Arkenstone

ARKENSTONE from the Cretan city of Heraklion began their musical journey in 1998, starting out as a fantasy-themed Euro-Power Metal band in the vein of BLIND GUARDIAN. This style is best exemplified on their first two demo CDrs “Whispers of Fire” (2000) and “The Sentinel of the Dwarven Gate” (2004), which feature well-written compositions and accomplished string-bending by guitarists Iraklis Horaitis (HERC, SHATTERED OBLIVION) and George Sotiriou (CHAOS ETERNAL). With a more powerful production, these two demos would’ve measured up quite well to the burgeoning Power Metal craze spreading over Europe at the time.

By the time of their first full-length offering “Dead Human Resource” (2008), significant changes had taken place in the band’s musical and aesthetic character. The melody-centered Power Metal of yore had been replaced by distinctively “modern”-sounding/looking aggro-Thrash Metal. A creative down-grading if you ask this writer, even though the guitar work remained as satisfying as ever.

Simultaneous to his work with ARKENSTONE, guitarist Iraklis Horaitis embarked on a solo career with an intriguing project entitled HERC. While not metal per se, HERC can still be seen as a creative offspring of ARKESTONE, featuring reworkings of compositions from the band’s two first demos. Musically, HERC revolves around lengthy acoustic arrangements delving into depths of Tolkien-esque fantasy in an almost soundtrack-like manner. For those who’re interested, the second album (“Towards the Mountains”) can be downloaded for free at HERC’s official website.

Compilation appearances:
* Hellenic Forces Compilation Vol. 1 [CDr, Comp: Self-released (Hellenic Forces Fanzine), 2004]