Wanderings and Vistas, mt first album, introduces the Old Empire, a rich and multifaceted land where one is equally likely to find winding canyons, vast deserts, enchanted woods and old artifacts from a a time when the world was younger. There are many secrets to uncover, maybe even lost records of the former glory of the Empire.
The roads of the Old Empire further explores this land, and hints at some deeper lore that one day might be revealed...
The Last Embers of the Fire walks the line between fantasy and reality: inspired by real poems on Alzheimer's disease, it sings the struggles of losing oneself to an illness, without forgetting the warmth of the presence of loved ones. These experiences are reimagined in a winter synth setting but, as Alzheimer's blurs the line between reality and illusion, the music blurs the line between genres. The Last Embers of the Fire is an album of contaminations: winter synth, 80s sounds, power metal... and thematically it blends real struggles with fantasy influences.
Golem Dreams is the first EP inspired by literary works that spoke to my heart. The theme of artificial beings and their struggle for acceptance reminded me of the struggles too many persons face in their daily life. This is my tribute to them: may they always find their voice and may their voice be listened forever. As I discussed a couple of times in my Dungeon Synth Journal, it's been a pivotal project in many ways. You can read more here and here.
Sumarið Þegar Hjartað Söng has been aptly described as a "more metal oriented version of The Last Embers of the Fire". It draws inspiration from the summer of 2001, when I had my heart transplant. All the songs describe by my own experiences - the bad, the good and the bittersweet. I tried to convey the sombre comfort of the late stages of an illness, the dire predicament of being close to death, and the strenght, joy and bittersweet feelings that the gift of a new heart brought to my life. If you are facing struggles of your own, you have all of my support. Fight on, even in weakness; shine on, even in the darkest hour; and let your heart sing its wonderful songs.
Arrhythmias is the second project fully inspired by my health journey. A few years after my heart transplant, I had to face yet another challenge... and this album tries to put some of it in music. Like The Last Embers of the Fire and Sumarið Þegar Hjartað Söng, it has a strong sense of direction, moving from a dark place to a brighter, even if not always 100% positive, end.
Open your heart to the Night is based on my youthful fascination with Greek mythology and the night sky. I loved to blend both themes into a nuanced and genre-defying album. I hope to revisit similar concepts somewhere in the future. For some technical details on the album, look here.
Páska was born as a meditation on the song titles, that come from a prayer of the Catholic Easter Vigil mass. I hope the message of restoration can resonate with a broader audience, without any distinctions or discriminations. Working out how to convey such themes in music was an interesting challenge, and I'm very satisfied of how the EP turned out.
Oneiric Quest was born out of a challenge I set for myself: recording a song in the style of Keys to Oneiria. I shared the result in a community and Evergreen themselves offered positive feedback, so I decide to go ahead and record an entire album. To this day, it is the "straightest" DS album I've recorded and, probably, the best received of my discography.
Polyphony is first and foremost a labor of love, a heartfelt love letter to the DS community and to some of the artists I love (I know, I've written 'love' three times in a sentence. It's the only word that works for this album: love!). Every artist I contacted has been very supportive of this project, and I am exceedingly proud of how it turned out. I hope there will be a sequel in the future...
Confessions is my first split, and what a split! Gray Friar was kind enough to accept my offer to collaborate on a release, and it was great to look together for a common theme, to discuss the music as we created it, and to work out the alternate covers for the two versions of the release. It was a terrific experience and I will always be grateful to Gray Friar for his enthusiasm, support and general awesomeness. Thematically, it was lovely to do another release inspired by literature, and even more so to include an Icelandic author among my influences. Sooner or later, there will be more ᚼᛁᛆᚱᛐᛆᚿᛋ music inspired by Gunnar Gunnarsson and by Icelandic themes.
Auguries of Innocence was conceived during a day at the sea and it is my most experimental release to date, as it features harmonies I never used before in the first and last track, and odd time signatures in most of the other tracks (this fascination with odd time signatures is not new for me: even Wanderings and Vistas has a song mainly in 7/4). Everything sums up to a release that's very varied in tone, while still offering a coherent meditative journey.
https://hjartans.bandcamp.com/album/auguries-of-innocence