Arapacis - A Disturbing Awakening

Arapacis birthed out from Canada's music capital - the most wicked city of Montreal which rests in the beautiful province of Quebec and this band has been forging it's way through the Montreal music scene since 2004. Founded by inspirational musician/song writer Jerry Fielden (lead guitarist) Arapacis has forgone many ups and downs throughout it's existence among countless changeovers in lineup Jerry never gave up and always found a way to keep on creating and putting out unique edgy goth-doom prog rock and only until now has Arapacis come to find solid ground with a serious lineup which includes some serious guest musicians to top it. As it stands this bands solid lineup and foundation are it's founder Jerry Fielden - lead guitar, synthesizers, back vocals, bass, mandoli and his lovely wife Shelle Macpherson- lead vocals.

"A Disturbing Awakening" is the first Arapacis album which features the haunting yet brutal vocals of Shelle Macpherson and I must state having heard this bands earlier works that Shelle and Jerry are the perfect team and Shells's vocals are the best to have ever graced this band.  Guest musicians who took part in helping to make "A Disturbing Awakening" a force to be reckoned with are: Leonardo Fagelli (an original member of Arapacis), Guy LeBlanc of prog group Camel, Mathieu Roy, Brittany Kwasinic, Tom Guevara and Don Airey of the legendary Deep Purple.

"A Disturbing Awakening" is a melody of musical influences bringing together elements of jazz,doom, goth, 70's prog, good old hard rock metal and it even has some black metal lacings ,now being able to make all of this work smoothly and dancing together nicely without it becoming a tragic chaos is an achievement in itself and something which only Arapacis could pull off. This album is definitely unique  being both dark and happily melodic. The riffs are super catching with a lot going on, very skilled solo work yet doesn't make it sound so complicated. Everything is tight with each track bringing the listener to a different level, another dynamic of the album's music and what these talented musicians can do. The musicianship is awesome and really together with structure and content. Shelle Macpherson's vocals are both angelic and at times she can be the devil incarnate. All screeches, growls and screaming high notes are under total control being executed with utter ease. My favored tracks would have to be the very gothic doom vibe and sound of 'Godless'. This track is eerie, bone chilling goodness and Shelle's vocals are amazingly scary. The black metal influence is definitely awakened within the vocals here and love the gothic clean vocals which Shelle pulls of with total class. As beubg from the local Montreal scene myself I must state that Shelle Macpherson has the best female black and doom metal vocals this city has to offer.

Another track which really stands out for me is 'Eyes Of Malevolence', no vocals here just brutal instrumental which brings in some metalcore, thrash elements blended with a  touch of prog almost dare I say it - prog holding an influence of Rush and or Genesis (eek, I hate those bands but can appreciated their talent for what they do and find that Arapacis can bring in those elements without making me want to vomit hehe)… There is even a touch of Metallica in the thrash sound which also hovers a mist over this track. The guitar work just takes the listener into it's world, what can I say amazing finger work, emotion and feeling.

I cannot say enough good things about this multi-vibe album. I highly recommend to try something different and give it a spin. Arapacis with their 4th full length release " A Disturbing Awakening" get all the stars from me.


  1. Sorrow Of A Lost War
  2. Broken Windows
  3. Wanderlust
  4. With Ghosts, In Hell I Stand
  5. Godless
  6. Tearing The Mist
  7. Iron Heart
  8. Eyes Of Malevolence
  9. I'm Free Now

Self released
Reviewer: twansibon
Jul 18, 2015

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