The Journey So Far
2008
Throughout the period of 2008 the band diligently worked on their first musical output focusing on creating classic British black metal fused with the passion and atmospheres created by British folk tales. Crafting each song carefully the band prepared several songs of which five were recorded. Of these three were put forward for the demo. During this year the band also launched a very successful MySpace website along with its own dedicated website.
2009
On Friday 13th March 2009 Old Corpse Road unleashed their first demo "The Echoes of Tales Once Told" in a limited 1st Edition of 1000 hand numbered copies. Reviews of the demo were outstanding (click here to view them) and we gained much support including a slot on the Zero Tolerance covermount CD.
On the strength of the demo the band were offered the chance to record a split EP with The Meads of Asphodel to be released on Godreah records. The Old Corpse once again entered the studio to record three more songs for the split EP which are Hob Headless Rises, The Witch of Wookey Hole and The Devil’s Footprints.
In addition the band featured on the UK Black Metal Vol. 2 compilation with the unreleased demo track “Hell’s Kettles” and also contributed guest vocals on The Meads of Asphodel xmas special track for Terrorizer magazine “The Song of a Thousand Roars”. During the later half of 2009 the band played several successful live dates, including the well renowned Gathering of the Clans festival.
2010
In March Old Corpse Road unleashed the split EP with The Meads of Asphodel entitled “The Bones of this Land are not Speechless”. The year will also see the band touring more extensively with dates already lined up across the UK including day gigs and festivals. Later in the year the band will prepare material for the debut album.
The Old Corpse Road was conceived during the autumn season of 2007 during a brief excursion to the Lake District, more specifically Haweswater. This Autumnal break, in celebration of the wondrous and powerful music that we all know as Black Metal, awoke our desire to share our musical passions with other like minded people. The band name was taken from the road of the same name which rises out of the Haweswater valley and leads to Mardale.
The Music
The music is at its heart classic British black metal. Dynamic guitar patterns flow from fierce black metal through to powerful melodic passages and onto serene yet haunting ambient moments. Through the music and lyrics the band tell British folk tales and thus the songs move through many emotions and atmospheres. In order to achieve this the band employ various musical stylings which give rise to unusual but enthralling musical structures.
In addition Old Corpse Road successfully weave folk sections played on acoustic guitars through to progressive metal moments in order to portray the tale. Vocally the band employ intense black metal screams, deathly growls, passionate narratives and medieval inspired harmony chants. Lyrically each song is our interpretation of a folktale, told from different perspectives. Each lyric has several real world factors such as location and cultural effects, these factors allow our listeners to connect to the music beyond just their imagination.
The Band
Old Corpse Road consists of five members who play under pseudonyms. This is due to our personal identities being unimportant to what the band produces as a whole. The band's line-up has been stable since its inception in 2007 and consists of 2 guitarists, bass, keyboards and drums. Vocals are taken care of by all band members.
The band are prolific songwriters with a large amount of unreleased original material prepared. Musically the band creates and arranges the music together and has a very positive working relationship. The band take pride in all aspects of their work and self produce their art, lyrics and website from concept to completion. Dedication is at the core of the bands work ethic. The band currently has its own rehearsal space allowing us to practice and write music regularly. We are now seeking live audiences around the UK and afar over the coming year and look forward to being able to perform our energetic and diverse set to the masses.
The members of the band are long time friends who form a part of the Nemain Collective. On a personal level the band follow the entire metal scene passionately and regularly attend gigs and rock nights whilst indulging in fine ales and beverages.
The Concept
As you will be aware the spectrum of Black Metal is as vast as the cosmos that inspires it; selecting the correct course for our creativity was a decision we did not take lightly. With the utmost contempt for religion, a total disregard for humanity, and pity for politicians and our ailing society we concluded that we would only become more bitter and spiteful following these paths. So after much discussion and introspective travel, we narrowed our focus to the single aim of playing Black Metal inspired by our true passions; Nature and British Folklore. Combining the dark beauty of British Folk Tales and the power and majesty of Nature, we hope to steal away your soul...
The Inspirations
Old Corpse Road are not aiming to break any musical barriers, nor do we seek fame or infamy; we only seek to give back to the scene that has given so much to us. Musically we are inspired by many diverse bands; within black metal Bal-Sagoth, Primordial, Cradle of Filth, Burzum, Emperor, Abigor and Immortal. Old Corpse Road also enjoy classic early doom bands such as My Dying Bride, Celestial Season and Paradise Lost. The band find much pleasure in various other musical styles from Cold Meat Industries (Arcana, Raison D'etre) to traditional folk music, classical pieces and film scores.
The Mythology Behind The Name
Corpse Roads provided a practical means of allowing the transport of corpses to cemeteries that had burial rights. In Britain, such routes can also be known by a number of other names: bier road, burial road, coffin road, coffin line, lyke or lych way, funeral road, procession way, etc. Such "church-ways" have developed a great deal of associated folklore regarding wraiths, spirits, ghosts, and such-like. Many of the corpse roads have long disappeared, while the original purposes of those that still survive as footpaths have been largely forgotten, especially if features such as coffin stones or crosses no longer exist.
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