Interview With Arctic Dreams Vocalist Alexander Yarvinen
- Samuel Stevens
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
How would you describe your music to any person who may have never heard it before?
Alexander: Well, that's a question we get asked a lot. Especially people who are far away from heavy metal. Usually, we answer like this: A mad hurricane of heavy metal, classical music and electronic gothic.
What's the significance of your band's name?
A: That old story. At the very beginning of the project, the whole group of us rented an apartment near a very famous club in St. Petersburg. At that time, both local and world metal bands performed in this club. This club was located in the building of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and was called 'Arktika'. The name suited our concept, and other options were not even considered.
What are your musical influences?
A: Oh, well, that's a lot of genres really. The main musical influences are traditional heavy music styles, classical music, and electronic gothic.
What are your musical inspirations?
A: It could be anything: a movie, a book, a computer game, or some historical event.
What's the album about?
A: Our second album won't have an overall concept as such. We stuck to the old script and wrote songs about what we like, without any general concept. On the new album, we will definitely go to the next level, and there will be a lot of interesting surprises.
What's something you hope people take away from the new songs on the album?
A: The tracks from our album will make our listener think about many serious things.
Which songs on the album were the most fun to write, and which were the most challenging to write?
A: Well, we don't have any fun songs, per se. Not yet, anyway. The hardest songs were the war songs. Especially in today's context.
What did you allow yourself to do creatively for this song that you haven’t in the past?
A: Acoustic guitars and clean vocals. And we lightened up some of the tracks. We hadn't done that before.
Do you have any favourite song or songs off the new album?
A: No. Songs are like your children. You love them all the same.
What's the new single about?
A: About the war. Very heavy and tragic story of a soldier killed in battle and communicating with his daughter from the other side of the world.
What's something you hope people take away from the new single?
A: Realizing how scary war is.
What did you allow yourself to do creatively for this song that you haven’t in the past?
A: It's a ballad song. We've never done a ballad.
When you find yourself in a creative rut, what do you usually turn to? Any habits, environments or even non- musical sources that help you reconnect with your creativity?
A: There's no such thing. I can think of music in any place at any time of the day. Do you have any favourite songs to perform live? Could be your own music or even a cover. Any reason why?
A: “The Arctic Dreams” is the fifth song on our album. Because this song is the quintessence of our concept.
If you could perform a show this very second anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: Some summer festival has already started.
Is there any particular venue(s) or city/cities that comes to mind?
A: Something in Europe. You have to look at the festival schedule.
What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year?
A: Concerts in the fall. We need to finish the album and finish the music video.
If your music was a type of food, what would it be and why?
A: [Laughs]. Very interesting and cool question. I think it would be a pleskavica with all the extras...Except for the urnebes.
Pleskavica is the national Serbian food. It is a chop cooked over an open fire on a grill grate. There are many types of it and it is served with different side dishes. It symbolizes our versatility, which has a rigid base. Urnebes is a spicy sauce made from cheese with a bunch of completely uncompoundable seasonings. The word Urnebes itself translates from Serbian as “chaos, disorder.” We don't need that in music.
What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you while performing?
A: Well, it's no secret that we use a playbook. Recently, we finally started to give concerts in a new lineup. And here at the soundcheck, the laptop with the playbacks didn't work. But it wasn't funny at all. Thankfully, there was a backup.
What's the most random thing that has ever inspired you to write a song?
A: It was a random and scary thing - the suicide of an acquaintance
Thanks for the time today, Alex. Is there anything else you may want to add that I didn't cover before you go?
A: Thank you for the interesting questions. Lastly, we would add for your readers: never surrender!
Check out more from Arctic Dreams: https://arcticdreamsofficial.com
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