Arctos‘ savage brand of Northern black metal is brilliantly captured on the band’s full-length debut album, Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands…
Inspired by the Godless wastelands of Northern Alberta as well as the jagged monoliths of the Canadian Rockies, this band brings together a unique blend of sounds to craft a form of black metal rife with atmosphere and melody. Formed in 2014 by a group of veteran musicians, Arctos is well steeped in musical tradition.
With the 2017 release of their debut EP A Spire Silent, the band stepped into the light after almost three years of writing in secret. The Edmonton, Alberta based unit was finally unleashed upon the public and laid waste accordingly. After years of successful shows and touring across Western Canada, Arctos continue to set their sights ever higher with the release of Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands.
Arctos – Beyond The Grasp of Mortal Hands Track List:
The Ancestors’ Path
Shattered Tomb
Somnos Aeternus
The Spectre
Autumn’s Herald…Interitus
A Realm Beyond
The Light Beyond the Sky (The Passage II)
Line-up:
Dan Wilberg (vocals, guitar)
Nick Wilberg (piano)
Josh Needham (drums)
Jeremy Puffer (guitar)
Jacob Maisonneuve (bass)
Comments Sentinel Daily‘s Mick Stronge: “There’s a real freshness about Beyond The Grasp of Mortal Hands, despite it conforming relatively rigidly to the tropes expected of a band in this style; songwriting is tight, with no excess flab allowed to hang from the framework of superior tracks like Autumn’s Herald… Interitus. The band don’t struggle with melody – there’s tons of the stuff- but strangely this never impinges on that ‘cold’ Northern feel that they’re striving for. This really is music of the wastelands – sparse, yet morosely beautiful, stark yet possessing a warmth and humanity at it’s heart that’s pretty hard to resist. Hats off, Canadian black metal blokes!”
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