Cellar Darling were formed in the summer of 2016 following their split from Switzerland’s most successful metal act to date, the chart-topping Eluveitie. The trio, consisting of Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars and bass), already have a decade’s worth of experience touring the world, in over 45 countries on 6 continents! As the winners of the 2014 Swiss Music Award for ‘best live act’ the then members of Eluveitie have experienced much together, forming a bond that can overcome any adversity. After the split with their former band in June 2016, Anna, Ivo and Merlin quickly realized their musical journey was far from over and instantly began working on their own songs. What quickly developed was a unique and fresh combination of grand and heavy riffs, powerful drumming and a unique voice, with the signature folky, earthy tones of the hurdy-gurdy. The guys want to stay true to their reputation for musical innovation, and to reinvent folk tales for the modern age, as the very essence of what they once were.
Even without knowing where the musicians come from, any listener will quickly realise that here is a band full of experience and string knowledge of what they want to achieve and how to do that by working together. All the trio are important to what is happening musically, of course, but Anna is responsible for the two elements that really stand out, namely her incredible vocals and her playing of the hurdy-gurdy which is often at the heart of the song. For those wondering what on earth it is, it is a stringed instrument that produces sound by a hand crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound like those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents—small wedges, typically made of wood—against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it has a sound board and hollow cavity to make the vibration of the strings audible. Most hurdy-gurdies have multiple drone strings, which give a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound like that of bagpipes, which means that it is often used in modern folk where bagpipes may feature.
But, Cellar Darling aren’t a folk band, they are a full-on metal band that use folk and symphonic elements within melodic music that is exciting and vibrant, looking backwards for inspiration as well as creating something that is new and different. Ivo and Merlin provide the metal, Anna provides the folk, and they meet somewhere in the middle to create music that is full of space, life and vitality. Eluveitie were a major success, and I know that Cellar Darling are going to continue that story.
