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The Northumbrian doom project Arð has signed a multi-album deal with Prophecy Productions. Arð has been conceived by vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and lyricist Mark Deeks in 2019. Arð will release their debut full-length Take Up My Bones via the label in early 2022.
Arð comment: "I am honoured to become a part of the rich musical history of Prophecy Productions, especially in the label's 25th anniversary year", writes musical and lyrical mastermind Mark Deeks. "Seeing my music on the same label as names such as Falkenbach, Tenhi, and Empyrium is humbling. I am both excited to work with the team at Prophecy and grateful for the faith they have placed in me."
Martin Koller adds: "When I received the unsigned album, I was immediately struck by how easily Arð's music fits Prophecy's roster", tells the founder of Prophecy Productions. "Mark's lyrical concept also gives their songs the artistic equivalent of what winemakers call 'terroir': a particular taste that is created by local soil, climate, and other regional factors. This is something that I am also looking for in bands, which resulted in the quickest signing in the history of this label."
The band's name is taken from an Old English word meaning "native land" in the dialect of the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria. The concept behind the debut album Take Up My Bones from this insular doom metal project revolves around the legendary relics of the famous Northumbrian Saint Cuthbert and their long journey over more than two centuries to their final resting place.
Arð have based their lyrical concept upon a solid doom foundation, a genre, which easily leans itself to such topics as prophecy, funeral, and hermitage related to St. Cuthbert. The ancient kingdom of Northumbria, named by the Germanic invaders, who built upon the heritage of the peoples that inhabited these lands before such as the Brittonic "Celtic" Votadini and their Roman conquerors, also plays a starring role in the concept of Arð's debut album.
With crushing glacial-paced doom, monastic sounding chants and choirs, and sorrowful yet epic melodies, Arð have found the perfect musical expression to narrate a riveting tale of their homelands, of which a first taste can be heard in the background music of the introductory video that is taken from the forthcoming album's title track "Take Up My Bones".
Mark Deeks, who earned his PhD in Philosophy on the topic of "National Identity in Northern and Eastern European Heavy Metal", is also a member of leading UK black metal stalwarts Winterfylleth and keeps himself busy as a musical director, arranger, piano coach, and conductor as well as the best selling author. Arð have created an introductory video that can be viewed below. Link
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