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Ian Arkley | |
|---|---|
 Arkley performing with Seventh Angel in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Ian Arkley is a British heavy metal guitarist and singer. His current band is the UK gothic doom metal outfit My Silent Wake. [1]
Arkley first gained attention as a member (and leader) of Christian thrash metal band Seventh Angel. [2] Signed to Under One Flag, Seventh Angel released first album The Torment (1990), followed by Lament for the Weary (1992).
After Seventh Angel split, Arkley formed Ashen Mortality, adopting a doomier style mixed with mediaeval influences and some death vocals. Ashen Mortality self-released two albums, Sleepless Remorse and Your Caress. [3]
Arkley was briefly a member of the Australian doom band Paramaecium and recorded the album A Time to Mourn with them. Ashen Mortality split in the autumn of 2004, playing their last gig on Halloween of that year. With two of the members in the final line-up of Ashen Mortality, Arkley formed My Silent Wake. My Silent Wake recorded a two-song demo in mid-2005, and the limited 100 copy run sold out almost immediately, and resulted in a record deal with indie label Bombworks Records. My Silent Wake released their first full-length album Shadow of Sorrow on Bombworks Records in spring 2006. [4] Drawing on similar influences to Ashen Mortality, My Silent Wake is a more experimental progression for Arkley, with more open soundscape arrangements, but also a heavier aspect to the sound. My Silent Wake went on to record a further three albums and a split album with The Drowning. The band are still active.
Arkley recorded two albums with the space rock band The Other Window.
Arkley is also involved in a collaboration with the Visionaire frontman in a band called Century Sleeper who released Awaken in 2006. [5]
Seventh Angel later reformed in 2008, and released the album "The Dust of Years" in 2009, which saw the band take a more Death/Doom approach to their previous style.
Since 2010 Arkley has also been involved with the industrial/darkwave band Attrition, contributing guitar. During this time, Arkley has also been active with My Silent Wake.
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in Bradford. Since their inception in 1990, they have released 13 studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release.
Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates. Dark Tranquillity is regarded as the Gothenburg fathers in the film entitled Out of Nothing: A DT Documentary released by Century Media, which was filmed in their home town in April 2009.
HIM was a Finnish gothic rock band from Helsinki. First formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo and bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen under the name His Infernal Majesty, the band broke up after only a few years, only to be reformed in 1995 by Valo and guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström. After being rejoined by Mige, as well as keyboardist Antto Melasniemi and drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala, the band, now called HIM, released its debut album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 in 1997. In 2000, now with drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen and keyboardist Juska Salminen, the band released Razorblade Romance, which reached the number one spot in Finland, Austria and Germany. The first single "Join Me in Death" also charted at number one in Finland and Germany, eventually going platinum and gold, respectively. Following the addition of Janne "Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards, HIM released Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights (2001) and Love Metal (2003). Both cracked the top ten in several countries and allowed the band to tour in the United Kingdom and the United States for the first time.
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, and drummer Art Cruz. The band is considered a significant member of the new wave of American heavy metal movement.
Eternal Tears of Sorrow is a Finnish symphonic/melodic death metal band formed in Pudasjärvi.
Paramaecium was an Australian death/doom metal band formed in 1991. There is use of instrumentation like flutes, cellos and violins on some albums. Paramaecium is one of the few doom metal bands that focus on Christian lyrical themes and Christian concepts. According to Doom-metal.com, "what sets Paramaecium apart from other bands in the doom metal scene, is the fact that they are the only Christian death/doom band that made it to the top of the genre."
Kamelot is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood, in 1987. The Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011. On June 22, 2012, Youngblood announced on their website that their new vocalist would be the Swedish singer Tommy Karevik, who was first featured on Kamelot's album Silverthorn as the main vocalist, co-songwriter, and lyricist.
The Silent Force is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released on 15 November 2004, by GUN Records. On 5 August 2008, The Silent Force along with Mother Earth were released in the United States by Roadrunner Records. This album is the first to feature Ruud Jolie on lead guitar, as well as Martijn Spierenburg on keyboards, after Martijn Westerholt had to leave the band due to illness. It is also the first to feature Daniel Gibson as their producer. The album deepened the band symphonic approach, this time featuring more atmospheric songs that resemble the predominant fantasistic lyrics, inspired both by literature and the band members personal lives.
As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by vocalist Tim Lambesis, the band's first full lineup was completed in 2001. The band has released seven albums, one split album, and two compilation albums.
Ashen Mortality were a British doom metal band formed in 1993 by Ian Arkley and Melanie Bolton. They and Paramaecium are among the best known Christian doom metal bands, though they were always wary of being typecast as such. They recorded two demos, and two albums, and played many gigs in England, the Netherlands and Germany. Featuring clean and growled male vocals, and female vocals, their music was heavy, slow to mid-paced, and influenced by medieval music, doom, death and goth. The band split up in 2005, when Arkley went on to form My Silent Wake.
While Heaven Wept was an American epic doom metal band based in Dale City, Virginia, United States. The primary writer and overall engine of the band was mainman Tom Phillips. Their melodic, classically influenced style could be compared to bands such as Solitude Aeturnus and Solstice ; however, 2003's acclaimed Of Empires Forlorn saw the band branching out into a variety of metal and progressive styles. This trend continues on their 2009 album, Vast Oceans Lachrymose, and on their 2011 album, Fear of Infinity.
Celestiial is a funeral doom metal band from Minnesota. Initially consisting only of Tanner R. Anderson, the band was later joined by Jason William Walton (bass) and Timothy Glenn (percussion). Celestiial is known for using numerous instruments in its music, combining traditional folk instruments with those more typically used in metal music, as well as sampling the sounds of the natural world. Celestiial's music is intended to evoke images of the natural world.
Astarte was an all-female black metal band from Athens, Greece, named after the goddess Astarte.
Seventh Angel are an English Christian metal band that formed in 1987 in Halesowen, West Midlands. The band was known for its combination of doom metal and thrash metal. The band initially released two albums, The Torment (1990) and Lament for the Weary (1992), before disbanding; these records achieved mainstream distribution through the Music for Nations label, making Seventh Angel label mates with such groups as Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. The Daily Telegraph called Seventh Angel "one of the leading Christian thrash metal bands in Great Britain."
The Dust of Years is the third studio album by the British Christian metal band Seventh Angel, released on 24 June 2009 on Bombworks Records. A comeback album, The Dust of Years is the band's first studio album since 1992's Lament for the Weary. While the style continues on Seventh Angel's trademark thrash and doom metal sound, the vocals are death growls as opposed to the previous thrash metal shouts. The album was produced by Esoteric member Greg Chandler who also contributed some growls. The cover art was done by Matt Vickerstaff of Darkwave Art.
Insomnium is a melodic death metal band from Joensuu, Finland. The sound and lyrical themes of their music portray darkness, sorrow, loss, pain, and nature. They are primarily a melodic death metal band with occasional elements of doom metal and progressive metal.
Retroactive Records is an independent record label in Keokuk, Iowa.
HAWK is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania that formed in 2005.
Bloodline Severed is a Christian metal band that originated in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The band started in 1998, and has toured with acts such as Battlecross, Aletheian, Phinehas and many more. The band is independent with their own label named Don't Need One Records.
Bombworks Records is a record label from McKinney, Texas, that formed in January 2004. The label would sign several bands, including Seventh Angel, A Hill to Die Upon, Grave Declaration and Crimson Thorn. The label started careers for bands such as Holy Blood.