Only Heavy Metal

Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy gurdy), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars) have toured the world for over a decade as members of the Swiss metal band Eluveitie, forming a bond that has proven stronger than any adversity; Out of the Eluveitie's split in 2016 a new band is born: 'Cellar Darling'.

The three musicians are taking the summer to write new music, and are returning to the stage before year's end:

'We are excited to share with you that we are already hard at work on music with our new band, Cellar Darling - and that we have already confirmed a show at the end of this year! We feel incredibly inspired and will be taking the summer to write and create.'

'What will it sound like, you ask? We can’t yet say. All we know is that we will let creativity flow wherever it wants to go, without any limitations or concerns. You will get Ivo’s epic riffs, so it will be heavy. You will get Merlin’s drums, so it will be loud. And you will get Anna’s unique voice, so it will be both powerful and fragile. Oh, and of course we won’t neglect the hurdy gurdy!'

We are incredibly excited to share the very first Cellar Darling song with you! Along with ‘Challenge’, we have also released another song from the same writing and recording sessions: ‘Fire, Wind & Earth’ is a bonus track we couldn’t keep from you any longer!

Both songs are available for streaming and downloading at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, and all your favorite platforms and services.

‘Challenge’ is about an inner struggle, a battle you are fighting against yourself and the world. It is you, screaming at yourself in the mirror and getting high on new-found strength. It is failing, overcoming and achieving. The bipolar dance that is life.

We have fallen. We have screamed. We have battled. We found strength. We will overcome.

The lyric video features the talented actress Fabienne Fellmann (who is also featured on the cover artwork). It is based on an idea by Anna Murphy, directed by Anna Murphy & Cellar Darling, with videography and editing by Merlin Sutter and generous post production help by Michel Frutig at Maybaum Film.

Both songs were recorded and produced by Cellar Darling and Marco Jencarelli & Anna Murphy Soundfarm studios, mixed by Tommy Vetterli at Newsound studios, and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studios. All strings are recorded by the one and only Shir-Ran Yinon, and the artwork features photography by Merlin Sutter.

2017-01-19 - CELLAR DARLING are storytellers. They want to carry you away into their world of music, awaking the spirit of the stories our parents told us before going to sleep, the dramas of love, war and poverty in the hour-long acts of an opera - the adventures of the human spirit with all its mysteries and emotions.

After their split with ELUVEITIE, Anna Murphy, Ivo Henzi and Merlin Sutter reached out for new shores in 2016 and are now ready to let you see the world through their eyes with their unique and fresh sound, combining grand and heavy riffs, energetic drumming and a unique voice with the signature folky, earthy tones of the hurdy gurdy and classical elements - creating something entirely new, while continuing the spirit of musical innovation they have become known for.

So prepare for a journey into the mystical unknown, as CELLAR DARLING are happy to announce that they have signed with Nuclear Blast records. Anna, Ivo and Merlin comment:

“We are extremely happy to be 'back home' after so many years as part of the Nuclear Blast family. They have shown continuing faith in us through difficult times, and we knew they needed to be among the first to hear our new music - and as it should be, everything else quickly fell into place. We are proud and excited to have found partners who understand our music and share our vision; together, we’ll make this year our year!”

CELLAR DARLING are currently working on their debut album, to be released in 2017. They have released a first single, 'Challenge', and a second song called 'Fire, Wind & Earth' in September 2016.

2017-04-27 - CELLAR DARLING, the much-hyped new band formed by ex-ELUVEITIE members Anna Murphy, Merlin Sutter and Ivo Henzi, will release their first studio album on June 30th. Together they will lead you away into their world of apocalyptic tales and heavy riffs, to awaken your imagination and stretch your musical tastes. This highly anticipated debut album with astounding 14 brand new tracks is entitled »This Is The Sound«.

“In less than a year we’ve formed a new band, written an album and come up with what we believe is our sound. This is who we are and we’re looking forward to what happens with it!” - Anna Murphy

"This is it: this is the result of nearly one year of incredibly intense creativity, of ups and downs, of loss and gain. This is the most personal work of our lives. This Is The Sound.” - Merlin Sutter

The band showcased their freshly recorded songs two weeks ago for the very first time:
"We’ve had the best time at our show in Lucerne earlier this month!", the band states. "For the first time, we got to play our brand new and freshly recorded songs live for you. We only wish that all of you who couldn’t make it, but who showed us such amazing support in the last year, could have been there with us. It was a magical and unique experience and we can’t wait for more.”

We start recording our second album today. We will spend the first six weeks writing and recording, mixing both processes in order to capture spontaneous ideas and just completely immerse ourselves in the music and shut out everything else. And drink wine.

2021-01-08 - With "DANCE", CELLAR DARLING have created a song that takes up the “Death and the Maiden” theme of their 2019 concept album "The Spell", but at the same time adapts it into the here and now: a "dance of death", an end-time vision.

In this epic 11-minute track, the Swiss heavy progressive rock trio takes the listener on a dark musical journey worthy of the band's name, combining mystical folk elements with heavy riffs and intricate structures. Once again, the highly unusual instrumentation typical for CELLAR DARLING, including a hurdy-gurdy, flute, and piano, colours their signature sound. Inspired by the dancing plague of 1518, their lyrics for the first time do not tell of an exclusively fictional world but represent an examination of both our history and current events. Thus, CELLAR DARLING continue to move in a new direction, resuming the radical path they have chosen since departing from ELUVEITIE in 2016.

"DANCE" is available digitally from January, 8th and will soon be available physically in a strictly limited vinyl-only picture disc released directly from the band.