New York City-based acoustic prog rock duo The Arcane Insignia is set to release their album A Violent Whisper, a project that has been in the making for over two decades. Led by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Lodrö Nyima, the band—currently comprising Lodrö and cellist Noah Heau—has carved out a unique space in the world of progressive music, blending neo-classical influences with metalcore elements, all within an acoustic framework. Their sound, influenced by acts like Tool, Opeth, and Steven Wilson, is a testament to the genre-defying power of acoustic instrumentation.
The Arcane Insignia is featured on Prog Sphere‘s digital compilation, Progotronics XLV. As they prepare for the release of A Violent Whisper, Lodrö discusses the evolution of the album, its deeply personal inspiration, and the artistic journey that has defined his legacy.
“The instrumentation is the seasoning, but the main dish itself should always be the songwriting,” Lodrö remarks when discussing how the duo achieves their distinctive sound. Utilizing a mix of cello, classical 7-string guitar, piano, and acoustic percussion, The Arcane Insignia creates a soundscape that bridges the intensity of metal and the sophistication of classical music. “There’s an element of intensity and rawness in both Classical music and Metal that lends itself well to a nature equal parts primal and sophisticated.“
The release of A Violent Whisper marks a significant moment for Lodrö, not just in terms of his musical career but also on a personal level. The album is dedicated to his late partner, Cynthia, whose passing motivated Lodrö to bring this long-gestating project to fruition. “When she passed away, I knew I had but one main goal: to be the man she saw,” he shares. “This album serves both as a dedication to her and as a reflection of my legacy as a musician over the past 20 years.“
With its two distinct halves—“violent” and “whisper”—the album takes listeners on a journey through the extremes of Lodrö’s influences, from the heavier prog-metal-inspired tracks to the more delicate, ballad-driven compositions. As Lodrö explains, the project not only defies conventional genre boundaries but also seeks to redefine what acoustic music can achieve.
Prog Sphere: You mentioned that the album is divided into two distinct parts: the “violent” and the “whisper.” Can you tell us more about how you approached composing these two sides and how they reflect different aspects of your musical influences?
Lodrö Nyima: One of my favourite elements about being a musician is how our subconscious can notice details before our conscious mind can. After putting together a list of the songs that would go into the album, I started to notice themes in common, musical passages in common, mindsets of who I was as a writer at the time and how that bled into the pieces. Throughout the years I have been equally a fan of more acoustic-leaning Rock (Oasis, Incubus, etc) as well as truly finding a footing with heavier sounds in my 20’s. Composing the pieces was never a matter of whether they should be “mellow” or “heavy”. I always tried to listen to what the song asked for, what it wanted, and while organizing the album order and structure it coincidentally broke the emotionality and intensity into two exact halves. Yet I’d like to think there can be very touching areas on the “Violent” side and some controlled chaos on the “Whisper” side as well. More of a Ying and Yang situation basically.
The first song that was written for the album, “Humo de Vela,” was composed back in 2003. How does it feel to revisit and incorporate a song you wrote so long ago into this album, and how has it evolved since its original composition?
The simplicity of its chord progression on the guitar demonstrates a song that was being written while learning how to play the instrument itself. It’s gone through many different iterations, names and lyrics, but it has always carried the same motif. I love having had the opportunity to never leave any of the material on the backburner like many artists do. It’s a song that more than revisiting, I’ve attempted to keep young and vibrant, ultimately finding a perfect home for it with the current instrumentation and approach.
In what ways did your influences from bands like Tool, Opeth, and The Contortionist shape the direction of “A Violent Whisper”? Are there specific elements from these influences that you consciously incorporated into your music?
Tool was the first band with a Prog side that truly captivated me. Growing up in an oppressively catholic environment led to my younger self being completely mesmerized by the spirituality and complexity of their music, as if spirituality and art were two sides of the same coin. It further cemented my passion and fueled my admiration for darker music. Then Opeth was the first band that showed me how you can have a piece that ranges from the very brutal to the very profound to the very technical to the very romantic, all in one song. It was breathtaking, and I knew I had found a genre that spoke to me in a personal and influential way.
Can you describe the emotional and creative impact of Cynthia’s passing on the completion of this album? How did it influence the final steps in bringing this project to fruition?
I became very jaded during the pandemic, as if everything I had worked for my entire life had been in vain. I kept the flame of music alive with recurring rehearsals and songwriting sessions with [my cellist] Noah, but the part that believed in touring the world and would follow the footsteps of the Rockstars I admired so much growing up had long been extinguished. Perhaps I had settled on perceiving my role in music as nothing more than a hobby, with this material potentially never seeing the light of day. But Cynthia believed in me. She encouraged me and saw a side of me that I had perhaps lost track of in my own depression. When she passed away, I knew I had but one main goal, one main purpose in life: to be the man she saw. And that included returning to the deepest corners of my heart and tapping into what made me fall in love with music in the first place, with the album serving both as a dedication and ode to her as well as covering my legacy as a musician for the past 20 years.
Given that the album traverses such a broad spectrum of styles and moods, how did you ensure a cohesive sound throughout the two distinct halves of “A Violent Whisper”?
The creative process was very much a stream of consciousness process. There was nothing intentional about either the writing or the arrangement of the album. When we finally sat down to decide the song order, we began playing the 10 songs in different orders back to back, and at the end it turned out that the most cohesive structure turned out to be its current form. It felt organic and the transitions felt smooth and logical. But what was more interesting is how the lyrical content can be interpreted as a progression through the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. For the careful listener, the opening sound on the first song of the album is also the final sound on the last song, perpetuating the cycle.
Your music is known for its lyrical content inspired by spirituality and various metaphors. How do these themes integrate with the acoustic prog rock style of The Arcane Insignia?
One of the many beautiful aspects of Prog is how broad of a space it can leave to the performer for introspection and storytelling. Writing something that blends well with the instruments becomes more exciting and wild as it is possible to explore doors that are perhaps more rigidly closed in other genres. Having an inspiring riff to start with, humming over it and then the stream of consciousness approach to the wording lead to what everyone will hear in the album.
With the album being fully acoustic, how do you manage to convey the intensity and passion often associated with metal influences? Are there specific techniques or arrangements you use to bridge this gap?
I think there’s still a prolific misconception that Metal should be limited to distortion and heavy amplification. Yet outside of the comfort of familiarity, I find Metal to be much more communicative than that. Although indeed the material was written for a full Metal lineup (electric guitar, full drum set, etc), the cello and the harsh vocals blended in a very dynamic manner, where I cannot imagine it being anything but what it is right now.
What role does each band member play in shaping the sound of The Arcane Insignia, and how does the collaboration between you and Noah Heau influence the music?
I have known Noah for 10 years, and I can safely say our connection is one of a kind. He is very scattered, rough around the edges, whereas I am too much of a perfectionist. He compliments me in a way I can’t describe. Coming from a Classically trained background but being quite harsh and dirty in his execution, whereas I come from no formal musical education but can be driven to madness by the slightest details has helped shape the sound in a way of bridging polar opposites and connecting extremes. That is one of the aspects that makes The Arcane Insignia the most satisfying project I’ve ever been involved with.
The transition from a more metal-oriented sound to an acoustic approach must have been quite a journey. What were some of the challenges and rewards of making this shift in your music?
The Arcane Insignia is actually an anomaly, a glitch in the matrix. After my previous Metal project fell apart, I was quite tired of the music scene in NYC, and decided I’d like to record an EP of some of the heavy material I’ve written over the years with just strings and classical guitar so I could showcase the songwriting in the most naked form. Then I actually heard what that sounded like, and I was left completely in awe. What was meant to be a stepping stone turned into the most personal and cathartic of projects, and I haven’t looked back since.
You’ve described “A Violent Whisper” as breaking boundaries of genre and instrumentation. What do you hope listeners take away from this album in terms of how they perceive acoustic music?
There’s always been a limiting misconception that if you do an acoustic rendition of a song (an “unplugged” version), this somehow implies that it’s power should be toned down as well. Acoustic versions of Metal songs always seem to turn loungy, Jazzy or simply trimmed down, stripped away from many of the key elements that makes it so brilliant in the first place. We’d like to demonstrate that the “unplugged” version can and should keep the fire and the heart that amplified, distortion-heavy versions carry.
How do you see the evolution of your music from the early days of The Arcane Insignia to now? Are there specific milestones or moments in this journey that stand out to you?
The entire journey has been one of uncertainty. I’ve noticed how much the project has changed me as a person throughout the years, and the impact that has had on the material. The biggest change would definitely be the level of comfort in the execution. In the initial years of The Arcane Insignia, everything carried that sense of “side project”. Finding our voice in it and currently writing material intentionally for what the project represents is definitely one of the most noteworthy elements.
Looking ahead, what future plans or projects do you have for The Arcane Insignia? Will you continue to explore the fusion of acoustic elements with more traditionally heavy influences?
Definitely. We currently have enough material for 2 or 3 full albums, and this time the material seems tailored from the start for what the project is. We look forward to dedicating the next few months to promoting the album and ideally touring, while continuing to craft and fine tune the current ideas floating around.
Finally, what message or feeling do you hope “A Violent Whisper” leaves with your listeners? Is there a particular experience or reaction you’re hoping to inspire through this album?
One of honesty. This journey has been incredible for all of us involved in it, and we hope the blood, sweat and tears that went into the two and a half years recording and producing this album are properly conveyed. We are deeply grateful to everyone that dedicates their time to it, and hope this can further stretch the common perception of Metal, Prog, and Classical music altogether.
A Violen Whisper drops on October 9th; keep The Arcane Insignia’s Bandcamp profile under the radar. Follow the duo on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.
