(written by Islander)
We’re about to venture off our usual beaten tracks (the ones we use to beat you with), but not too far off: there still seem to be devils roaming these dark woods where we’re going.
What we have for you now is a lyric video for a song from a debut album named Victory by the Armenian band ARTE-X. It will be released on December 12th by a new Armenian label, Holy Mountains Music.
By way of background, ARTE-X (ԱՐՏԷ-X) was founded in Yerevan in 2022 by Aram Nalbandyan. The band’s name is the first letters of the names of the group’s members, with “X” referring to the word “Electronics”.
The first clue that we’re going off our usual beaten tracks is the group’s description of their music as falling within “alternative rock, alternative metal and rock ballad genres.”
There is also naught but singing — instead of growling, howling, and screaming. But, as forecast, the song you’re about to hear — “Երազանք֊Նպատակ” turns out to have some kindred connections to other music you’ll encounter at our site.
For one thing, the grim, fuzzed tone of the riffing channels menace, and the way the guitar moves makes the music even more menacing. Backed by vivid, pulse-punching drumwork, the riffing slowly slithers and feverishly throbs; it moans and whines; and it generates a dark and diabolical atmosphere. The bass also fiendishly bubbles, and the lead guitar eerily quivers and squirms, adding to the music’s witchiness.
The vocals command attention, displaying an impressive range, and at the high end they begin to sound delirious, though they have a quality of pitch-perfect wildness at all times. And so they enhance the music’s unearthly aspects while adding to the song’s “catchiness.”
Of course, neither able to understand nor read Armenian, I have no idea what the song is about lyrically. It may have nothing to do with witches, warlocks, or red-eyed beasts – though those are what my imagination has spawned in listening to this:
ARTE-X is:
Aram Nalbandyan – guitars
Robert Gevorgyan – drums
Tigran Karapetyan – bass
Eduard Hovsepyan – vocals
Victory includes 10 songs and about 33 minutes of music. Holy Mountains Music will release it on jewel-box CD with a 4-page booklet, and digitally. Pre-order links are below, and we’re also including streams of two other previously released tracks from the album, “Սպասել” and “Տարիներ“.
PRE-ORDER:
holymountainsmusic@gmail.com
https://holymountains.bandcamp.com/album/hm001-arte-x-victory-2024
ARTE-X:
https://www.facebook.com/aram.nalbandyan.75
https://www.instagram.com/aram.nalbandyan.75/