Cellar Darling are a three-piece Swiss

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band from

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria ...

and

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...

, founded in 2016. The group was formed by Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy, flute), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars and bass). Cellar Darling incorporates heavy metal, folk, classical, and progressive influences. Notably, the band uses a

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a vi ...

and a

transverse flute A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played. The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to the flute's body length. Transverse flutes include the Western concert f ...

. The trio were previously part of the Swiss metal band

Eluveitie Eluveitie ( ; )Chrigel Glanzmann: "...According to current research, it is pronounced in Bernese German as, i.e. ''"Elvèyti"''. But I don't know if this is correct. The gods know that.:: Metalist Magazine :: Interviews :: Eluveitie is a Swiss f ...

History

Formation

In May 2016 three longtime members of

announced their departure from the band. Anna Murphy - female singer and

player, Ivo Henzi - guitarist, and Merlin Sutter - drummer parted ways with Eluveitie in a highly publicised split. The exact details of the split were not cited in the press, but wide speculation ensued among fans. In June 2016 the trio announced the creation of Cellar Darling. The band quickly began working on new music for their debut release. On 23 September 2016 Cellar Darling launched a single called "Challenge" along with the b-side track "Fire, Wind & Earth". The single was self released and the video was created and directed by the band themselves. The musical style of the initial release was a concrete departure from the folk metal genre of their previous band. Cellar Darling played their first shows in December 2016, supporting

Amorphis Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal, ...

in Zurich,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

The Gentle Storm The Gentle Storm is a Dutch musical project by singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen and composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, founder and leader of other musical projects such as Star One, Ayreon, Guilt Machine and Ambeon. The duo ha ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

"This Is The Sound" and signing to Nuclear Blast

In January 2017 the trio announced their signing to a German independent metal label

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label move ...

Records, and that their debut album would be released through the label the following summer. In May, it was announced that Cellar Darling's first album would be titled ''

This Is the Sound ''This Is the Sound'' is the first studio album by the Swiss progressive metal band Cellar Darling. It was released on 30 June 2017 by Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in German ...

'' and was to be released on 30 June 2017. A tracklist of the album was introduced. Cellar Darling released their second ever single called "Black Moon" on 19 May 2017, along with a music video. This was followed on 17 June 2017 with a third single, "Avalanche". Both videos were shot in Tenerife. The debut album was released on 30 June 2017 to widespread critical acclaim.

"The Spell"

On 2 November 2018 "Insomnia" was released, accompanied by a music video created by Costin Chioreanu. Cellar Darling's second album '' The Spell'' was released on 22 March 2019 on Nuclear Blast Records. "The Spell" is a concept album telling a story of "an unnamed girl who is birthed into a world that is full of pain, damaged and debilitated by the human beings that inhabit it".

Members

* Anna Murphy – lead vocals, hurdy-gurdy, flute, keyboards (2016–present) * Ivo Henzi – guitars, bass (2016–present) * Merlin Sutter – drums (2016–present)

Live musicians

* Nicolas Winter – bass (2017–present) *

Rafi Kirder Rafi Kirder is the bassist and vocalist for the Swiss band Deathrope under his alter persona Richland K. Harper. Career Kirder is best known for having been the bassist for the Swiss Pagan metal band Eluveitie, which he left on 4 June 2008. ...

– bass (2016) * Rachel G - bass (U.S. Tour 2022)

Guest musicians

*Shir-Ran Yinon – violin (2016–2017, 2018) *Brendan Wade – uilleann pipes (2016–2017) *Fredy Schnyder – piano (2016–2017)

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2017) * '' The Spell'' (2019)

Singles

* "Challenge" - 2016 * "Avalanche" - 2017 * "Black Moon" - 2017 * "Insomnia" - 2018

Music videos

* ''Challenge'' * ''Black Moon'' * ''Avalanche'' * ''Six days'' * ''Insomnia'' * ''The Spell'' * ''Death'' * ''Drown''

References

External links

* {{Authority control Celtic metal musical groups Swiss folk metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2016 Swiss heavy metal musical groups Melodic death metal musical groups 2016 establishments in Switzerland