{"id":82,"date":"2009-08-26T13:43:16","date_gmt":"2009-08-26T11:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/?page_id=82"},"modified":"2025-10-29T00:02:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T22:02:54","slug":"music","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/?page_id=82","title":{"rendered":"Music"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Hymns of Ember and Ash<\/h1>\n

During mid-2025, we embarked on our first self-recording, giving us the necessary space and time to achieve the results we were yearning for.\u00a0\u00a0The Black Metal Archives commented that “Hymns of Ember and Ash is a firestorm of an EP \u2014 a perfect fusion of Thrash precision and Black Metal chaos.”<\/p>\n

Blessings of Akatosh<\/h4>\n

Whilst using video games for lyrical inspiration may not be traditional thrash\/black metal fare, the sheer depth of lore within The Elder Scrolls, in particular Oblivion, provided us with a rich tapestry of characters and dark myth ideal for exploration.<\/p>\n

Holmwood<\/h4>\n

Based on Robert Holdstock’s Mythago Wood, which is a mythic fantasy novel about a mysterious English forest where archetypes from folklore – called “mythagos” – manifest from human imagination, reshaping reality and identity.\u00a0 Set in post-WWII Herefordshire, the story centres on Ryhope Wood, an ancient forest that appears small from the outside, but expands endlessly within.<\/p>\n

The Hollowing<\/h4>\n

A second reference to Holdstock, and an exploration of a father’s quest to rescue his son from the depths of the wood.\u00a0 The title refers to a “hollowing”, an archaic English term for a sunken lane or hidden path – symbolising the secret, transformative routes within the forest.<\/p>\n

The Tomb of Semiramis<\/h4>\n

The Tomb of Semiramis is a 17th-century alchemical text that uses the legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis as a symbolic guardian of hidden wisdom. Framed as a hermetically sealed tomb containing \u201cinexhaustible treasures,\u201d the work explores the nature of the Philosopher\u2019s Stone and the moral purity required to uncover it. It warns that only the spiritually worthy may disturb the resting place of ancient secrets, blending themes of transformation, secrecy, and mythic femininity. Semiramis herself becomes an allegorical figure\u2014representing the veiled mysteries of alchemy, the sacred vessel of transmutation, and the ethical gatekeeper of esoteric knowledge.<\/p>\n

A Radial To The Sea<\/h1>\n

Our first single-session full-length album, featuring new tracks mixed with a couple from over ten years ago.\u00a0 The lyrical theme covers wide-ranging subjects, including pagan worship, alchemy, botany, loneliness, espionage and nuclear warfare.<\/p>\n

The Cauldron<\/h4>\n

The gods of Asgard were looking for an eternal source of mead, and they demanded that \u00c6gir, god of the sea, provide it for them. \u00c6gir, unhappy with the tone of their request, said he\u2019d only do it if the gods could supply him with a cauldron large enough, such enormous vessels being rather scarce. Tyr, the god of war and justice, knew just where to obtain such an item: his father, the giant Hymir, had one that was \u201ca league deep\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Nemean Lion<\/h4>\n

The Nemean lion was\u00a0a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. Eventually, it was killed by Heracles (Hercules). Because its golden fur was impervious to attack, it could not be killed with mortals’ weapons. Its claws were sharper than swords and could destroy any armour.<\/p>\n

The Moon-Gazing Hare<\/h4>\n

The Myth of the Moon Gazing Hare reflects ancient beliefs. Pagans believed that seeing a moon gazing hare would bring growth, re-birth, and abundance, new beginnings and good fortune. In pre-Christian times the Hare was considered a sacred animal, entwined with the earth or white Goddess who was the provider of all things.<\/p>\n

A Radial To The Sea<\/h4>\n

A lament of Beeching’s Cuts and urban decay, and a poem to the beauty of the railways and landscapes of Somerset and Dorset.\u00a0 A Radial was one of the old, small steam engines which travelled along the picturesque Lyme Regis branch line.<\/p>\n

Novichok<\/h4>\n

The tale of the Skripals, exploring the creation of the deadly nerve agent and its ultimate deployment and discovery in Salisbury, minutes from the UK’s primary medical bio-research facility, where Class 4 pathogens are routinely examined.<\/p>\n

Nine Herbs Charm<\/h4>\n

An Anglo-Saxon charm recorded in a 10th century manuscript called Lacnunga.\u00a0 The charm is intended to be an antidote to poison and to heal infection. It contains both Pagan and Christian elements and details the Nine Sacred Herbs of Odin. It may have been written during the Christian era or it may be older and edited by Christian monks.\u00a0 This track was around 12 years old at the time of recording.<\/p>\n

The Book of Lambspring<\/h4>\n

The Book of Lambspring is a\u00a0work of spiritual alchemy<\/strong>, has few references to physical alchemical processes, and it seems unlikely that it could ever have provided any clues that might help someone engaged upon physical experimentation. Instead, it is a clear, powerful and extremely useful statement of the inner work of the spiritual alchemist.<\/p>\n

Island of Ghosts<\/h4>\n

The tale of the Manhattan Project, based upon the documentary “The World’s Biggest Bomb” and the devastation of the archipelagic testing sites.<\/p>\n

Drybones Wood<\/h4>\n

Hearkening to an simpler time, when the land was greener and nature was allowed to flourish.\u00a0 This tracks refers to an old area between Chorley, Coppull and Duxbury in deepest Lancashire.<\/p>\n

Sanctuary Of The Moors<\/h1>\n

Sanctuary Of The Moors is a 2016 concept release of all-new material based on the history, legend and lore of Anglezarke and Rivington moors in Lancashire.<\/p>\n

Of Men And Mer<\/h4>\n

Many thousands of years ago, the lands were covered by frozen glaciers and latterly the molten valleys were carved by the sliding frost.\u00a0 The evidence of the millions of sea creatures that lived in this area is still evident now, as any visitor can see.\u00a0 The lyrics tell the tale of the changing times through the eyes of those who came before.<\/p>\n

Maw Of The Rift<\/h4>\n

A very eerie story is told of a footpath, beginning on a winter’s evening soon after the turn of the century, when a farm labourer living on Dean Head Lane in Rivington dashed terror-stricken into the Black-a-Moor’s Head Inn, and startled the members then in the club with the statement that he had just seen the devil.<\/p>\n

He was terrified, breathless, and almost exhausted, so he was given a drink and a seat by the fire until he had recovered composure enough to tell of his unnerving experience. He said that he was walking the narrow footpath along the north side of Dean Wood valley, and thinking how he would enjoy a drink of beer when he got to the club, when, at the spot where the footpath is nearest to the steep side of the valley, something made him look round over his shoulder, and there, almost touching him, was the Devil, horns and all. Whereupon, almost scared out of his wits, he fled, as fast as his legs would go, for the club, expecting at any moment something terrible to happen to him, but he arrived there safely.<\/p>\n

Afterward he would not talk of his hair-raising experience, except to affirm that all he had stated was true.<\/p>\n

Three months later his dead body was found near the brook in Dean Wood valley, directly under the spot where he had seen the devil. He had evidently fallen from the top of the steep side of the valley to the bottom.<\/p>\n

1534<\/h4>\n

The song tells the tale of a terrifying battle that occured at The Street, an old manor house which still stands on the banks of the Upper Rivington Reservoir.\u00a0 Children were threatened and missiles were thrown during a confrontation between hundreds of townsfolk and the owner of the property.\u00a0 Lancashire church bells can be heard tolling through the track, as they did during the feast of All Hallow’s when the upheaval occurred.<\/p>\n

Sanctuary Of The Moors<\/h4>\n

Before the reservoirs and the industry, the moors were home to rural families which have now disappeared virtually without trace.\u00a0 Whilst some ruined farms are present, others are buried beneath the waters of the artificial lakes.\u00a0 The song urges a lone visitor to explore the old threads in silence and imagine the lay of the land during the late 1800’s, when a small but thriving community existed.<\/p>\n

Winterhold<\/h4>\n

Anglezarke has Nordic origins – it’s name comes from Anlaf’s Land, and it was he who often observed the slopes of Winter Hill, a place known previously as Winterhold.\u00a0 This land of the lapwing and curlew has always been ridden with frost and foreboding.<\/p>\n

Wild Woods<\/h1>\n

Wild Woods is a 2016 culmination of prior releases Trismegistus<\/strong> and Anglezarke<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Secret Of Hermes<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Hermes Trismegistus gave cryptic instructions to European alchemists, which if translated correctly tells the reader how to create the Prima Materia – the Philosopher’s Stone.\u00a0 These instructions were written on the Emerald Tablet, which has been deciphered over time, it’s secrets now revealed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Destroying Angel<\/strong>
\nThe track tells the tale of identifying the Soma, a Vedic ritual drink referred to in Hinduism.\u00a0 Much speculation has been made as to the original identity of the plant that created the Soma, some say it was Amanita or another hallucinogenic fungi.\u00a0 Shamans were said to have drank the urine of those who consumed the Soma, thus removing it’s more harmful constituents.\u00a0 Those who took it first hand were said to become manically entranced.<\/div>\n
Forged Land<\/strong>
\nHarking back to a more pastoral time before mass consumerism brainwashed the masses, the lyrics tell of a longing for a simpler life at one with the coast and the wilds.<\/div>\n
White Gold Wielder<\/strong>
\nis based upon The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson.\u00a0 Leaving the sunken island of the One Tree, the Giant ship Starfare’s Gem sets course to return to the Land.\u00a0 In a dangerous region of the ocean known as the Soulbiter, the ship is blown off course into the far northern reaches of the Earth and becomes ice-bound.\u00a0 Realizing that the Land’s needs cannot wait for the spring melt, Thomas Covenant leaves the ship and strikes out south over the icescape, accompanied by Linden, Vain, Findail the Elohim<\/i>, Cail of the Haruchai<\/i>, and four Giants.Barleycorn’s Lament<\/strong>
\nBased on the Old English piece, John Barleycorn, the lyrics tell of the harvest and rebirth cycle as depicted through a crop of barley from sowing time through to it’s final product, a fine pint of cask ale!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Arrival Of The Demeter<\/strong><\/div>\n
is inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and deals with the count’s arrival by ship to the shores of Whitby.<\/div>\n
Ryhope<\/strong><\/div>\n
deals with Robert Holdstock’s Mythago Wood.<\/div>\n
Anglezarke<\/strong><\/div>\n
is inspired by the real-life history of our local countryside.<\/div>\n
Level 4<\/strong><\/div>\n
is a re-recording of a track from our very first promo in 2005, and deals with the horrors of the Ebola virus in the Sudan.<\/div>\n

Arendia were a four-piece during the recording of Wild Woods – from L to R – Anthony Couch (now of Nokturnal Ritual), Ged, Brody, Fishwick.<\/p>\n

\"music<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hymns of Ember and Ash During mid-2025, we embarked on our first self-recording, giving us the necessary space and time to achieve the results we were yearning for.\u00a0\u00a0The Black Metal Archives commented that “Hymns of Ember and Ash is a firestorm of an EP \u2014 a perfect fusion of Thrash precision and Black Metal chaos.”… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-82","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":547,"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82\/revisions\/547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arendia.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}