Arð - Take up my Bones (2022)

Unleashing waves of melancholic bleakness, today we have Arð and their debut full-length release “Take up my Bone”. Perfectly crafting over 43 minutes of mournful Doom Metal, this one-man outfit takes atmosphere and doom to a whole new level with this opus. Just imagine an even more doomier and more atmospheric version of Hamferð and you can only begin to picture what this release brings to the table.

Opening with the mid-tempo “Burden Foretold”, we get a nice combination of punishing distorted riffs with elegant guitar leads and spine-chilling vocal arrangements. Self-labeled as “Monastic Northumbrian Doom”, tracks like the album title track, “Raise then the Incorrupt Body”, and “Boughs of Trees”, perfectly deliver this very unique and eerie feeling. With some of the clean instrumentation resembling elements from Tenhi and Empyrium, but sprinkled with soaring vocals and some intensely dramatic tempo changes.

By the time we made it to “Banner of the Saint”, we were completely demoralized (in a good way) by the album’s complete atmospheric dominance and engaging diversity, something not very typically said of albums in this genre. There is certain magic as to how tracks like “Only Three Shall Know” perfectly combine the heavy distorted guitars alongside instrumental passages and haunting clean vocals. We are big fans of growls in these kinds of releases, but here the aesthetic would have been ruined by them.

Led by Mark Deeks of Winterfylleth, “Take up my Bones” is a very unique exploration of traditional Doom Metal, filled with the atmosphere and weeping guitars characteristic of the genre, while incorporating mournful vocal arrangements. This gives the album a whole new dimension and makes the feeling of impending doom even more imposing, making this release one of our all-time favorites. Do not miss out on this majestic album.

Label: Prophecy Productions

Release: February 18th, 2022

Genre: Doom Metal

Country: UK