Boreal Heights Music
Boreal Heights is a musical project I started in 2013. I experiment with different genres and styles, drawing inspiration from nature. The project is currently on hold due to limited free time and a lack of equipment after leaving Russia.
Listen on Bandcamp and watch on YouTube. Also available on Spotify and Apple Music.
2020
Winds & Windows
I'm excited to announce the release of the new Boreal Heights album, Winds & Windows. I spent just over a year composing, recording, and re-recording these songs. The project began with acoustic guitars only, but I later expanded the instrumentation to include bass guitar, flute, and piano. However, the original guitar-only singles are still available in various places. I've never been one to follow trends; I've always wanted to create music that I personally enjoy listening to, and I'm thrilled that others find it interesting as well! If Boreal Heights songs resonate with you, then all my efforts have been worthwhile.
Recorded and mixed from April 2019 to May 2020. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Mariia Kuzmicheva.
Milestones
July 2, 2020 — Reached #4 with the track "Early Rains" on the acoustic folk compilation by In the Woods.
June 3, 2020 — Featured review in Popmonitor magazine.
May 30, 2020 — The album was featured by In the Woods, one of the best and biggest folk and dark folk communities on YouTube.
May 28, 2020 — Initial release.
2019
Early Rains
I've decided to release a new Boreal Heights song as the second single from my forthcoming album. This song is called "Early Rains," and I hope you enjoy it! I also decided to make some slight modifications to my upcoming tracks, as I noticed that they can be a bit tricky to play, which can significantly impact the overall quality.
Recorded and mixed in August 2019. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Rich Soul via Unsplash.
Far lands
I'm currently working on the new Boreal Heights album. Although the work is still in progress, I decided to share a single from the upcoming release called Far Lands. This isn't the first song I recorded for the album, but I chose to share it because it captures the authentic atmosphere and mood I want to convey in the final release. The final version of Far Lands might undergo some changes, but I'm not certain yet because I really like it as it is.
The idea for Far Lands came to me while composing an old "memories" post on my blog a few months ago, while listening to Eventide by Eneferens. I began to think it might be a good idea to create a spiritual successor to my previously released EPs, Under Åpen Himmel and Beyond the Sea of Ghosts.
As for the rest of the album, the work is ongoing. At this point, I've managed to complete more than half of the tracks. I'm planning to release the album sometime in the autumn.
Recorded and mixed from March to May 2019. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Kyle Peyton via Unsplash.
2018
Beyond the Sea of Ghosts
Five years have passed since my first Boreal Heights release, Crystal Maze. For this EP, I composed the song "Beyond the Sea of Ghosts" in two versions: acoustic and metal. I originally published the metal version and left the acoustic one in drafts, thinking it would stay there. But now, I believe it's time to share it with the world! Today, I'm excited to present my new single, Beyond the Sea of Ghosts.
I'm still quite satisfied with the genre I explored in my previous EP, so Beyond the Sea of Ghosts is also rooted in dark folk. For this release, I experimented with ambient sounds for the first time, opening up a vast field of possibilities for future exploration!
Although Beyond the Sea of Ghosts has been reworked and rearranged, it remains the same song at its core. I made some adjustments to make it playable on acoustic guitar. Arranging songs initially meant for metal on various acoustic instruments is always challenging, and sometimes it's not worth the effort, but I'm confident that this process worked well for this song!
Recorded and mixed from May to June 2018. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Ruslan Valeev via Unsplash.
2016
Under Åpen Himmel
The time has come for a new Boreal Heights release, and I'm proud to present something different this time. I'm very excited to share Under Åpen Himmel, my new EP, which I decided to record after another long period of silence. It's been quite a year! Feeling somewhat fatigued from the metal music I previously composed, I decided to explore something new and wrote two songs in the dark folk genre.
This turned out to be a great decision, as I've found myself completely drawn to this new genre, which I recently discovered through various YouTube videos. And you know what? It feels just right — like something I've been searching for all my life.
Recorded and mixed from July to September 2016. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Lucia Otero via Unsplash.
2015
Morning Star
I spent nearly six months at the start of 2015 composing new songs for Boreal Heights. It had been quite a long period of silence since my last release. After experiencing a painful departure, I found a spark of inspiration and wrote seven original songs. However, in the end, I decided to record only two of them. The others didn't feel finished or ready for release. But with "Morning Star" and "Back in February," I felt they were complete, with nothing more to add.
Recorded and mixed from February to July 2015. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Dustin Scarpitti via Unsplash.
2013
Crystal Maze
I had a strong desire to finally create something original, to express my feelings and thoughts, and to test my new guitar. This is how Crystal Maze came to life. Heavily influenced by Katatonia, Opeth, and other doom metal bands, I recorded these two metal tracks. I hope you enjoy them.
Recorded and mixed from September to November 2013. Engineered, mixed, and produced by Evgenii Grigorev.
Artwork by Larm Rmah via Unsplash.
