If you ask some people, the blurring of genres and incorporation of outside influences into metal is something that is a source of great disdain. However, bands have found some solid success with this flirtation, such as acts like Amaranthe and Spiritbox. Finnish act Arctis are the latest band to embrace a pop sensibility into their music, and what really stands out about their self-titled debut is how openly they are willing to embrace it, and it’s incredibly addictive effect on their music. Arctis is unquestionably one of the catchiest and most fun albums you’ll hear in 2024.
A bold statement, but Arctis have no problem backing up such a claim. For what it’s worth, they at least ease the listener in a little bit before they go full pop metal on them. Opener and first single “I’ll Give You Hell” doesn’t shy away from danceable electronic beats and soaring pop vocals from Alva Sandström, but it’s still tethered by some buzzing guitars and pounding rhythms. Their cover of Lambretta’s “Bimbo” gives the early 2000s pop song some modern electronic elements and heavy guitars to work off of, and works as a spring board into the band’s hooks-first mentality. It’s not until the insanely catchy “Tell Me Why” that the band drops their most deadly melody. Pulsating electronics and driving riffs allow Sandström to really move to the forefront with some incredibly big diva hooks and sweep the listener off their feet. The chorus will get you moving, and it’s more electronic-laced pop verses will ensure it never leaves your mind for quite some time.
While that might be the most overtly poppy moment on the album, there’s plenty of soaring, epic and metal-backed energy for fans to indulge in. “WWM” swirls with synths and riffs intertwined in a build up to an epic chorus that Sandström hits out of the park. “No Slave” takes a similar approach in it’s mid-tempo energy that works as a slow burn to a dazzling chorus where the band unloads some headbanging yet catchy melodies. Yet somehow it’s the fitting finale energy of “Theater of Tragedy” that really sees the band fully capitalize on both their metallic and pop quadrants and pull of something that is decidedly epic.
While the idea of something so thoroughly soaked in both metal and pop might be a turn off for some, it’s hard to listen to songs at both ends of the spectrum that Arctis performs and not embrace it on first listen. “When the Lights Go Out” feels like they took an ’80s pop song, took it through an EDM filter, and then applied a solid coat of metallic heaviness to it. It grooves and works as headbang fodder, yet it’s pop-fueled hooks grab you and leave you wanting more. The more melodic and, dare it be said, melancholic sound of “Frozen Swan” soars as the closest the album comes to ballad territory. Yet it’s somber guitar solo and beautiful synths give it a stronger sense of power to lump it into such a generic category. It also brings up a great point about Arctis’s music. While they incorporate pop mechanics, their lyrics are far from approaching bubble-gum and saccharine. From drug addiction to self-deception to human struggles, they leave a strong note, particularly as they are delivered in such compelling fashion by Sandström.
While a number of modern acts have worked to incorporate pop and rock into their metallic bases, Arctis provides a sound that still feels fresh, futuristic, and inspiring. It’s incredibly fun and catchy while avoiding the pitfalls of sounding superficial. Arctis is a thoroughly impressive debut from an act that seems destined to take the metal/pop hybrid in a way that is going to make people turn their heads. If you want something that brings an upbeat, unrelenting fusion of energetic pop and electronics and couples it with modern/symphonic metal ‘epicness,’ Arctis is bound to be your favorite new act going. It’s truly exciting to see where they will go next, given the strength of this first offering.