SNOWMAIDEN is: Alina Gavrilenko – Vocals Lucas McArthur - Guitar Based: Hamilton, ON Canada Artowork: Northern Luna Produced by: Sean Dowell (Borealis) Orchestrations: Nathan Gross (Haven Dream) Article written by: Alina Gavrilenko |
Snowmaiden is a conceptual symphonic metal effort composed of a Russian born Canadian soprano Alina Gavrilenko and a Canadian guitarist Lucas McArthur (Solarus).
They are happy to premiere their first single “My Winter Kiss”. This song is a ballad from their upcoming 2019 full length album, which has been written and will see studio production in the new-year. It is a conceptual exploration of the melancholy winter tales of the ‘Snowmaiden’.
They are happy to premiere their first single “My Winter Kiss”. This song is a ballad from their upcoming 2019 full length album, which has been written and will see studio production in the new-year. It is a conceptual exploration of the melancholy winter tales of the ‘Snowmaiden’.
“ There are going to be catchy riffs, cold melodic themes and big epic moments on this album and Alina and I are very excited to bring the remainder of it to the forefront of the Canadian Metal scene in the New Year.”- Lucas McArthur
“My Winter Kiss “ explains the circle of life where its final chapter depicted through the season of Winter, which represents death, that comes not with hate, but as a natural occurrence that is unavoidable. After all, one day all of us will receive our final winter kiss. Let us then meet it as an old friend without any fear because there will be another season after the snow melts. There will be another beginning.”
-Alina Gavrilenko
Fittingly enough, the song will be released on all platforms on Winter Solstice December 21st, the first day of Winter. But also it marks an unfortunate night when many metal fans around the world were shocked at the tragic passing of the lead singer David Gold of the fellow Ontario doom metal band Woods of Ypres, who was killed in the car crush at the age of 31.
“David's voice has been so incredibly enchanting. It is such a shame he is no longer with us. He was a stunning and a talented man. I am still absolutely devastated by his passing and it brings tears to me knowing how unfair this was to him, so we wanted to dedicate this song to his memory.”
- Alina Gavrilenko
We look forward to what 2019 has in store for Snowmaiden. The duo urges everyone to be safe, responsible and diligent while travelling this holiday season. The greatest gift we can give each other is a safe arrival.
Below is Metal Master Kingdom's review of Snowmaiden's "The Winter Kiss" written by Amina Abdelwahab.
The one-woman band hailing from Russia, Snowmaiden, started building her musical career even before moving to Toronto, Canada in 2011. In her new home, she continued her musical path – graduating with an honours degree in Classical Voice, Performance and Bel Canto, going on tour with metal giants such as Leave's Eyes, Omnium Gatherum, Alestorm, Gloryhammer and Sonata Arctica, and, finally, collaborating with guitarist Lucas McArthur (Solarus), she sprung to success. Building on that success, she has decided to end this year by premiering a song collaboration with Lucas McArthur titled “My Winter’s Kiss”. Alina’s choice to release this song on the 21st of December is no oddity. The Winter Solstice also coincides with the death anniversary of David Gold of Woods of Ypres – thus honoring his great impact on the metal scene.
The song itself comprises a melancholic feel, touching on emotions such as pain, loss and darkness. I was welcomed into the song’s atmosphere by an acoustic passage – an Opeth-like conglomeration of strings building up to the vocals. There, the magnificence of Alina’s voice overpowered all other elements of the song, where she accomplished a perfect balance between technique and emotion. During the buildup, the guitarist peppered his playing with little licks – leaving me eager for the song’s climax. Unfortunately, my anticipation for it faded by the time it came around (around the three-minute mark). Yet, when it finally came around, it was executed impeccably. The vocal layering paired with the orchestral-metal instrumentation put Snowmaiden in my list of ‘essential artists’ for symphonic metal – and made a song that could have been a 6/10, a 9/10.
The song itself comprises a melancholic feel, touching on emotions such as pain, loss and darkness. I was welcomed into the song’s atmosphere by an acoustic passage – an Opeth-like conglomeration of strings building up to the vocals. There, the magnificence of Alina’s voice overpowered all other elements of the song, where she accomplished a perfect balance between technique and emotion. During the buildup, the guitarist peppered his playing with little licks – leaving me eager for the song’s climax. Unfortunately, my anticipation for it faded by the time it came around (around the three-minute mark). Yet, when it finally came around, it was executed impeccably. The vocal layering paired with the orchestral-metal instrumentation put Snowmaiden in my list of ‘essential artists’ for symphonic metal – and made a song that could have been a 6/10, a 9/10.