photo by Gavin Forster
(Today we present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Mark Deeks, the man behind the UK doom band Arð (and a member of Winterfylleth). The delay in presenting the interview is entirely our fault, but fortunately it remains a timely and engaging discussion.)
It was in the Pantheist interview… As you probably remember, the band took part in the Organic Doom event together with Arð from Newcastle upon Tyne. It was a live gig where two doom metal bands performed their sets with church organ, and even the BBC was interested and covered this gig. As Pantheist included their live set in the new EP Kings Must Die, so you can find Arð’s set as a bonus to the band’s new album Untouched by Fire, released by Prophecy Productions on April 26th.
The only man who stands now behind this band is Mark Deeks. He performs all instruments and sings, though during the recording he relied on the help of Atavist’s drummer Callum Cox. Untouched by Fire is Arð’s second album in five years, and Mark keeps on exploring Nothumbrian history and culture through this authentic melodic doom metal. I invite you to make a trip to the world of medieval Anglo-Saxon doom together with Mark himself.
Hi Mark! How are you doing? Are you occupied with preparations for release shows or something?
Hey thanks for the interview. Yes all ready to roll for the release of Untouched By Fire on April 26, and it’s been great to see the response to the three preview tracks and all the kind words from those who love the hymns of Arð.
The only live shows currently planned are a return to Prophecy Fest in Germany in September, and a first hometown show at the Byker Grave festival in December.
Really? Only two shows? Don’t you share the excitement of playing live, as many bands love to do despite all odds?
Whilst Arð was never intended to be a live band originally, I’ve enjoyed the live performances Arð has done so far. Saying that, to get the six of us (who live in three different areas of the UK) to all travel to the same place for a gig is a challenge both logistically and financially, so whilst I’m always happy to hear of anyone interested in having Arð play, I’m realistic enough to know that things may not always work out.
Plus I’d rather protect the special atmosphere a live Arð show has by not making them too regular an event, and special one-offs in cool locations or at festivals are probably a more desirable and realistic way forward than weeks in the tiny rock clubs of the world, which for me wouldn’t suit this music.
Arð’s second album Untouched by Fire is almost here at the time of this discussion, and it seems that there’s just a two-year break between it and the debut Take Up My Bones. But if I remember correctly, you recorded the first album back in 2020, and it took some time before it was released. Was it Covid that postponed the release back then?
No, it wasn’t anything to do with that. Take Up My Bones was recorded right at the end of 2020, and then at the beginning of 2021 I spoke to several labels who expressed an interest in signing Arð, before choosing the perfect fit of Prophecy Productions. From there it took a year to prepare everything for the release, a little in part due to the demands on vinyl pressing plants at the time.
It’s also worth pointing out that I started writing Untouched by Fire in autumn 2022, a process which took around 8-9 months. The wheels of doom grind slowly…
So it looks like there are nearly two years between the albums. How far did you go now from the point where you were with Take Up My Bones? Do you feel that you polished Arð’s formula, or did you find some new ways to express your interest in Northumbrian past?
I wouldn’t say there have been any drastic changes in the sound on the new album, but I did have an intent to perhaps “darken” the sound a little for this album, and make it perhaps a little more aggressive in sound.
I’d hesitate to use the word “progressive” as for some that’s a word that can put people off, and Arð will certainly never sound like Meshuggah or Dream Theater (!), but I think that perhaps there’s a touch of my love of ’70s progressive rock in places that at least I can detect in the finished album, even if they might not be obvious to the listener.
How do you define this progressive element in Untouched by Fire? By the songs’ complicated structure, by vintage keys, or by your attitude in general?
I’d say there are just some little touches of some unusual phrase lengths, time signatures that may not be the norm here and there, and so on. Sadly there are no actual vintage keys present on the album, but certainly I enjoy using sounds that hint at them here and there.
You recorded Take Up My Bones in Foel Studios, and it was mastered in Priory Recording Studios. I think that Chris Fielding and Greg Chandler are like godfathers of modern British doom metal. Did you work with them on Untouched by Fire too?
No not on this occasion. Whilst I love working with Chris and Greg, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone a little this time, especially after working with Chris many times with both Winterfylleth as well as Arð.
I’m a huge fan of Empyrium, and especially the production work of Markus Stock on the last Empyrium record in particular, Uber Den Sternen, so I wanted to explore how working with him could fit with the sound of Arð.
With his connection to the history of Prophecy I couldn’t resist asking him if he’d be interested in producing the new album, and I was delighted when he said yes. Working with him was a great experience and I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of the results.
Did you spend some time with Markus in his Klangschmiede Studio E? Or did you communicate strictly remotely?
Yes, I went and spent almost two weeks with Markus in his studio. It was a fantastic experience to immerse myself in making a record with him there and I’m delighted with the results.
What did draw your attention to the story of warrior king Oswald (604–642) which you tell through the new songs?
Oswald is a really significant figure not only in Northumbrian history but also England as a whole. He is often seen as a leading figure in bringing Christianity to the country from his conversion on the small island of Iona whilst in exile as a young man.
However, as always with Arð, I like to “poke the bear”’ a little and challenge the established narrative. The main text on this era that we have to learn from is Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, in which Oswald is portrayed as a great and holy man – in layman’s terms, the goodie.
But of course, Bede is writing from a Christian perspective, and we know that who controls the message, controls the narrative, and in places on the new albums I’ve tried to encourage a questioning of the narrative around Oswald, and whether it is as simple a story as presented in the text.
I found that king Oswald was killed by heathen king Penda, and it’s curious as King Penda Productions’s name just jumped up from my memory! If I remember correctly, it was run by Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom’s men. Do you have a circle of the bands who’re interested in British history and project it through their music and lyrics as you do?
I wouldn’t say I have a circle as such, but of course I have been a member of Winterfylleth for 10 years, and we have a long history of using inspiration from historical English texts to inform and inspire our work.
I also wrote my PhD on National Identity in Northern and Eastern European Heavy Metal, and have a longstanding interest in how bands represent where they come from in their work.
Mark, can you tell more about this work?
I completed my PhD in 2016 after a seven-year effort. It was my attempt to challenge the narrative around national and transnational identity in the output of countless metal bands over the last 40 years, especially in the musical elements.
I found that you recorded the new material alone with Atavist’s drummer Callum Cox. Was he the only guest on this album or did you have a bigger company, as it was during recording of Take Up My Bones?
Yes it was great to have Callum with me again on the new record to lay down the beats of doom, but like on Take Up My Bones I was once again joined in the studio by longtime friend Dan Capp (ex-Winterfylleth) to provide lead guitars and additional choral vocals.
The only change this time was to have Robina Huy on cello rather than Jo Quail like last time. Robina played on the last Empyrium album mentioned earlier, was local to the studio, and brought her beautifully emotive playing style to this music, which I was delighted with. Cello plays such a central role in the music of Arð, it will always be important to have really great players work with me on cello, and I’ve been lucky to have two so far.
You mentioned cello, and I wonder if you ever thought to change Arð’s direction to a more folk one. Did you?
Not that I can imagine currently. Arð is my take on doom, and it just so happens that I love cello, as you can hear from all the multiple weaving layers throughout Arð’s music. I’m pretty sure this will always be a central component of the sound.
I interviewed Kostas Panagiotou a few weeks ago, and he talked about the great experience Arð and Pantheist shared in performing Organic Doom Vol. I. How do you value this experience? How much did it take to rearrange Take Up My Bones? And would you play your Untouched by Fire with the live pipe organ as well?
Yes Organic Doom was a truly unique and great experience. To experience the power of this music live with the added weight of the pipe organ was something that will live long in the memory.
I was lucky that as I already had notated a lot of guitar and cello lines during the composition process, it didn’t take a huge amount of re-arrangement to be able to communicate what was needed with the organist David Pipe.
There aren’t any current plans to create the experience again, but never say never.
Was it your and the label’s original intention to release this live set as a part of the new release? Or was it just a kind of lucky accident?
I was determined to capture at least an audio recording of the occasion to mean I had the option to use it as bonus material in the future, but it was a great addition to also see the video footage captured, which meant we could present both visual and audio documents of a special night.
What are your plans for the rest of 2024 now?
I’m greatly looking forward to hearing how everyone hopefully enjoys the new album. You never know I might start getting itchy fingers and start sketching some new Arð ideas down too. As far as live events go, if anyone would like to bring Arð to a venue near you, please feel free to reach out at ardnorthumbria@gmail.com.
Thanks a lot for the interest.
https://www.facebook.com/ardnorthumbria/
https://ardnorthumbria.bandcamp.com/