EMQ’s With ARTACH
EMQ’s With ARTACH
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Black Metallers, ARTACH. Huge thanks to their Guitarist and Bassist, Sruthán, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hello there, I’m Sruthán – guitar, and bass. Artach is a Black Metal duo formed in 2020 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, made up of Fíochmhar (drums, vocals) and I, Sruthán (guitar, bass). Our names come from Gaelic, with Fíochmhar meaning “fierce” or “savage” and Sruthán meaning “burn.” We have been steadily gaining attention for our unique sound, influenced by nature, Celtic mythology, and even sci-fi elements, with our debut album “Chronicles of a Black Winter” (2020,) and follow-up “Sworn to Avenge” (2021), leading up to the latest release, “Morrigan… Goddess of War” (2025). There have been a few EPs and singles in between all that – you can see our Bandcamp and youtube for the complete list.
How did you come up with your band name?
The Irish Gaelic word Artach actually means“arctic”. This reflects the band’s connection to the cold, harsh landscapes of Newfoundland. The name symbolizes the frozen, rugged environment that influences a lot of our music, fitting with that raw and epic Black Metal style.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
Newfoundland, Canada! The scene here is best explored via Heavy NFLD: https://heavynfld.wordpress.com/
I don’t personally follow the local scene super closely as I stick more to myself and just write music for the 3 bands/projects that I’m a part of, but we do have a scene that is vibrant yet small.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
A. On March 21, 2025, we released our 3rd full-length album titled “Morrigan…Goddess of War”. The first single for ‘Macha’ is available today: Artach – “Macha” (Official Video)
Physical copies of our full lengths are exclusively available from Depressive Illusions Records: https://depressiveillusions.com/search/node/Artach
The next best place would be our Bandcamp: https://artach.bandcamp.com/
Who have been your greatest influences?
For Artach I would say bands like Immortal, Celtic Frost, Venom, Darkthrone, Satyricon, Slayer, etc.
What first got you into music?
Sesame Street and Mr Dressup, and my parents playing music in the home. Oh, you meant Metal? Then it was the usual story of hearing popular heavy bands in the 80s as a kid, and continually listening to Metal for decades since.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Let’s get Abbath to sing an Artach song! That would be radical, he’s a legend!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Hellfest? Any European festival really though, as they do them the best! But for now Artach, like the mighty Darkthrone, is a studio beast.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
We haven’t received any gifts. That’s not something many underground Blackened Metal bands have to worry about lol.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thanks for supporting us and buying our music!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Lemmy.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Enjoy most – creating songs. Hate? meh…more like “dislike” Hate is a strong word, but let’s say I dislike the fickle nature of scenes and how trend-following some are. The best thing to do is create music and if no one likes it, to hell with ‘em.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Death to streaming! lol Well, not literally, but it sure is unfair. The artists making money with crap like Spotify are bands that already have money. It has turned music into a PR item and not something that in of itself holds value, which is something I do HATE. If you support a band, buy their merch: CD, tape, vinyl, shirt, etc.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
This slightly changes depending on the day you ask me but for today I will say: Kreator “Extreme Aggression”, Immortal “At the Heart of Winter”, Slayer “Reign in Blood”, Motley Crue “Shout at the Devil”, Satyricon “Now, Diabolical”, etc etc.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
The music is the message, not the medium. But physical product rules, such as “renting” music to listen to, seem weird to an old-school metaller like me. Personally I prefer CDs and Vinyl. Streaming is just for checking out to see what I think before I buy it.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Artach, like the mighty Darkthrone, is not a gigging band.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
If I had the talent, painting or creating art. lol.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Abbath, Mille Petrozza, Jeff Hanneman, William Shatner, and George Carlin.
What’s next for the band?
Promotion of the album, maybe making more music videos, then writing more songs for the next album.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.facebook.com/ArtachBlackMetal
https://www.instagram.com/ArtachBlackMetal
https://www.youtube.com/@artachband709
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll, or a Tea Cake?
I think this is a trick question as it depends on what part of the UK you are from? So I’ll say they are all correct but “muffin” seems like the most odd one as it’s not something you’d make a sandwich from. We have “English Muffins” here, which are round and are typically sliced and toasted – so maybe that’s the “right” answer for Canada, as it can be used for a sandwich?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Our thanks to you for the time and space to speak—true support for the underground is rare and respected. To those who walk the Metal path, let our sound be your anthem. Enter the abyss and embrace the chaos. “Morrigan….Goddess of War” (out March 21) – summon it, and join us in the void.
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