Arcane Roots

Arcane Roots have been a mainstay in my prog metal rotation for many years, and it was a sad day when they announced, in 2018, that they would be calling it quits after 12 years. It is great to have an opportunity to write about them and share some samples, but I was surprised to see they fit into the sub 50k threshold. What is it that elevates comparable bands to selling out arenas, especially when Arcane Roots have supported such acts as Muse and Enter Shikari?

They don’t shy away from technical riffs and time signatures, and can reach Muse levels of grandiose, especially through the ample use of strings and synth on their final album Melancholia Hymns. This album shows regular flashes of Kid A era Radiohead through the tones and is well worth a full listen-through.

Track Highlights

Their most played track on Spotify, and rightly so - this one is an absolute belter. I remember sharing this with a friend, with whom I had a shared love for Biffy Clyro. I described it as the outro to That Golden Rule, but dialled up to 11. It features strong dynamics and I particular love how the heavy motif expands over the course of the song. A truly rewarding listen, multiple play throughs of this will wear a groove into your brain that only enhances the enjoyment.

IMO, progressive music is about overcoming the initial confusion of a technical arrangement, and then embracing the familiarity on subsequent listens. I’ll grasp one rhythm or riff, and then that expands outwards in the song and album. I became intimately familiar with the confusing rhythms in this song when I learnt to play along on guitar (not that well, there are some really quick chord shape changes!) and it holds a special place in my brain.

I really wanted to highlight multiple songs from Melancholia Hymns as it is such a varied listen. Ultimately I chose Half the World as it shows a different side to Arcane Roots from the above tracks. These are some S-tier vocal melodies, underpinned by powerful yet restrained instrumentation. It is perhaps their most well-written and accomplished track, and exemplifies what they are (🫡 were) capable of.

Jump in

If you like what you hear, and want to explore some more outside of the discography on Spotify, here are similar artists, similar sounds, other side-projects, and more.

Andrew John Groves (Singer/Guitarist patreon page)

Arcane Roots Wikipedia page

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