"Bringer of the Dawn" out NOW! 🌄
Kingdomheim is a Folk Metal AI project that is produced by Artur Mokrushin, who is also the producer of Artos the Seeker.
It was strategically established to separate AI generated music from the human-produced music by Artos the Seeker.
However, both projects are driven by the same mission statement: to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God through Folk Music.Â
After getting laid off from my job in April 2025, the potential of AI music was brought to my attention. After I created one folk metal song that resonated with my heart, I knew I had to create more! What makes this low quality AI music better than the amazing works of other real folk metal bands? Lyrical content! There is something powerful about folk metal when it is combined with the message of the Kingdom of God, and my soul craves for that! After completing my EP album under Artos the Seeker, God has put it on my heart to create AI folk metal and launch a new niche in the community—Kingdom Folk Metal.
With the rise of AI music, there is no doubt that there is plenty of competition in the music market! What makes Kingdomheim any different? I think one of the key differences is the extra effort that goes into improving the quality of each song.
In other words, Kingdomheim isn't about AI slop and pumping out hundreds of low quality music. Instead, I make sure that each song is the best that it can be before releasing it because, in the end, I want to be able to enjoy this music myself!
And this effort toward quality doesn't just stop at the music—it flows into all other content that accompanies each release.
The first step to quality is the lyrics. I don't use built-in tools to auto-generate random lyrics. The first idea for an album comes from my head. I think about the theme, the message, song structure, and the progression of the album before I take it to a LLM AI tool to flesh out the lyrics. I make a few variations of lyrics for each song and piece together sections that best fit my vision for the song.
Once the lyrics are complete, I use a music generative AI tool like Suno to create the music. But, it's not necessarily the first song that is the pick for the album. Sometimes it takes up to 50 creations (maybe even more) in order to generate a song that fits the style and presentation of the lyrics. It sounds simple, but the process can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, especially when attempting to recreate a good idea from a poorly generated song!
For the I AM album, it took around 1,000 generated tracks to find 12 good ones... and they still need plenty of work!
The I AM album marks the beginning of the AI-Hybrid standard for Kingdomheim. With added instruments, layered drums, and enhanced effects, this is the most refined and complete version of the vision for this project so far!
The first thing that is added are kick and snare samples—this is an industry standard for all hardcore music. Adding these samples provides more control over shaping the kick and snare. The cymbals aren't perfect either, so I add samples for cymbals where I feel it necessary. This is especially true when bringing life to the song with automation and adding double crash cymbals to create a more dramatic entrance into high-energy sections like the chorus.
After dialing in the drums, I work on adding additional instruments. These are usually traditional instruments—like the tin whistle, violin, bagpipes, hurdy gurdy—but I will sometimes layer in electric guitars if the existing stems are not providing the energy that I'm looking for. I use additional instruments to compose harmonies and to reinforce the melody that is already in the song. Composing four-part choirs has also become one of my favorite elements to incorporate, which helps bring out the "awe" in certain sections.
For epic measures, I add effects like whooshes and booms to enhance the impact that certain sections naturally call for. One of the most disappointing experiences when listening to music with a subwoofer is when your body anticipates an explosion of energy, but the song offers nothing in the low-end on the drop! I make sure that explosion happens!
I think that this is where the average AI music artist stops. They generate a set of AI music, download the WAV files, and ship the album to the distributor. Sure, the average person today can enter prompts and generate music, but the average person does not know how to mix and master music and likely doesn't even know what a DAW is.
While I don't mix music for a living, the experience gained from mixing hardcore music for the Artos the Seeker projects gives me an edge that most AI artists do not have.
As I like to put it, mixing AI music (in 2025) is like mixing a great performance, but a horrible recording! There are plenty of "fix it in the mix" issues that need to be addressed even with the best of creations, and each challenge often needs a creative solution. Mixing involves track stems, and that is exactly what I do.
While I did learn how to master music out of necessity for the Reign of Love album, this is another effort that most AI artists will not make. At the most, they may run it through AI mastering, which, in my opinion, does not produce great results (at this time). During the mastering process, I make sure that the loudness, tonality, and low-end levels are even throughout the whole album.
Does all of this describe "AI slop"? To me, it doesn't. That's why I laugh when people accuse me of AI slop! Personally, I want to create quality content—from lyrics to music to visual content.
I will acknowledge that the quality of my AI music is not as pristine as what real bands produce, but I'm still learning the process. The quality of each new release is better than the previous releases, and that's the metric that matters. AI tools will eventually improve over time, which will increase the overall quality.
But for now, one important element is the idea of Kingdom Folk Metal that I hope inspires like-minded people in real metal bands to think beyond drums and guitars and incorporate traditional instruments.
Beyond music, there is purpose in the work that I do—a quest beyond myself. Whether through personal creation or AI tools or a mixture of both, my priority is to seek first the interests of the government of Heaven.
Without God, pumping out AI music becomes self-promotion; however, with God, AI music becomes a tool for proclaiming the most important message the world has to hear—the Kingdom of Heaven has been restored on earth, which was accomplished through Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross, made valid by His resurrection, and proven by the power and witness of the Holy Spirit in those that have received Him and have been born from above into His kingdom!
I stand boldly by the music I create and the assignment that the Lord has put on my heart. You know my name, you've seen my face. I take my work seriously, and I hope that it shows!
