Northern Oak
Founded in Sheffield, England, in early 2006, during a wintry excursion to the Peak District, Northern Oak have been spreading their unique brand of flute-heavy progressive folk metal across the UK ever since. With a slew of gigs under their belt (including festival shows in Edinburgh, London and Nottingham) and their debut album 'Tales From Rivelin' released to positive reviews in 2008, the band have gone from strength to strength with their current lineup.
A darker and more complex offering than its predecessor, Monuments has a rich, organic sound that evokes the lush, tranquil landscape of Derwent Valley then cascades onwards into harsh, jagged chaos reminiscent of the landscapes of the Dark Peak, the music builds from rock-solid, groove-laden foundations and thunderous double-kick work into detailed harmonic overtures as guitar, flute and keyboards complement and harmonise with each other. Overlaying this are vocals which vary from whispered to spoken and screamed to roared, as the music requires.
Lyrically, their second full-length project,'Monuments' deals with a number of philosophical topics through a loose, over-arching concept; each song is part of the final writings of a Victorian scholar on his death-bed, with each song discussing either an event in his own life or a historical, mythological or naturalistic story that
fascinated him. The black despair he felt over his wife's death ('In These Hills')and a retelling of the myth of Gawain and the Green Knight ('Gawain') are two examples. In keeping with the band's roots, the lyrics often display a strong connection to and appreciation of the endless majesty of nature.
2011 was an amazing year for the band; two live performances at Bloodstock Open Air Festival (one acoustic, one electric) garnered them a great deal of positive press and some glowing reviews, and the Great Exhibition tour in November 2011, alongside Old Corpse Road, Eibon la Furies and The Prophecy, brought the band’s show to a wider audience across the UK. Praised for the energetic, powerful and theatrical nature of their live performances, Northern Oak have spent the beginning of 2012 working on material for the follow-up to ‘Monuments’ and will continue to work on new songs while looking to gig further afield in order to extend their fan-base.
Chris - Guitars
Digby - Keyboards/Violin
Catie - Flutes/Recorders
Rich - Bass
Wib - Drums
Martin - Vocals
www.facebook.com/Northern.Oak
www.reverbnation.com/northernoak
www.myspace.com/thenorthernoak
A darker and more complex offering than its predecessor, Monuments has a rich, organic sound that evokes the lush, tranquil landscape of Derwent Valley then cascades onwards into harsh, jagged chaos reminiscent of the landscapes of the Dark Peak, the music builds from rock-solid, groove-laden foundations and thunderous double-kick work into detailed harmonic overtures as guitar, flute and keyboards complement and harmonise with each other. Overlaying this are vocals which vary from whispered to spoken and screamed to roared, as the music requires.
Lyrically, their second full-length project,'Monuments' deals with a number of philosophical topics through a loose, over-arching concept; each song is part of the final writings of a Victorian scholar on his death-bed, with each song discussing either an event in his own life or a historical, mythological or naturalistic story that
fascinated him. The black despair he felt over his wife's death ('In These Hills')and a retelling of the myth of Gawain and the Green Knight ('Gawain') are two examples. In keeping with the band's roots, the lyrics often display a strong connection to and appreciation of the endless majesty of nature.
2011 was an amazing year for the band; two live performances at Bloodstock Open Air Festival (one acoustic, one electric) garnered them a great deal of positive press and some glowing reviews, and the Great Exhibition tour in November 2011, alongside Old Corpse Road, Eibon la Furies and The Prophecy, brought the band’s show to a wider audience across the UK. Praised for the energetic, powerful and theatrical nature of their live performances, Northern Oak have spent the beginning of 2012 working on material for the follow-up to ‘Monuments’ and will continue to work on new songs while looking to gig further afield in order to extend their fan-base.
Chris - Guitars
Digby - Keyboards/Violin
Catie - Flutes/Recorders
Rich - Bass
Wib - Drums
Martin - Vocals
www.facebook.com/Northern.Oak
www.reverbnation.com/northernoak
www.myspace.com/thenorthernoak