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The Northumbrian doom project Arð, who has recently signed a multi-album deal with Prophecy Productions, is now revealing the video "Burden Foretold" as the first single taken from the buzzing debut album Take Up My Bones, which has been slated for release on the 18th of February 2022. Mastermind Mark Deeks is also revealing the details of Arð's first full-length that can be viewed below. Arð has been conceived by vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and lyricist Mark Deeks in 2019.
"In the late 7th Century, Cuthbert was a hermit, a bishop, and a healer in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria", explains musical and lyrical mastermind Mark Deeks. "According to the medieval sources, he had the gift of vision and premonition, including that of his own death. When Cuthbert finally passed on the island of Inner Farne, two beacons were lit to let his followers over the water on Lindisfarne know of his death. Yet rather than this being the end of his story, "Burden Foretold" marks actually the beginning, as protecting Cuthbert's remains would involve a long journey full of danger and mystery."
Arð is of Northumbria. 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 (634–687) and their long journey.
The theme that has inspired mastermind Mark Deeks would easily fit into the black metal mould were it not for the holy man. This particularly harsh style has a long history in the wake of Bathory's pioneering works of being deeply rooted in the native traditions of their homelands. Countless Norwegian, Icelandic, and Swedish bands referring to the myths, sagas, and history of the Viking age offer a strong case in point.
Yet Arð transfers this artistic quest for heritage and identity upon a solid doom foundation, which in itself constitutes a new approach. And while the topics of prophecy, funeral, and hermitage related to St. Cuthbert are quite suitable for the doom genre, which often deals with death, melancholy, and sorrow, the soul-search through history and time on Take Up My Bones reaches far deeper than mere gothic ornamentation.
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. Link
Take Up My Bones tracklist:
01. Burden Foretold
02. Take Up My Bones
03. Raise Then The Incorrupt Body
04. Boughs Of Trees
05. Banner Of The Saint
06. Only Three Shall Know
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