Introducing…. Arctic Dreams
Arctic Dreams has undergone a striking evolution since its inception, shifting from industrial influences to a more varied metal sound that embraces both classical and electronic gothic elements. With a lineup that continues to grow and refine its creative dynamic, the band pushes forward, exploring new sonic landscapes while staying true to its heavy roots.
Click Roll Boom: Tell me about how you got started?
[Alex_Y]: It all started back in 2009. That year I moved to St. Petersburg and met Sydius our first guitarist.
[Gena]: I joined the group in the spring of 2023, so I'm a newbie =)
[Roman]: I joined the band in summer 2024. I know that Arctic Dreams had a lot of backstory at that moment, but I didn’t participate in it, so for me, the journey has just started.
CRB: How would you describe your sound, and how has it evolved since you first started?
[Alex_Y]: It's changed dramatically. Initially I had this concept in mind: to mix traditional metal with classical music and electronic gothic. And now, hopefully, on the second album we will come to what I had in mind originally. And at the very beginning it was something industrial like Deathstars and Dope Starts Inc.
[Gena]: We try not to limit ourselves in our choice of instruments and song themes. Only one thing is constant, we play metal.
[Roman]: In the first album, the style of Arctic Dreams was more consistent and was easy to describe as industrial-death-metal. New material is more varied
CRB: Who or what have been some of your biggest influences, musically and beyond?
[Alex_Y]: Oh, it's such a huge amount of stuff, it's not enough to explain it all.
[Gena]: There are so many sources of inspiration. I'm afraid if I started listing them, we wouldn't have enough room.
[Roman]: IDK. Personally, I’m not really into death metal, I mostly love power/sympho/progressive, so my main influencers are from different genres like Blind Guardian, Avantasia, Nightwish.
CRB: What does your songwriting process typically look like – is it a more individual or collaborative effort?
[Alex_Y]: Well, I do most of the songwriting. For example, for our first album “And the Agony has Started” I did all the music and lyrics. But now we have changed the process a little bit: I bring the main idea, and then we discuss it with the whole band and each member offers his own ideas.
[Gena]: It's a mix of individual and teamwork.
[Roman]: Alex writes songs, we complain, and fix it in Guitar Pro. I love to write drums in Guitar Pro and then in the studio in Pro Tools. That’s my part of the work.
CRB: How do you approach experimenting with new sounds or ideas when creating music?
[Alex_Y]: Positives. I personally work with synthesizers a lot. We constantly have to experiment with our sound to achieve the sound that was intended at the beginning of our project.
[Gena]: Finding the right sound is a complex process sometimes you know exactly what you want to hear, and sometimes you spend hours going through sample libraries
[Roman]: Mostly, it is Alex’s part of the work.
CRB: What’s been one of the most memorable moments in your journey so far?
[Alex_Y]: Emigration from Russia
[Roman]: Two weeks of recording sessions in November 2024.
CRB: How do you prepare for live shows, and what do you aim to bring to your performances?
[Alex_Y]: Very responsibly and in all seriousness. We think about every detail. First of all, we prepare our sound, it's mandatory. We also plan to do something conceptual in the near future. But it's still in the process, so I won't announce anything yet.
[Gena]: Our first live shows in Belgrade and Niš. It was a great weekend
[Roman]: Usually, we spend too much time on the sound setup and then give it all up and improvise.
CRB: How do you balance creative expression with staying connected to your audience?
[Alex_Y]: To be honest, I didn't really understand the question. We express ourselves to communicate with our audience. If in percentages, then 100% in both cases.
[Gena]: It happens on its own =)
[Roman]: I don’t see any kind of conflict between these two options, to be honest
CRB: What do you hope listeners take away from your work?
[Alex_Y]: I really hope that our audience will think about the themes we often bring up in our texts
[Gena]: Good emotions that you will want to go back to and experience again
[Roman]: Fun at least.
CRB: What does the future hold for you? Do you have any plans or goals you’re excited about?
[Alex_Y]: Play our music while we can breathe!
[Gena]: In recent years, my planning horizon has narrowed to a couple of days
[Roman]: Survive=)
We have a number of resources on which we regularly update:
https://arcticdreamsofficial.com
https://www.instagram.com/arcticdreamsofficial
https://www.facebook.com/arcticdreamsband
https://arcticdreams.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/@arcticdreams231
https://music.youtube.com/@arcticdreams231
https://soundcloud.com/arctic-dreams
https://www.tiktok.com/@arcticdreamsofficial
https://twitter.com/ArCTiC_D_Metal
https://audiomack.com/arctic-dreams
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ZC3z4AJSysc3E8w5qZ9UL
https://music.apple.com/rs/artist/arctic-dreams/1608650502
https://play.anghami.com/artist/13540366
https://www.pandora.com/artist/arctic-dreams/ARk2gVbbppzZ7vw
https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/159780292
