CELLAR DARLING’s second full-length »The Spell« weaves a dark fairytale for the modern era, told through heavy yet intricate, progressive folk rock, enchanting visual art and utterly immersive storytelling. The band began in 2016 after Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars and bass) left Swiss folk metallers ELUVEITIE, which they had all played in for over a decade. But they weren’t ready to end their musical journey together yet, and embarked on a new and different path. On »The Spell«, CELLAR DARLING have cemented their sound. Juxtaposing darkness and light, the album soars with melody, pummels with heavy passages and is peppered throughout with progressive flourishes, folky interludes and classical elements, as well as their use of hurdy gurdy and flute. “I think prog fits us best,” says Merlin. “Prog isn’t just about guitar solos, long songs or technical ability: for me, it’s pushing the limits of genre. We don’t want to set any boundaries for ourselves, and to me, that is the definition of progressive music.” His enthusiasm for grandiose rock and prog bands like QUEEN and DREAM THEATER shines through in »The Spell«, and it comes as no surprise that Anna is the child of two professional opera singers, as her stunning vocals glide majestically throughout this ambitious album.
