BIOGRAPHY
Moscow-based Roman “Arsafes” Iskorostenskiy is one of those uncommon musicians whose creative impulses are multifaceted and who has the talent to follow them with remarkable success, despite how divergent they are.
We first became aware of him through the striking music of his Indian-influenced melodic death metal band Kartikeya, about which much has been written here at NCS. Later, we discovered his involvement with a Russian pagan-metal band called Nevid (Невидь), which has produced four full-length albums, the most of recent of which is 2011′s Agarta, (discussed here). Most recently, he has also collaborated with singer Aleksandra Radosavljevic (ex-Destiny Potato) to create an “Atmospheric/Ambient/Progressive Metal” project named Above the Earth.
But in addition to all that, Roman also has an ongoing solo project named Arsafes. The first work of the Arsafes project was a solo EP called A New Way of Creation that appeared in 2010.
Now, the Arsafes project has a new album in the works, which with luck will be ready before the end of the year — and today we are giving you the exclusive premiere of its first single, “.onslaught.čoček.”, which is now available on Bandcamp. It features performances not only by Arsafes, but also by drummer extraordinaire Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, The Devin Townsend Project, etc.), David Maxim Micic (guitar) and Bojan Kvocka (bass) of Destiny Potato, and Fedor Vetrov (viola) (Veter Vodi, Nevid), as well as a cameo appearence by the above-mentioned Ms. Radosavljevic.
And if you’ve heard the first Arsafes EP, what you are about to hear is something very different, and it’s very, very good. The first clue about the music comes from its title: According to The Font of All Human Knowledge, “Čoček” is “is a musical genre and dance that emerged in the Balkans during the early 19th century. In English, it is sometimes referred to as Gypsy brass.” But you won’t get that reference from the music at first.
At first, it’s a headlong onslaught of melodic death metal. Different rhythms and melodies begin to emerge in the music, and Arsafes’ clean vocals begin to mix with his bestial roars. And before the song is over . . . well, you really ought to just hear this fascinating musical hybrid for yourself.
This guy has systematically and frequently released a shit ton of music over time through all of these projects. Look into it.
The main focus of this article, however, is on his solo project Arsafes which I literally just discovered. It sent my jaw to the floor pretty quick while listening to last year’s album “Ratocracy”. The music brings a beautiful fusion of Progressive Metal, Extreme Metal, and even Industrial elements to formulate a mind bending and insanely original listening experience.
I fully recommend you indulge in the many sounds of Arsafes. In fact, I’d even consider his work to be a must listen. You can find music from his solo project below. It’s also fully recommended you listen to Kartikeya by and Above The Earth.
Country of origin: Russia
- Genre: Industrial/Melodic Death/Groove Metal
- Current label: Unsigned/independente
LINE UP
| Arsafes - Vocal, Guitars, Programming Tymon - Guitars Sasha - Bass Smirnov - Drums Studio members: Aleksandra Radosavljevic - Back Vocals Dmitriy - Percussion | |
| CEO: Roman "Arsafes" Iskororstenskiy (arsafes@mail.ru) | |
| Bookink/Press Contact: arsafes@mail.ru | |
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arsafesproject
VK: http://vk.com/arsafes_project
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arsafes
Myspace: https://myspace.com/arsafesproject
DISCOGRAPHY
Revolt (Full-Length Album - 2015)
Nihilist (EP - 2015)
Fuel For Hatred (Satyricon Cover - 2014)
Ratocracy (Full-Length Album - 2014)
Onslaught Cocek (Single - 2012)
A New Way Of Creation (EP - 2010)
