User:Skweakyllama/Arcas (band)

Arcas is an Instrumental Folk Metal band from Lyon, France, founded in 2006 by Kevin Villet and Sacha Besson. Their sound is mostly composed of Progressive, Epic and Folk influences, yet without any singing. Originally thought as a studio experiment, Arcas quickly evolved into a five member lineup, playing acoustic versions of their songs of until they found a drummer to complete their band. Arcas' self-produced debut album A New Dawn has received a very warm welcome on the Internet (webzines, downloads) as well as in Lyon, rapidly propelling the band in the local Folk Metal scene. One of the most original aspect of the band lies in the fact that it remains totally instrumental: the listener is free to imagine his own version of each song's story, guided only by the melodies and song titles.

Biography
Arcas is a Progressive Folk Metal band, founded in Lyon in 2006 by Kevin Villet (Bass, Drums, Percussions) and Sacha Besson (Guitars, Folk Instruments, Orchestration). The two friends decided to create and write down their own musical compositions in order to record them by themselves. One year later, during summer in 2007, they achieved their first 6-track demo, The Golden Age, mixing heavy metal and speed metal with Celtic / Traditional music. An experiment that allowed them to become more familiar with home-studio recording techniques.

The two friends then decided time had come to give their music a whole new dimension. Bringing more and more eclecticism into their creation, they made it evolve to a kind of Progressive Folk Metal with symphonic influences. At the same time, three new members joined the band, allowing Arcas to start working on live performances: Guillaume Gapin (rythm guitar), Quentin Thomas (keyboard/keytar), Simon Hel (violin). The new members arrived just in time to take part the recording process of Arcas' first full-length album, A New Dawn. The acoustic lineup was born, rehearsing and playing live at small venues in a semi-plugged configuration. After a few months, the band finally found their drummer, Jeremy Allison. Arcas had their full lineup, ready to take on the local scene.

Members

 * Kevin Villet - Bass Guitar (also played drums and percussions on A New Dawn)
 * Sacha Besson - Lead Guitar (as well as Folk instruments and orchestration)
 * Quentin Thomas - Keyboard / Keytar
 * Simon Hel - Violin
 * Guillaume Gapin - Rythm Guitar
 * Jeremy Allison - Drums

Demo

 * The Golden Age - 2007

Self-Produced Album

 * A New Dawn - 2008

Videos

 * Into The Rythm Of The Drums - 2009
 * Gone Beyond Skies - 2009
 * Burn (Deep Purple cover) - 2009
 * Acoustic Show Medley - 2009
 * Cooley's Reel & Drowsy Maggie (Acoustic Show) - 2009

Web Reviews

 * Metal France
 * Les Immortels
 * Kingdom Come
 * Metalship
 * Metal Archives
 * Metal Chroniques
 * Metal Integral
 * Pavillon 666

Category:Folk metal musical groups Arcas (band)