Whenever I pop in to John Diliberto’s Echoes website, and find out which band or artist that has piqued my interest after listening to his interviews from the podcast, it’s always a treat to find and seek out. Whether its Jeff Greinke, Dave Bessell, Lumenette, Brigitte Bardini, or Kaleida, it is as Harvey Pekar says it in the 2003 movie American Splendor based on his comic book, “Once in a while, you’ll come up with something that’ll whet your appetite”.
One of the artists that’s caught me off-guard is five-time Grammy nominee David Arkenstone, who has been making instrumental music since 1987 after his debut release Valley in the Clouds. Many of his albums deal with themes of fantasy and mythology. His latest album Quest for the Runestone is inspired by Celtic, Nordic, and cinematic music traditions which speak of his earlier fantasy concept albums David traveled to the corners of middle-earth to.
Based on the story by his son Dashiell Han Arkenstone, Quest for the Runestone is quite the cinematic journey that David unleashes to the forefront. David has not only been nominated for a Grammy, but he’s known for his musical scores on video games such as World of Warcraft, Shadowbane, Earth & Beyond, Space Siege, and Lands of Lore III to name a few.
Arkenstone also is a multi-instrumentalist, playing the bouzouki, mandolin, drums, percussion, guitar, piano, electronic keyboards, pennywhistle, Turkish saz, melodica, and pan pipes. There are 12 compositions that bring the story in full with its mythical sense of the main character, Réann.
Listening to this album, it takes you into those worlds that Peter Jackson envisioned with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. And the video game worlds of the Warcraft franchise, Destiny’s 1 & 2, and Halo 3 that comes to mind. David knows that he’s an innovative filmmaker in his right mind when it comes to composing music. He has an acoustic, Celtic touch. But with Runestone, he returns to its fantasy side in which he hasn’t forgotten.
The story that Réann embarks on, it’s this task that she confronts the Arbos, a mountain giant, who shakes the mountains by making avalanches that destroys the village. For the Runestone, it’ll help him put to sleep. The female warrior herself embarks on this spiritual journey not just to stop the giant, but to find herself and prove how much she defend for not just herself, but her family as well.
And if you think this is a Disney-related type of story, think again. David takes Dashiell’s story to heart as the images come to life with its thumping, waltz-like structures, intense percussion work, Celtic arrangements, angelic vocalizations, it’s all there. Most of the time it reminded me of Tom Newman’s Faerie Symphony sessions in which he was Mike Oldfield’s right-hand man when it came to his breakout debut, Tubular Bells.
An album for the cinematic mind that’ll be worth repeatable listens to see and hear on what you’ve been missing from Réann’s story. If you’re very new to the world of David Arkenstone’s music, then this album is a starter to be a part of the mythology that’s waiting for you.
