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Symphonic industrial death metal band, Arctic Dreams, was formed in 2009 as a studio project. In 2020, the band decided that it was time to let the world hear their music. By 2022, they released two EPs and a music video. Today, they are here on the blog for an interview.
Please welcome Arctic Dreams of Belgrade, Serbia to the blog!
Who is answering the questions?
Alex_Y: Alex_Y – vocalist, author of all music and lyrics
Sydius: Sydius – guitars & back-vocal
Glam_Dickens: Sergey Dik aka ‘Glam Dickens’, bassist
Band/Artist Name:
Alex_Y: Our band is called Arctic Dreams.
Tell us about your latest project:
Alex_Y: You mean what was our last release? At the end of December last year, we released our first official video for the song “The City Built on Bones”. That video took us a year to make and it took us a lot of effort and money.
Where was your first concert as a fan? As a performer?
Alex_Y: As a fan, the first time I went to a real metal concert was in 2005. It was a festival where Behemoth were the headliners. And do you know where it was? In the local Philharmonic Hall in that town)) With seating. But it was an unbelievable experience)) And I first went on stage in 2007 with my then-symphonic black metal band Impure Temenos as a guitarist/vocalist. It was a festival too, there was us and Illidiance and a couple of other bands. Obviously, it was very stressful.
Sydius: With my parents, to some shitty pop singers I wouldn’t be so brave to remember ) Then to some classic rock artists… Maybe Chuck Berry.. Or Robert Plant. And that show was canceled but I still owe it’s poster. And my first performance was as a drummer with Beatles covers at the meeting of the Beatles fan club.
Glam_Dickens: The first big concert I attended was Metallica in 2008. It is still unforgettable and will always be. My first performance was in the University period, we played instrumental sympho-black metal.
What is the secret to writing good music?
Alex_Y: Honesty. First and foremost, you have to be honest with your fans. That’s the first thing. Secondly, the music has to come from the heart. And the third thing is to be thorough in everything that’s related to making music.
Sydius: Have an outstanding brain, feed a lot of culture to it, and then exploit it mercilessly.
Glam_Dickens: I think the only secret is the knowledge of music theory, scales, genre standards, etc., and skills in playing. There is no secret in composing music – this is where you are absolutely free and do what you want to do, and regarding a song – you do what you want to hear and play. Of course, influences, and inspirations take place, but the skills and knowledge… you know, I’ve got enough enthusiasm to do somersaults, but I am not a gymnast to do them correctly.
Do you have a bucketlist? If so, what’s on it?
Alex_Y: Yes, of course. I want to go all over the world with Arctic Dreams and perform in every country that has heavy music.
Sydius: I have a reading list, and it is so long it might become an inherited bucketlist for several generations.
Glam_Dickens: Oh, there is a lot to do, but many of them ‘sub rosa’. I’d like to travel around the whole world, perform in stadiums, and be healthy and wealthy…
What was the last thing that you read?
Alex_Y: I don’t have time to read books, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts. The last audiobook was George Orwell’s “1984.”
Sydius: Today I finished Lenin’s “State and Revolution.” Before that – “The Disconnect” by Roisin Kiberd, cause we had a meeting with her at the book club.
Glam_Dickens: Now I am reading Alexi Laiho’s biography, the previous one was Ozzy’s. Now it’s not masterpieces of literature but articles of Popular Science and music theory.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Alex_Y: Oh… Depends on the mood. I can listen to grindcore or I can listen to electronic gothic like Diorama.
Sydius: The Disconnect” book has a chapter about Vaporwave, so I’m consuming its main albums and refleshing thoughts from the book on “Metamodern in Music.”
Glam_Dickens: It depends on my mood. New Metallica, of course, but in common, I always keep in my smartphone some bands of every rock and metal genre.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
Alex_Y: I think I would do video production.
Sydius: Baking bread or breaking bad
Glam_Dickens: A gymnast, haha! It’s difficult to say, really, because I am already a musician and can not live without music. I can become anyone and do anything but in case I can spend some time on music. “Without you in my life, I’d slowly wilt and die…
Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Alex_Y: There are a lot of people. It’s mostly the musicians we listen to.
Sydius: God and Satan. And then check who gets more likes & shares.
Glam_Dickens: With any and everyone – the experience is the value. Maybe even with somebody controversial to my music style.
What do you want people to know about your music?
Alex_Y: Welcome to our Universe))
Sydius: It Is, as far as we think.
Glam_Dickens: To feel what I feel – what a noise can create some instruments!
Arctic Dreams Links
If you were to do a collab with God and Satan just to see who gets more likes and clicks, would you being playing “Devil’s Advocate?” aaayyooo. I got Dad Jokes in my blood.