Arc Of
Dyad emerges with a raw, personal vision, blending introspection and intensity.
In this interview, the project’s creator reflects on independence,
authenticity, and shaping a debut rooted in real-life experience.
1. Arc
Of Dyad emerged as a solo-driven creative project—what pushed you to bring this
vision to life in 2023, and why now?
It was now
or never. It’s actually been something I have been thinking about for a number
of years and it was simply time. Having experienced life in a local band many
years ago, the ambition to one day pick up where I left off finally caught up
with me and 2023 was the year the concept solidified. In regards to why solo,
well Arc Of Dyad was always going to be a solo endeavour, as I wanted it to
have a singular vision - not because of ego, but because I felt I had something
to say and I didn’t want it to be diluted in any way. Most bands are like this
- one or two band members are often in the driver’s seat, so I didn’t feel that
what I wanted to do with Arc Of Dyad was in any way unusual, other than it not
having a “band” around me.
2. The
Work Of Idle Hands feels like a statement of intent. What core message
or emotion did you want listeners to take away from this debut?
Thank you
for noticing. Yes, it is a statement of intent. “The Work Of Idle Hands” is
just that, the beginning of what will be an ongoing collection of songs that I
hope will interest and resonate with listeners. I want those listening to hear
themselves or the lives of others within the songs and if they don’t - I hope
they connect with the music and get an emotional kick out of it. I will say
that the lyrics are very important - just as important as the music. An example
is the chorus for “Human, Mistake.” It took multiple rewrites and weeks to get
right. I have no issue with bands writing about dragons, elves, pirates or
Mephistopheles, but that’s not what Arc Of Dyad is about. The goal is to shine
a light on particular topics - and hope that it strikes a chord with listeners.
Whether they agree or disagree with me is not a concern - what is important is
that they think and think critically.
3. You
handled multiple roles in the project—lyrics, instrumentation, and vocals. How
did that level of control shape the final sound of the album?
It had a
major impact on the album. The music and the lyrics are 100% my doing, but that
is not to say that there weren’t areas where I welcomed the input of others.
Tom Kocovic assisted greatly in arranging the drums that appear on “The Work Of
Idle Hands.” He also helped with production and recording my takes. Chris
Themelco got the mixing and mastering done - giving the initial recordings its
final sound. Beyond that, it’s my vision and making it feel right took a while.
I knew what direction the lyrics would take from the get go, while the music
took a bit longer. Arc Of Dyad needed to have a particular style, one that is
memorable and focussed on hooks and straightforward arrangements. It’s very
easy to overplay and go off in tangents and that was something I wanted to
avoid. The vocals however, took even longer as I wanted something different. I
didn’t want to attempt any clean, traditional singing and I definitely wanted
to avoid using thrash and death metal vocals (which I am a huge fan of), so I went
with a concept that I had in mind, which was trying to create a voice that
replicates someones subconscious mind. I then added particular backing vocals
to add greater depth. When you combine all this, it makes for a raw, unfiltered
sound that I was aiming for and believe I was able to achieve.
4. The
album moves through themes of rage, resilience, and redemption. Were these
drawn from personal experiences, or more conceptual storytelling?
The themes
have all been drawn from personal experiences or particular observations I have
made over the years. There’s no storytelling in a fictional sense because I
believe real life is the greatest story. The lyrics are blunt and to the point
as well, so there is no hidden message or double meanings. A number of the
themes are very personal such as “Borrowed Time”, "Speaking In Tongues”,
“Road Less Travelled" and “Universe” while songs like “Constellations”,
"Human, Mistake” and “Marching” are drawn from the world around me. I have
no interest in writing about typical heavy metal topics. I have never had to
slay a dragon because I’ve never encountered one. Humans however are another
thing and there have been a number I’ve had to endure, navigate and deal with
over the years. These are the themes I prefer to write about.
5. Tracks
like “Borrowed Time” and “Universe” frame the album’s journey. How did you
approach structuring the record from beginning to end?
The
structure of the album worked itself out. The songs are listed in alphabetical
order, which is how the files were naturally ordered. This was something I
didn’t take any notice of until I was listening to the first mix of the album.
It dawned on me that there was an obvious flow and like you said, a journey
that began with “Borrowed Time” and concluded with “Universe.” Both songs share
a link as well in that “Borrowed Time” is about time being the one thing in
life that you can’t beat, so you might as well get on with it before it’s too
late, while “Universe” is about fate and whether or not our lives are
preordained. So thematically it worked well having both songs bookend the
album, but the idea was a spur of the moment decision that I went with. It appears
to have worked, giving the “The Work Of Idle Hands” an “album” feel, instead of
a “singles” feel.
6. You’ve
mentioned avoiding trends and focusing on honesty. How do you define
“authenticity” in modern heavy metal?
Doing what
you want to do without any concern about what others think. I have only one
directive with Arc Of Dyad and that is to keep it moving forward so that it can
reach as many listeners as possible. The key however, is to do it in a natural
and organic way. It could be an interview like this one, a review, airplay or a
podcast - whatever the avenue is, is fine with me, just as long as people have
the opportunity to listen to the songs. They can then make a judgement call and
decide whether they want to support. If you’re on board with Arc Of Dyad,
welcome, if not, that’s cool. Success is being true to yourself and if you
focus on simply being honest, you’ll always be authentic.
7. Working
with Tom Kocovic and Chris Themelco, how did the production and mixing process
help elevate the raw intensity you were aiming for?
Both men
have a skill set that I needed to see “The Work Of Idle Hands” come to
fruition. As stated earlier Tom and Chris assisted at particular stages in the
process and helped me see it though. I know that they both would have preferred
to have had a cleaner sound or a slicker production, but I wanted to capture an
unfiltered approach and a sound that matched that raw attitude. I wanted the
album to be both intense and fragile - a little broken in places, but also
powerful enough to reflect the human condition. I am grateful for their efforts
and what they added to the album.
8. As a
debut, this record sets expectations for the future—how do you see Arc Of Dyad
evolving from here?
“The Work
Of Idle Hands” is essentially the blueprint. Everything I release from here on
in, will be able to be traced back to the debut. Will I push the envelope with
future recordings - I might, but never so much so that you will not recognise
it as Arc Of Dyad. I spent time cultivating the sound and approach that you
hear - going so far as to include and not include particular techniques to give
my songwriting a point of difference. The main goal is to create a back
catalogue and I will achieve this by releasing new music in a consistent manner
over the coming years.
The name
“Arc Of Dyad” suggests duality or contrast. How does that concept manifest in
your music and identity as an artist?
Arc Of Dyad
is a solo venture and the name reflects that concept. Arc is the transformation
or journey. Of is the belonging or origin. Dyad is a group of two or pair. So
the name is more or less the connection between the listener and me, the
songwriter. Not to get too deep, but there is a relationship between the two
and that is also reflected in the cover, where the two characters are standing
side by side working in tandem. I have always felt that way about the music I
have listened to over the years - that there was a connection, one where the
songwriter needed the listener and vice versa.
9. With
upcoming video releases planned, how important is the visual element in
expanding the world of The Work Of Idle Hands?
The videos
have multiple purposes. One, is to further promote the album and give it
longevity. Each song will have its own video and one will be released each
month for the remainder of the year - the first being “Borrowed Time” which was
released early April. Secondly, Arc Of Dyad will remain a solo venture for the
time being, as I am focussing on discography rather than tour dates - think
Bathory and how Quorthon cultivated his career. In an abstract way, the videos
will be the performance of the song. Finally, I have enjoyed music videos over
the years and have always wanted the bands I supported to release multiple
videos. With that in mind, I thought what the hell and went ahead and created a
video for each song. The videos will of course serve the song, but I have
concentrated on giving each video its own identity and feel. If you’re
interested, you can head over to youtube.com/@arc-of-dyad
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