1. Fellwarden started up around 2014, you are a founding member, guitarist and vocalist among other Fen bands, why did you decide to create this project? Why did you choose the name Fellwarden and what does it refer to? How important is the coexistence between Fellwarden and Fen for you?
May I start by just saying thank you for the interview and showing interest in this project, this does mean a lot to me.
The impulse to créate Fellwarden had been bubbling away for quite a while before I decided to fully bring it to life in 2014. Fen was formed in late 2005, early 2006 and had very much been my musical focus for a number of years by that point. We quickly became quite busy as a band, playing lots of shows and releasing a number of records. It was of course a fantastic time as post-black metal/blackgaze was very much at the Forefront of the genre during that period.
Nevertheless, Fen is (and was) very much a ‘band’ in the classic sense – an organic entity of musicians collaborating together and forging material in unison with the intention of it being delivered in the live environment. As anyone who has been in a band for more than a handful of years will tell you, a band inevitably takes on a life of it’s own – essentially becoming an entity beyond the individuals in question. This is fine, however I was starting to feel a building need to work on some material in isolation, something separated from what Fen had become into which I could express different facets of my créative impulses.
So I had been entertaining this idea of doing a studio-based solo Project for a few years – something where there was no expectation from the audience or bandmates, something for which I could Delve further into my desire to créate expansive, atmospheric soundscapes rooted in extreme metal. It was one of those things that I had always said to myself ‘I’ll get to this one day – but not yet’ and then realised I had been saying this fo a number of years – putting it off, delaying it. We all do this ultimately (‘oh, I’ll start going to the gym next month…’) and I realised that I needed to actually follow through with this and stop putting if off.
This was at the start of 2014 – I resolved that this was the time to get on with this, finally put into practice this concept I had been considering for a few years. The material began to flow at this point, song ideas and concepts really taking shape in those first few months. I’d decided at that early stage to take influence from completely different landscapes to those explored in Fen – Fen breathes the bleak, twilight expanse of the fens of Eastern England, huge leaden skies and endless bleakness from every angle. Fellwarden meanwhile is rooted to the dramatic crags of north-western England, rugged and breathtaking. The área is replete with looming fells and hence, I incorporated this into the name of the band – Fellwarden, as in one who acts as a custodian of the fells. It felt fitting at the time.
The coexistence of both Fen and Fellwarden is important – there are of course similarities between the two, however there are very much key differences. The existence of both enables each to represent a more focussed distillation as to what each expression requires. Each of these is kept more pure by the existence of the other – in effect, both represent complementary yet contrasting approaches to atmospheric, thematic black metal. Fen is bleakness, earthiness, intricacy and ultimately, cold, raging despair. Fellwarden is drama played out on an epic, windswept stage replete with tales of sacrifice, honour and loss.
2. After the turbulent time experienced as a result of Covid, you already have your third full-length album ready, what has the process of composing and recording this new album been like? Is there a continuous line with the past or is it an album? that will not leave your followers indifferent? What brands of instruments have you used in the process?
The compositional process has not really changed much between albums – it basically involves sitting down in my small music room with my guitar and a glass of whisky and then simply going where my mind takes me. It can sometimes take a bit of time to warm up, to truly engage with the atmosphere and embark on where I would like the journey to take me. Nevertheless, once there, the music can begin to flow. It is a special feeling I have to say – it is particularly important that Fellwarden’s music Works in a way that envelopes the listener and brings them into the stories I am looking to tell.
As for the recording process, the first two albums were completely recorded. Havenless – the drummer on those records – recorded the drums in his own home studio and the rest of the recording I completed with my own set up. For ‘Legend’, I decided to change things up a little by having the drums recorded in a profesional studio. It goes without saying that the drums are the most pivotal aspect of an album recording to get right – the drums lay down the sonic bedrock of a record, presenting a platform across which all the other aspects of an album are placed. With this in mind, the decision was made to record the drums in a profesional studio in Scotland which is where our drummer is based. It has really made a difference I think, giving everything in the mix more space to breathe.
Other than this, I also opted to work on this album with an old Friend who is an extremely talented bassist to play bass on this album. He recorded the bass in his own studio also. Other than this, the album was recorded in the same way as the previous two with all of the guitars and vocal being recorded in my own studio. In many ways, it is still a continuation of the earlier records in as much that the emphasis is still on layering, atmosphere and creating something in which the listener can get lost. At the same time however, given the themes addressed by the record, I wanted to give this album a slightly ‘harder’ edge at times, giving the riffs more weight.
3. The new album continues to make references to atmospheric black, however there are practically no incursions of keyboards and synthesizers, but nevertheless you have emphasized the atmospheres equally but created through the treatment of the guitars and the layers of the voices, everything a challenge I guess; At what moment did you make the decision to work on the sound of the new album in this way? Where did you get the ideas and inspiration to take this step?
Well, in actual fact the original plan was to use even MORE synths on this record! Given that the concept of the album is quite epic/cinematic, as I began to develop the songs I was determined to ensure that no Stone would be left unturned in my quest to make this record as epic as it was possible to be. I was planning on utilising orchestral samples, choirs and a number of other layers to really turn up to ‘10’ the overwhelming sense of stirring atmosphere I wanted to créate.
Of course, as the recording started coming together, my plans began to change. As the layers of guitar were taking shape and I started composing/arranging the many clean vocal sections/choirs on the album, it became apparent that the material really, REALLY did not need me to cover it all in a load of synth/VST instruments.
Indeed, I pushed back completely on the idea at this point – I’d really worked on the vocal layers on ‘Legend’ with many sections having 4, 5 or even more voices harmonising. I didn’t want to drown this in the usual ‘atmo BM’ strings/choirs patches. I also wanted the riffs & guitars to drive the music, to be at the forefront of delivering the melodies. So at that point, any intention of adding keyboards to the album died – and I think it was absolutely, 100% the correct decision. Whilst the soundscape is still dense, layered and full, there is space there, space that allows each element to breathe and retain definition.
4. Do you think that in some way music has to awaken sensations in listeners? What sensations do you want to transmit with your music?
Oh absolutely – I always say that any record I créate needs to take the listener on a journey somehow. This has been my guiding principle since I started playing in bands back in 1997-98 and it still holds true today. Regardless of the genre or style of music that I am involved with, it is absolutely key to me that it resonates with the listener in some way – after all, this is what I like to experience with music myself so it only makes sense that this is something I aim to reflect in the music I créate myself.
Let us be honest, most good music awakens some sort of sensations within the listener – even a catchy three-minute pop song when written well can inspire euphoria, a sense of joy and reléase. Of course, that wouldn’t really be appropriate for the music of Fellwarden and what I am trying to evoke here is a sense of grandeur and reflection – to inspire the listener to reflecto on the nature of sacrifice, of honour, duty and commitment to a cause. How we face up to the challenges within our lives, stand tall against adversity and stay strong in the face of overwhelming tragedy. To truly ruminate on those qualities that exemplify the very best of what it is to be human.
5. The lyrics of the new album are inspired by a book by David Gemmell, how important is the content of this book for you to include it in the lyrics of your new album?
I was first introduced to the works of David Gemmell when I was thirteen years old and it is no exagerration to state that they have had a profound impact on my worldview as I have got older. To be sure, his prose is ruggedly efficient and the plots often relatively simple, however what took me back as a younger person – and still does today – is how real he manages to paint his characters. Gemmell was unafraid to present flawed, damaged anti-heroes, characters who were often on genuine arcs of redemption throughout his works.
These unvarnished people – often from quite ordinary origins – were often set against the backdrop of extraordinary events or found themselves confronting life-changing challenges, forcing them to confront not only the threats before them but also their own personal demons and limitations. He had a powerful way of weaving these themes into his storytelling, rendering so many compelling carácter journeys.
‘Legend’ was his first novel, originally published in 1984, that tells of a vast six-walled fortress in a remote mountain pass which is seriously undermanned by a small army of conscripts and volunteers. As a vast horde sweeps from the north, a number of characters destinies converge within the fortress and the individuals therein face up to the challenges of age, courage, fear, loss and imminent death.
The book actually served as an allegory for a possible cancer diagnosis the author was awaiting at the time, the fortress itself acting as a metaphor for his own body (thankfully, he received the all-clear, though he did pass away in 2006) – this adds another layer of meaning to the story. I had always promised myself that one day, I would do honour to his memory by forging an álbum based on this book, a six-track record where each song was based on a wall of the fortress in question. That álbum has finally arrived – a record born of pure passion, of a commitment to creating stirring, epic metal and to do justice to an oft-overlooked author who really deserves more praise.
6. Although in the past you have always been more involved in the entire process of composition and recording, mixing and mastering for this new album, you have had the collaboration of Chris Fielding, why did you make this decision? Was a new album necessary? approach in your music that could only happen with an outsider?
As explained previously, the decisión was made to get Chris involved at the mixing stage quite simply because I realised I wasn’t able to do full justice to the material. Given how much I was personally invested behind the themes of this álbum, it was essential that is sounded as good as it could possibly be. It needed the touch of someone who could truly deploy their expertise to draw out the most epic side of the music that they possibly could – and Chris was very much that man. When I got the first mix back from him, the stress I was feeling at the time began to melt away – finally, it was starting to sound as colossal as it needed to in order to do justice to the source material.
7. Since the release of your first album “Oathbearer” in 2017, you have been linked to the Eisenwald record label, they have been released almost seven years and three albums later, how important is it for you to have the support of Eisenwald to be able to offer the Fellwarden music?
I am hugely indebted to Eisenwald for the support they have shown me throughout the lifetime of Fellwarden. I had worked with them previously on some limited edition Fen vinyl pressings and knew they were a label that had an absolute focus on releasing the highest-quality products possible. No corners are cut and no expenses are spared – their reputation is built upon absolute quality, both in terms of the music that they chose to reléase and the ítems that they créate.
So I am honoured that three albums in, they are content to continue to work with Fellwarden – their support has been a hugely important part of this project being able to get to where it has.
8. The cover of “Legend: Forged in Defiance” has a more epic and darker character than previous albums. Who was in charge of the design of the album cover? What does it represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
One of the fantastic things about working with Eisenwald is that they have close connections with the legendary artist Kris Verwimp. It was he who painted the amazing cover for our previous álbum ‘Wreathed in Mourncloud’ and when it came to thinking about the cover for ‘Legend’… - well, there was only one choice really wasn’t there? Given we were pushing things into an even more epic, widescreen direction, we simply had to work with Kris again.
Luckily, he was happy to do so – indeed, he has been a firm supporter of the music since we first worked with him on the last álbum – and after we had explained to him the concept of the álbum he went away and came back with the colossal image that now adorns the álbum cover. In keeping with the theme of the record, the cover depicts the immense fortress of Dros Delnoch – the centrepiece of the novel on which the álbum is based, the mighty six-walled fortress that spans the forbidding and mountainous Delnoch pass. Once again, Kris has more than delivered on this – the image is the perfect representation of this central concept at the heart of both the álbum and the source material. As ever, I am humbled that an artist of this calibre and level of reknown has graced my álbum with one of his paintings.
9. For the new album you have also had the collaboration of a bassist and drummer, Mark Harrington and Alasdair Dunn, why did you decide to have them and what do you think they have contributed to the final sound of the album? Do you think having them What has been fundamental in bringing Fellwarden's music live?
This just felt like the right time to bring some new people on board if I am completely honest. I knew I wanted to change things for the third record and Alasdair was someone I’d known for quite a while – I knew he was an excellent musician and had a real passion for this sort of music. Not only this, I knew he was into fantasy literature and the like which really was a key thing for me – I’d decided quite early on what the concept of this record was going to be and it was therefore important that anyone I was working with on the álbum would be on board with this also. If they didn’t quite ‘get’ it or thought it was silly… well, it just wouldn’t have worked.
Alasdair embraced the whole idea with real enthusiasm, bringing another dimensión to the approach and the sound of where the álbum was heading. He contributed massively to the drum arrangements and really helped ‘shape’ the final versión of the songs.
As for Mark, he is one of my oldest friends – we’ve known each other for about 27 years now and have always had a shared love for heavy metal and fantasy and indeed, in the past, we have collaborated on a few bands/albums. He’s also a massive fan of David Gemmell’s work so as ‘Legend’ began to take shape I reached out to him – I really wanted this álbum to be a celebration of the book in many ways and to invite those whom I knew with a shared passion in Gemmell’s work to contribute. It also helps that he is an absolutely amazing bassist! Again, having someone else interpret the material and add their own personality to the songs gave everything that extra layer.
This is also the reason my brother Adam recorded backing vocal choirs on the record and my friend Sean contributed some spoken word – they are also huge fans of the source material and it was important to me that they were involved.
To your final point, yes, this has helped lay the foundations for possible live performances. We received the offer to play Fortress Festival 2024 – so far, our only live show – and it made absolute sense to talk to Mark and Alasdair about this. They were both massively enthusiastic about the idea so all we needed was to recruit a second guitar player – in this instance, the excellent Richard Tunley (who has very much cemented his position as the fourth member of the band) and the live lineup was good to go! The debut show was hugely enjoyable – I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders doing it, it has been a long time since I played a ‘first gig’ with a band, but the rest of the guys absolutely carried me through it and it ended up being a truly life-affirming experience.
10. You have been linked to Fen since its founding in 2006, how different is Fen's proposal and Fellwarden's so that you are clear about where each of your compositions fits? How do you see the health of black metal today? in the United Kingdom?
That very much feels like two questions to be honest! I’ll start with discussing the separation between Fen and Fellwarden as it’s very much a valid question – I’ve certainly seen comments from people saying that Fellwarden essentially sounds like early Fen which I can understand to a degree. After all, I am a main composer in both acts and so there will undoubtedly be an element of commonality in terms of my overall approach to riff-writing, song structure, dynamics and so on – particularly as both projects are rooted in extreme/black metal. However, for me there are very much fundamental differences between the two – and these are important differences that underline why writing for both is so important.
There are times when I desire to explore a particular sound or theme which, whilst being black metal in nature, simply would not be appropriate for Fen. Without Fellwarden, there is a danger that Fen becomes ‘diluted’ in some way, losing a sense of it’s own identity or moving into territories that simply would not work. Fellwarden represents a way for me to channel another facet of my extreme metal expression – more than ever now writing for the fourth álbum has begun. The music is more epic and ‘classic’ metal in approach, weaving influences from Bathory, Candlemass, Scald and Atlantean Kodex into the mix - all fantastic bands of course but not influences that I can really reference too directly within Fen.
So therefore, maintaining the compositional distinction between both outlets is actually getting easier as they mature and with the added benefit of hindsight, I now realise that the existence of Fellwarden is actually very important for enabling Fen to continue to tread the paths it does.
As for the UK black metal scene here in 2024, it is thriving. If you compare it to the sad years between 1998 – 2005 when very little was happening, it is in remarkable health. Of course, the UK gave to the world extremely important acts in the earlier days – none more so than Venom and Cradle of Filth – but whilst there some interesting, isolated acts, the years that followed felt quite empty.
Now we have a remarkable scene here in the UK, supported by excellent promoters who run great festivals that really help to highlight and showcase UK talent alongside international acts. Of course, there are the more globally known bands here that have been flying the flag for the UK for a decade and half now – Winterfylleth, A Forest of Stars and Saor being the most prominent – but there are many others that are starting to break through also - Aklash, Cistvaen, Trivax, Anti Inferno, Wolvencrown, Abduction and Andracca to name but a handful. Add to this some excellent fests – Cosmic Void (run by Cult Of Parthenope) and Fortess Festival (run by Reaper Promotions) are booking truly world-class events attended by global audiences. We also have Cult Never Dies running an internationally acclaimed publishing house and drawing further interest to our scene.
11. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What event in your life pushed you to want to be a musician?
I got into rock/metal in around 1993/94 – my father played me some Whitesnake and what was a passing interest in guitar-based music evolved into an absolute obsession very, very quickly! I went to see Whitesnake in 1994 (and still have the t-shirt) and quickly got a guitar soon after that – something just called to me, a primal, spiritual essence was set aflame within my blood. Back then, there was no internet and we lived in the middle of nowhere so I had to rely on buying tapes from the local record shop – WASP, Iron Maiden, whatever I could get my hands on. I needed it! I also used to buy Metal Hammer magazine and relentless absorb all of the information there.
Extreme metal came soon after – I remember getting hold of ‘Icon’ by Paradise Lost, then some Cannibal Corpse, Cradle of Filth and by about 1996, it was a full-blown descent into black metal – Dark Funeral, Setherial, Emperor, Immortal. And this went hand-in-hand with learning the guitar. My journey through metal was literally aligned with my journey into playing an instrument. With each new álbum, I would hear something slightly different in the sound or technique and would strive to work out how this was done, how I could incorpórate it into my own playing. It’s an obsession that’s been going on for nearly thirty years and shows no sign of stopping!
12. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What latest albums have you bought?
Now that’s a tough question to answer! It really depends on the modo I’m in on the day – generally speaking, it would have to be one of the all-time classics. Let’s face it, it’s either Emperor’s ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ or Mayhem’s ‘De Mysteris Dom Sathanas’. On a personal level, ‘Nord’ by Setherial for me is the ULTIMATE black metal record however. Absolutely relentless, frozen, intense and intricate. Very special indeed.
I haven’t actually bought much black metal this year I have to be honest. The last records I bought were Crypt Sermon’s ‘The Stygian Rose’ (currently blasting on the turntable actually), Warlord’s ‘Free Spirit Soar’, Ulcerate’s ‘Cutting the Throat of God’ and the Black Sabbath Tony Martin-era box set.
Black metal of note this year so far would be the new Akhlys (dodgy politics notwithstanding), Vemod’s ‘The Deepening’ and a mention for our own Cistvaen’s ‘At Light’s Demise’.
13. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Fellwarden fans this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
No problem at all – thanks for the interview, it’s massively appreciated. Now urge your readers to go and read some David Gemmell!
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