Behind The Tracks: Masser - Hour Of The Wolf (Single) (2023)

With the song 'Hour of the Wolf,' I open up about my battles with insomnia. I wanted to paint insomnia as a demon that steals sleep from you during the dark hours of the night.

In writing music, I aim to create a sonic landscape that others can traverse and relate to. As a one-man band, I pen all the music and lyrics. I approach songwriting quite unconventionally, as to write a musical composition rather than writing simply another ‘heavy track’.

I begin by writing orchestration and melodies that are somber and pensive, and I want them to feel melancholic, and for you to resonate with them on a deeper level.

This particular song was incredibly cathartic to write, and I found it incredibly fulfilling and satisfying as a song putting together all the melodies as well as the whole arrangement.

I’m largely influenced by the soundtracks and film scores of the Lord of the Rings, the Elder Scrolls franchise, and the works of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. I like to think my music is a real melting pot of different styles—metal, soundtracks, pop, and dance music, all rolled into one.

With this particular song, I aimed to give it a dance-like waltz feel with its 6/8 timing and big orchestral sound. It's a paradox—where the struggle with my inability to sleep leaves me feeling like I’m in a dark dance with insomnia, where I have no choice but to accept it and wait until the morning.

This is one of my favorite songs I’ve written, as it’s deeply meaningful and the experience of writing it was extremely fulfilling and cathartic.

I hope you enjoy listening to ‘Hour of the Wolf’, and the full EP ‘The Forlorn Path’ is out on February 2nd 2024.