Minorarc
Key Details
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Artist Type: Soloist (Ivan Bullock) with occasional guest artists
Genre: Progressive metal, electronica, experimental, neo-classical
Instruments: Electric guitar and bass, piano, synths, violin, mandolin
Years active: 2000 – present
Biography
For over 20 years, Ivan Bullock has been an active recording artist and proponent for Australian arts and experimental / underground music.
A classically trained violinist and multi-instrumentalist, his modern musical journey began in Tokyo. The first project Mystral Tide signed to Brisbane’s Zeitgeist Records and performed in Japan, Europe and Australia.
Returning to Australia in 2003, he founded a decade-long concert series in Melbourne titled Enzyme, to showcase and expose dozens of Australian emerging and genre-crossing musicians. These events were furthered by the release of numerous compilation albums, such as the Infectious Unease Radio Compilation I, which received extensive reviews by prominent music journalist Mick Mercer. He also founded Darkstereo, originally a music distribution platform, and now a home to underground music interviews, plus several community-forming websites prior to the prevalence of today’s social media platforms.
For over a decade he has recorded, self-published and performed as Minorarc, the music shifting from Mystral Tide’s synth-heavy darkened electronica, into the lands of progressive metal and post-rock.
“An expression of despair and regret, crafted through piano-driven melodies,
non-traditional song structures, and a wide variety of stringed instruments.”
Minorarc’s most recent release and its fourth full-length album is Inclusions. An instrumental work summoning elements of modern metal and djent to portray emotive unease, offset through the reverberant and powerful effects of classical piano, the warmth of orchestral pads, and delicate touches of classical guitar.
Currently the project is working with Brendan Henriques, a bassist, and Eric Shek on violin to commence live performances in the near future. In 2024 Ivan also joined ex-Ikon vocalist Michael Aliani, in Melbourne’s gothic band Chiron as a guitarist. Future events for the Melbourne Fringe Festival are also in the making, to further promote awareness to underground music in Australia. In addition, Mystral Tide’s first official album in 2001, Whirlpool of Souls is planned for re-release as a 25th Anniversary Edition in 2026.
“What might appear like a weird selection of genres at first sight gets actually smoothly interwoven to wonderful, new soundscapes.”
The Progspace (Inclusions Review)
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“The whole album is clearly the work of a seasoned professional, one who is able to draw new listeners in without oversimplifying things.”
York Calling (Inclusions Feature)
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“Ivan Bullock’s musical journey is a testament to resilience, innovation, and a profound understanding of human emotions.”
TJPL News (Inclusions Review)
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“Carefully constructed album that shows the results of Bullock’s years of classical study of the violin and piano.”
Goth Nation Magazine (Whirlpool of Souls Review)
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“Wow, this album is good! It is really a joy to listen to the complex, atmospheric and catchy sounds of Mystral Tide. How the different real instruments are mixed with the electronic part of the music is unique and the whole sound appears homogenous and perfectly balanced. A sad, brilliant masterpiece.”
The New Empire (Whirlpool of Souls Review)
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“Rare are those artists who are making such an impression with a first album, but behind Mystral Tide there is a true musician who isn’t afraid of breaking genre’s boundaries.”
Electroage (Whirlpool of Souls Review)
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“It’s this ‘Medieval facing the technology future image which illustrates so well the stirring chordal shifts & mythically tenebrous mood. Listen in a darkened room. This CD is definitely worth hearing.”
The Drum Media (Whirlpool of Souls Review)
Achievements
Minorarc (2024) Progressive Metal’s New Pinnacle: Minorarc’s Inclusions article by TJPL News.
Minorarc (2024) Celebrating Two Decades of Australia’s Ivan Bullock article by York Calling.
Minorarc (2023) Inclusions Release of the Week at The Progspace.
Minorarc (2023) Inclusions Reviews by 1111CR3W, Mesmerized, Metal Temple, Rock Era Magazine, Dulaxi, House of Prog, Obscure Sound and Extravafrench.
Mystral Tide (2003) Whirlpool of Souls Review by Goth Nation Magazine. Issue 3. p. 32. ISSN 14474476.
Mystral Tide (2003) Japan scene spotlight in Industrialnation Magazine. Issue 18. p. 10. ISSN 1062449X.
Mystral Tide (2002) Mention in Mick Mercer’s 21st Century Goth. Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-28-5.
Mystral Tide (2002)Whirlpool of Souls Album of the Month at The New Empire.
Mystral Tide (2002) Performance with Seij minus aÇ at Wave Gotik Treffen.
Music
Video
Photos
Links
Minorarc Official Website – https://www.minorarc.net
Minorarc Bandcamp – https://minorarc.bandcamp.com
Minorarc Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/minorarcmusic
Minorarc Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/minorarcmusic
Minorarc YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNu4KwpQ5-I-N0cd9JaaIQw
Minorarc Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qHC5g5Q2nsqV6ApQqn6IQ
Darkstereo – https://darkstereo.com
Dawn Industry – https://dawnindustry.com