The inventors of monastic doom present another stunning milestone on their fast-rising trajectory with their new album Untouched By Fire, which this time focuses on the warrior king Oswald (604–642), who forged Northumbria with fire and sword by uniting the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira.
Constructed of 6 insular doom pieces, the album begins with “Cursed to Nothing But Patience,” which is wonderfully woeful and, being just shy of the nine-and-a-half-minute mark, showcases the stronger dynamics that also pay homage to pioneers such as My Dying Bride.
Follow-up “Name Bestowed” is gentle with a plethora of tones that wouldn’t be out of place in a monastery. The organ and piano work, in particular, are just sublime, complemented with a vocal choral-style delivery whilst still maintaining that melancholic heartbeat. Hands down the album highlight for me.
The sense of grandeur continues into “Hefenfelth,” which is mainly instrumental and serves as a real statement piece, highlighting Mark Deeks’s composer credentials. It also really captures the aesthetic of the album wonderfully.
The flow of Untouched By Fire is nicely organic, and by the time “He Saw Nine Winters” had finished, it was cemented firmly that this has easily superseded the still very much loved and played Take Up My Bones. There is just something about this release that connects at every level, and “Beset by Weapons,” with its inclusion of Northumbrian pipes, weaves into the final piece “Casket of Dust,” leaving no doubt that this has been an absolute wonder to listen to. At this point, I am well into double figures playthrough-wise, and quite frankly, it makes me feel the same way every single time I listen to it. Phenomenally constructed and delivered.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
The location of what is now thought to have been Heavenfield (Hefenfelth) is nowadays a fairly unassuming, remote field. If you visit at night you feel like you can “hear” for miles around. If this really WAS the location that Oswald returned to claim his kingdom of Northumbria, the field was witness to some truly significant sights in of the history of both the region and England as a whole. Musically this was the beast I wrestled with the most by far over many months, but when it was complete it was deeply satisfying.
– Mark Deeks / Arð
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
An effortless interweaving of history, myth and metal.
Untouched By Fire is out on 26th April
Check out all the bands we review in 2024 on our Spotify and YouTube playlists!
Arð: facebook | instagram | spotify
