Blackened shoegaze newcomers Æl-Fierlen launch colossal debut album

UK blackgaze rising stars Æl-Fierlen have released their colossal and deeply sprawling debut LP, All Is Far Away, last Friday, September 19th via self-release. The LP’s release comes alongside a gorgeous, sun-soaked music video for the album’s closing epic, “Ællmiht“.

Discussing the LP, the band describes All Is Far Away as

“an exploration of dark memories through an ethereal embrace of all things sombre. The lyrics’ visual metaphors furtively paint a picture of the contrasting verdant landscapes where band members were raised, across both the English and American south.”

Composed by guitarist Rob Melville, with lyrics by vocalist Stephanie Moffatt, Æl-Fierlen’s songs beg you to close your eyes and feel surrounded by an encroaching wood. Æl-Fierlen twists and intertwines elements of black metal, shoegaze and folk together to create something larger, that feels as solid, monolithic and deeply ingrained as the oldest tree in a dense, sprawling forest.

TRACK LISTING

1. To Sleep Eternal

2. Pulrose

3. Eðe

4. Ællmiht

The group’s first single, “To Sleep Eternal,” released in May 2024, is a dreamlike contemplation of whether our waking or sleeping hours produce the greatest nightmares. “Eðe” (an Anglo-Saxon word meaning, “laid waste, desolate”) took on an infiltrating, eerie sound inspired by the haunting legend of the Axeman of New Orleans, lilting from monstrous to playful, foreshadowing the weight of the proverbial axe coming down. The song was released in September 2024 with an accompanying music video set in a derelict cemetery in Essex.

The album’s remaining tracks “Pulrose” and “Ællmiht” also take their titles from Anglo-Saxon words. While the former is a mischievous, murky journey through the everglades under the watchful eye of a hungry alligator, the latter is a lament of layered cries resulting from losing one’s way, in every sense of the phrase, after the forest grows dark and the path is unclear.

Melville said of his composing process,

“It’s trying to convey an atmosphere and intense emotions sonically. Inspiration often comes from something evocative I’ve seen in nature that I am trying to capture the essence of.”

For Moffatt, the lyric and melody writing process are something akin to a ghosthunt.

“Sometimes I hear the instrumental version of a song and immediately know what kind of vocal melody it should have, almost like walking into a house and instantly sensing it’s haunted. Other times there are more opportunities for collaboration. I always hope the final sound will bring the listener to an emotional place we’ve carefully designed.”