New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "I wanted to take people on adventure," says Arkenstone.
A hauntingly beautiful landscape of castle ruins and fog-shrouded moors immersed in pale grey light, mysterious forests where trees are illuminated by lightning from a raging storm, and ancient rituals performed in secluded glades under an inky-black sky.
Forever challenging himself, award-winning, 3-time Grammy� nominated composer/performer/multi-instrumentalist DAVID ARKENSTONE is exploring a startlingly new sonic landscape. Composed entirely at night by candlelight and in utter solitude, BENEATH A DARKENING SKY displays a new aspect of Arkenstone's multi-faceted musical persona as he embraces a shadowy, mysterious and gothic style of music.
With a career than spans almost thirty years in the recording industry and nearly 50 albums, the master of epic orchestral, Celtic, chill and fantasy music is delving into a deeper, darker side of his imagination. His inspiration for Beneath A Darkening Sky? "I started wondering what type of music Edgar Allen Poe listened to," says the ever-inquisitive Arkenstone from his home perched on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
A musical storyteller, Arkenstone is passionate about taking his listeners on a journey, creating sonic tapestries that evoke every emotion. "I envision a place where I would like to go, or an adventure I would like to take, and let my imagination run free," says Arkenstone.
"For this adventure, I chose a more mysterious sonic palette, explored a bit of my Swedish roots, and was also inspired by some Nordic ambient works. It's my intention to take listeners to the ominous frozen North and I would like my music to reflect the cold and mystery of the region, evoking feelings of solitude and longing… The tracks on this album are extended because they unfold over a longer period of time. I want to set the mood and allow people to fully experience the music."
Even though he is well known for his incredible diversity, Beneath A Darkening Sky is still a marked departure for Arkenstone, one that should delight his World of Warcraft fans. "Some of my tracks like 'Tanaris,' 'Stonetalon,' 'Vashj'ir' and 'Grimtotem' from World of Warcraft's "Cataclysm" expansion were rather arcane. But I wanted to take people on a new adventure."
To help listeners take this instrumental journey with him, Arkenstone and designer Girshon Rutstein of
Dream Images, Inc. co-created the music video for the track "The Wind From The North". "The images in this 8-minute film reflect some of what I envisioned as I wrote the music."
"In addition to my curiosity about Poe and wanting to experiment with different sonic tools, I was influenced by composers like Anders Hillborg and Arvo Pärt who I recently had the pleasure of meeting," says Arkenstone. "This album was also inspired by my writer, artist, musician, renaissance son, Dashiell, who created the cover illustration."
With the track "They Are Coming" dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien, Beneath A Darkening Sky guest artists include Susan
Craig Winsberg on the flute & pennywhistle, and Luanne Homzy on violin & viola. The album was mixed by
David Vartanian who engineered Arkenstone's first album, Valley In The Clouds.
Reviewer Bill Binkelman of Zone
Music Reporter states, "The dark cinematic soundscapes of
David Arkenstone's new recording, Beneath A Darkening Sky, usher the listener into a haunting yet beautiful landscape of castle ruins lit by a pale moon behind wispy clouds, fog-shrouded moors immersed in pale grey light, mysterious forests where trees are illuminated by lightning from a raging storm, and ancient rituals performed in secluded glades under an inky-black sky. Featuring a wide array of instruments, motifs and influences, Arkenstone hits a creative highpoint with this album which will surely delight his many fans and bring some news into the fold as well."
With 20 Billboard hits, film & TV soundtracks and game scores, multi-GRAMMY®-nominee
David Arkenstone has established himself as one of the best contemporary instrumental musicians of our time. This visionary artist continues to create distinctive music that inspires the imagination. Listeners can expect several more releases from Arkenstone in 2016, including a new "chill" album and a holiday release in December.
Released by QDV Recordings, BENEATH A DARKENING SKY is available July 15th on
Amazon and iTunes.
Pre-release download and CDs available upon request.
To view the music video for The Wind From The North, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHXDCu1GZ5U
Follow
David on Facebook and Twitter @davidarkenstone and Instagram #david.arkenstone
1. The Fog (7:04)
2. The Deep Desolation (8:51)
3. The
Storm (8.28)
4. The Moonless Midnight (8:32)
5. The Ice Forest (8:54)
6. They Are Coming (8:39)
7. The Wind From The North (8:03)
