Loading...About Ara’Kus
ArA’KuS, well known in the Seattle area heavy metal underground scene for their ability to deliver a live performance of epic proportions with their crushing guitar harmonies, seismic percussion and an increasingly abnormal union of stage presentation and intellectual story telling, is a concept based band that wants its listeners not to simply hear the music and sing the lyrics, but to enter the story and be consumed; to feel the music and become it.
ArA’KuS Members
Jeremiah Johnson – Guitar & vocals
Jeremy Veleber – Drums
Rachel Brunson – Keyboards
Randy Haines – Guitar & backing vocals
Ray Salamon – Bass
Whitney Burdge – Lead Soprano
ArA’KuS Live
A ripping torrent of overdriven guitars rents the air, you feel the bass hit you like a train, the drums pound through your heart and your veins flow with pure metal as you feel all of the power while at the same time you repose in the tranquility of the journey into a forsaken musical nightmare . . .
Not content with merely standing on stage and playing music for their audiences, ArA’Kus attempts to elevate the experience through an ever evolving stage show focusing on dark theatrics, epic stories and hauntingly beautiful choral interludes. All of these elements combine to create an atmosphere unlike anything you’ll see in the local metal scene.
Aeterno Elementum
Even now in my solitude
I can hear the pleadings of the souls
That I have sent to his dark embrace
And now, sifting through the ashes
Wrought of the work I have gladly done
I am confronted with the horrid truth
Of my eternal reward
A perfect world
A world devoid of all sin
In this I have succeeded
But only now do I realize my folly
Aeterno Elementum, the in progress concept album by ARA’KUS, will grab you on a visceral level that you have not felt in recent memory. The music in Aeterno Elementum will take you out of yourself and into an intense adventure as you traverse the twisted story line. Each strand of music touches a different feeling in the listener; one part quiet, one angry, another part crying to itself, another is locked in combat; each part separate, yet intertwined in a twisted musical tapestry.
As the story unfolds we hear stories within a story while four men, generals of the army that has just annihilated humanity, each tell their frenzied tale of woe to a priest, pleading with him to help them to bear their guilt and give them release from the demonic pact they have entered into. Thus begins an epic and chilling tale of betrayal, loss and retribution.
ArA’KuS History
ARA’KUS was founded in 2001 by Jeremiah Johnson in the Kitsap/ Bremerton area of Washington State. With the addition of current drummer Jeremy Veleber (Hangar 19) in 2004 and bassist Jesse Halton in 2005, the band moved into the more populated Seattle region where they began to develop a following and critical acclaim with their unique sound and dramatic stage presentation.
In fall of 2006, the band took a hiatus from live shows to focus on the final production of their long awaited debut album, Aeterno Elementum. After several previous failed attempts to capture their sound in the studio using external producers, they opted to found their own recording facility and create their own product.
In spring of 2007, ARA’KUS recruited lead guitarist Randy Haines (Confusion), further developing their sound and adding yet another element to their ever evolving stage presence. Randy also took over a major role in the engineering of the album, lending his expertise to help perfect the vision.
In late 2008, ARA’KUS was joined by guest keyboardist, Rachel Brunson and guest operatic vocalist Amber Bracy. These incredibly talented women have contributed to filling out the dark classical sound that ARA’KUS has always been known for.
After several years of production, the album is nearing completion and ARA’KUS has returned from their long seclusion to once again weave their tales of woe and destruction on the live stage . . .
