

8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

Alex_Y: I’d like to ask you to listen to us and leave your comments. Whether they like our music or not. This feedback is very valuable and allows us to improve.

Sydius: All my life I’ve been growing my inner listener. There’s always been music I couldn’t understand at first. That’s because your ears are not developed enough. You literally don’t hear all what happens. What I did was giving this music chances to get through and listened over and over with so much attention I could. And finally found myself falling in love with some of that music. This is not a realistic advice for a modern overdistracted high-speed consumer and this approach is impossible in the endless stream of new releases, but it is how it works: don’t rely to your ears, one quick listen won’t give you true understanding. You can’t know if you like or dislike something from just trying once. You need to study the track. Maybe choose diligently but then dig deeper.

Glam_Dickens: I think it is natural – we give, they get. I mean we provide music, shows, merch, etc., and the decide what to get, to attend our shows or not, to buy CD’s and merch or not. No one is allowed to insist.

9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

Alex_Y: I hang out at all sorts of events, it allows me to disconnect from my current tasks and get a good rest.

Sydius: I don’t need to relax! I’d better prefer an accelerator.

Glam_Dickens: I like hiking, travelling over outskirts.

10. Where can people find you?

Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | VK | Soundcloud | TikTok