Cthulhu Dreamt Talks of New Music and No Plans of Stopping!

Metal go getter's CTHULHU DREAMT have two album's, a handful of single's, and have an EP out this fall! The band talks of all of this plus more below.

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

I (Reed Reimer) began this concept project to work through a lot of personal feelings (loss, depression, grief) I had around the passing of my child Ripley. 

It started a couple months into covid with my friends Jeremy Myslinski (Moon & Snow, The Coming Darkness) and Jake Myslinkski (The Coming Darkness). As we began working on our first songs another long time friend, Nathan Berntson, joined the group. Since then other friends have contributed to story, lyric, and songwriting: Ben Larson and Chris Durston.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Because the world and basis of our story is based in a Cthulhu mythos, we wanted something that comes from the phrase “In His House at R’lyeh Dead Cthulhu waits dreaming, yet He shall rise and His kingdom shall cover the Earth,” which comes from Lovecraft’s writing. For us, the part that stuck was Cthulhu dreaming… Cthulhu Dreamt.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

The crazy thing about us is that our band is spread all across the globe from California to the UK. I’m based out of Minnesota, and the scene here is amazing. In the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) we get most tours large and small, so we’re pretty spoiled in that regard. Also, the amount of bands creating awesome music locally is pretty amazing. There’s a Spotify playlist called Minnesota Metal ( https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0aGpOFNRoTlI34A7IgsCEy?si=8bbb763a022c4eb4 ) that includes so many releases from bands like Dychromia, Lorekeeper, Sunless, Witchden, Blame the Witness, and The Motion Mosaic to name only a few; you could throw a rock in any direction and hit a band making killer stuff here!

4. How would you describe your style?

I’d describe it as mixed-genre or melting-pot metal. We have so many influences and things we love that we never lack for inspiration… the negative about that is someone coming to listen to purely death metal or alternative metal, or djent or whatever will be turned off because we mix so much stuff into our sounds. But if someone goes into listening to Cthulhu Dreamt and is ready for a journey, they won’t be disappointed. Overall, we’re definitely metal based, but it runs the gamut to orchestral, cinematic, to trap music, bluegrass and back.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

We released our self-titled debut in January of ’21, our sophomore record ‘LIMINALITY’ in March of ’22, and a couple one-off singles in between.

The way I built the releases was to be listened to as a through story, so each album can start and go from beginning to end, connected; a journey to aid in the immersion. Also, each release comes with an original story in the liner notes that helps build the world and backstory of the overall Cthulhu Dreamt concept.

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We’ve got an EP we’re finishing up called PRECURSOR that will be released this fall. 

Our first single from the EP “TRACE Amounts of Death” will be streaming August 5th ( https://ampl.ink/CDTraceAmounts ), and this is all in the lead-up to a huge announcement and the opening of a Kickstarter we’ll be running with Action Fiction for a TTRPG based in the world of Cthulhu Dreamt, which we’re writing a massive soundtrack for.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

This is something we talk about and is definitely possible, but we don’t have any current plans for shows.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

There are no plans of stopping, as the material for writing is never diminished and always meaningful, especially to others who are, or who have gone through loss and depression. The soundtrack for the game has been a huge undertaking, and whether it’s well received or not, it’ll be a project that we can look back on and be very proud of. And should it have success, then that just means we’re doing something that speaks to people and would have an obligation to continue.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

We’re streaming on every platform, and links can be found on our website CthulhuDreamt.com. That is also where you can find our merch, as well as on our Bandcamp page: https://cthulhudreamt.bandcamp.com.

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

This is a journey, and is meant for everyone from all places. Chances are something in here will be something you love, and the next track might be something you like least, but we’re continuing to evolve and go deeper into the world so if you’re willing to come along on the trip, we won’t let you down.