Arð – Untouched By Fire: Album Review

By Dominic Walsh on 28th April 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Arð make their return with the follow up to 2022’s Take Up My Bones. Untouched By Fire is another epic collection of monastic doom hymns.

Release Date: 26th April 2024

Label: Prophecy

Format: CD / 2CD / Vinyl / Digital

HISTORY

Arð are of Northumbria. The band is the work of Winterfylleth keys man Mark Deeks. Just over two years since Take Up My Bones (our review here), Arð continue their journey with another monolithic piece of Monastic Doom Metal. Take Up My Bones followed the path of the legend and century-long wanderings of the relics of Lindisfarne saint, Cuthbert (634–687).

Untouched By Fire revolves around the warrior king Oswald (604–642), who forged Northumbria with fire and sword by uniting the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. With powerful allies of the Irish kingdom of Dal Riada on the west coast of Scotland, excellent diplomatic skill and the martial prowess of a warrior who had fought battles both in Ireland and Scotland, where his bravery supposedly gained him the honorary name Whiteblade, Oswald was widely regarded as the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king by his contemporaries.

It was most likely he, who ended the British Celtic kingdoms in the North and expanded Germanic rule in all directions. On Untouched by Fire, Arð trace Oswald’s rise to power from his exile as a youth in Dal Riada due to a family feud, via his victorious battles to conquer the lands that his father had claimed until his founding of Northumbria.

UNTOUCHED BY FIRE

In true Arð fashion, Untouched By Fire opens in a crescendo of guitars and drums that sound both mournful and soaring at the same time. Monkish chants bring in the first words of the album and immediately, the scene is set. As album opener, Cursed To Nothing But Patience, evolves and grows, the many facets of Arð reveal themselves. Crushing guitars, augmented by former bandmate and Wolcensmen mastermind Dan Capp, are the bedrock. Callum Cox, of Atavist, keeps pace with skilful time and tempo whilst Robina Huy adds cello to the glorious mix.

There are so many moments in the opening five/six minutes here that enrapture, however the moment when the guitars crash back in is truly spectacular. You know it is coming, but the pay off is no less satisfying. Deeks treats the lyrics like a poem and speaks them with regal clarity. Vocal harmonies embellish perfectly and make for an exciting opening.

Organ adorns the opening of Name Bestowed. Working with the organ is something that Arð have done previously. Included in the deluxe edition of the album here is Arð’s full performance from Organic Doom where they performed their debut album with a centuries old pipe organ. Name Bestowed is more subtle in its genesis with Huy and Deeks taking centre stage with keys and cello. If ever the term monastic could be applied, this is the optimum place. As the song concludes, the entire mix is incredibly earthy and moves in many ways.

Hefenfelth opens with a solo piano line before following much the same course. There is a patience needed in music of this dexterity. Untouched By Fire oozes emotion and is the very definition of an album; one that needs to be listened too as one piece. Hefenfelth really builds the scene and sets the scene for the battle that it seeks to tell of. The sense of unease builds palpably and when the tipping point is reached, the music soars in grand fashion.

Slow and crushing guitars, drums and bass signify the start of He Saw Nine Winters. It is here that the chanted vocals really show their power. Deeks and Capp really are a brilliant match and their collected voices make this piece of the story. Again, the music is heavy, but vocally, this is spinetingling stuff. A single guitar melody weeps over the music as the voices give way. Voices return to the song and create a brilliant end.

Heritage is clearly the thread that runs through Arð. To tie the music to the history and story, Beverley Palin adds Northumbrian pipes to Beset By Weapons. This piece is a shorter piece (the shortest here) but serves as a little piece of respite before the humungous last piece; Casket Of Dust.

On Casket Of Dust, Deeks delivers his finest vocal to date. The delivery is chilling and clear. Every single word is thought about and vital. Punctuated by the whole band sound, Casket Of Dust is arguably the highlight of the entire album. You can’t really say that it is an epic closer as the whole duration of Untouched By Fire is epic. It does however feel like an incredible shift in everything. When Deeks announces narrates, “There is forgotten. There is memory. There is once upon. There is beginning. There is then. There is now,” the story elevates further than before the credits roll on this wonderfully cinematic album.

One of the most enthralling things about Untouched By Fire is that it feels like there are so many more stories to tell. Under the stewardship of Arð and Mark Deeks, these age old stories are in the best hands. The creative vision is unparalleled; Arð continue to tread the path of excellence musically, thematically and sonically. Untouched By Fire is a resounding success of an album.

Check out Name Bestowed from Untouched By Fire below. Mark Deeks joined us last year to share his favourite doom metal albums. You can read that piece here.