Arcane North was conceived in
late 2013 by William. Feeling the desire to create dark and mysterious yet at
times beautiful black metal, William began work on the first musical output.
Based in the North East of England, William drew inspiration from his surroundings. From the bleakness of the moors, to the verdant greenery of the valleys and through his own dreams, nightmares and darkest fantasies, the concept of the Arcane North was born.
Through the months of February to May 2014 the debut offering 'Enter the Arcane North' was written and recorded entirely by sole member, William. 3 tracks of dark, hypnotic black metal with a sense of melody and orchestration. Close friends of William have likened Arcane North's sound to a crossover between Summoning and Burzum.
Based in the North East of England, William drew inspiration from his surroundings. From the bleakness of the moors, to the verdant greenery of the valleys and through his own dreams, nightmares and darkest fantasies, the concept of the Arcane North was born.
Through the months of February to May 2014 the debut offering 'Enter the Arcane North' was written and recorded entirely by sole member, William. 3 tracks of dark, hypnotic black metal with a sense of melody and orchestration. Close friends of William have likened Arcane North's sound to a crossover between Summoning and Burzum.
Arcane North are yet another project from the very North
of England. I’m amazed at the number of quality bands emerging from your part
of the UK right now. What are they putting in the water up there to produce
just a plethora of quality underground metal?
Interesting point. I’m not sure really but there
does seem to be something special about the north. I’m not saying that it’s
necessarily a better breeding ground than the south though as there are to me
equally as many fantastic acts from either side of the divide.
There’s perhaps something about the north that is different though. We have a blend of landscapes from barren moors and bleak industrial coastlines on the east to the luscious greenery of Cumbria on the west for example. The blend of grimness and beauty perhaps leads to a lot of the inspiration that northern bands take.
It’s exciting to come from an area where so many fantastic acts are based. The UK in general has always struggled in the black metal scene but recent years are proving that we have a lot to offer.
There’s perhaps something about the north that is different though. We have a blend of landscapes from barren moors and bleak industrial coastlines on the east to the luscious greenery of Cumbria on the west for example. The blend of grimness and beauty perhaps leads to a lot of the inspiration that northern bands take.
It’s exciting to come from an area where so many fantastic acts are based. The UK in general has always struggled in the black metal scene but recent years are proving that we have a lot to offer.
Your music is of truly epic proportions. The 3 tracks on
your debut, Enter The Arcane North clock in at around 30 minutes. When you
decided to start Arcane North, what was your original concept and is the actual
realisation of what you’ve created the same as your original blueprint for the
band?
I originally started the project as an experiment to teach myself home recording. The original intent was maybe to demo a few songs and I was surprised with the result and decided to make a better go of it. From me sitting at home, with a few beers or a glass of wine and my guitar and keyboard, eventually came the 3 tracks that would make the EP. The concept was easy for me to work with and felt natural and fitting to the music.
I originally started the project as an experiment to teach myself home recording. The original intent was maybe to demo a few songs and I was surprised with the result and decided to make a better go of it. From me sitting at home, with a few beers or a glass of wine and my guitar and keyboard, eventually came the 3 tracks that would make the EP. The concept was easy for me to work with and felt natural and fitting to the music.
I know Bathory are a big influence on your music. Bathory
is revered in Extreme Metal, probably on a similar level to Ronnie James Dio to
more traditionalist Metalheads. What made Bathory so special?
Bathory was innovative and completely ahead of its
time. Sure you had Venom and some other bands doing similar things but
essentially Bathory in my eyes created what we now recognise as the black metal
sound and the Viking metal sound. These templates have been used by countless
bands over the decades and I don’t know many people/bands in this scene who
wouldn’t class them as some sort of influence.
Quorthon always put his heart into his music. You can hear this most prominently I’d say on Hammerheart, an album that is simply one of a kind and one of my favourite albums ever. I’m not old enough to have appreciated the impact that the early Bathory albums would have made on the metal scene but retrospectively it’s not hard to imagine how they must have sounded at the time.
On the subject of Bathory, I am currently working on a tribute song so expect to hear some news about that soon.
Quorthon always put his heart into his music. You can hear this most prominently I’d say on Hammerheart, an album that is simply one of a kind and one of my favourite albums ever. I’m not old enough to have appreciated the impact that the early Bathory albums would have made on the metal scene but retrospectively it’s not hard to imagine how they must have sounded at the time.
On the subject of Bathory, I am currently working on a tribute song so expect to hear some news about that soon.
I noticed a couple of other studio only band influences.
Would Burzum and Summoning be fair references?
Pure and simple, when I started playing around with the first songs for Arcane North I deliberately wanted to make something that was a blend of Burzum and Summoning. It all came from the first song ‘Ravenous and Cavernous’ which was essentially based on the sound of ‘Dunkelheit’ by Burzum mixed with the orchestral synths of modern Summoning.
From that point the songs progressed into a sound I have found which I am happy with. Burzum and Summoning are still very much a big part of my sound but I think I’ve found a little unique spot somewhere along the line which people seem to like.
Pure and simple, when I started playing around with the first songs for Arcane North I deliberately wanted to make something that was a blend of Burzum and Summoning. It all came from the first song ‘Ravenous and Cavernous’ which was essentially based on the sound of ‘Dunkelheit’ by Burzum mixed with the orchestral synths of modern Summoning.
From that point the songs progressed into a sound I have found which I am happy with. Burzum and Summoning are still very much a big part of my sound but I think I’ve found a little unique spot somewhere along the line which people seem to like.
Will Arcane North remains a studio project, or do you see
yourself expanding it into a full band in the future?
If I had the time and could find the right people I’d definitely do some live shows. Whether that ever happens is another question. We’ll let fate decide!
If I had the time and could find the right people I’d definitely do some live shows. Whether that ever happens is another question. We’ll let fate decide!
What’s next for Arcane North?
I was initially working on a full length release but have been asked to do a couple of split releases so I am now focusing on them. I will then work on an album for late 2015.
I’m also doing a cover of Darkthrone’s ‘The Claws of Time’ for a tribute album which is scheduled for release in December. For this track I’m also working with a real drummer, Julian who plays in many other UK acts including Wreodhan Healh, Annwn and Praesider. It’s somewhat ironic that he lives in Cornwall, which is about as far away from the north as possible, but he’s a great drummer and having real drums on the recording will make the world of difference. Hopefully I’ll also be working with him on future recordings.
I was initially working on a full length release but have been asked to do a couple of split releases so I am now focusing on them. I will then work on an album for late 2015.
I’m also doing a cover of Darkthrone’s ‘The Claws of Time’ for a tribute album which is scheduled for release in December. For this track I’m also working with a real drummer, Julian who plays in many other UK acts including Wreodhan Healh, Annwn and Praesider. It’s somewhat ironic that he lives in Cornwall, which is about as far away from the north as possible, but he’s a great drummer and having real drums on the recording will make the world of difference. Hopefully I’ll also be working with him on future recordings.
Expect some news to surface
regarding the splits in the very near future.
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