Cellar Darling, the new band featuring former Eluveitie members Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars, bass), has released its first single, ‘Challenge’. This marks the very first release from the trio after their highly publicized departure from Eluveitie earlier this year. A second track written and recorded during the same sessions, ‘Fire, Wind & Earth’, was also made available.

‘Challenge’ and ‘Fire, Wind & Earth’ were recorded by Cellar Darling and Marco Jencarelli and Anna Murphy at Soundfarm, mixed by Tommy Vetterli at Newsound studios, and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studios. All strings were recorded by Shir-Ran Yinon and the artwork features photography by Merlin Sutter.

Cellar Darling has confirmed a first show with Anneke Van Giersbergen‘s The Gentle Storm on December 17 at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

‘Challenge’ and ‘Fire, Wind & Earth’ are available now for streaming and download on all digital platforms and services. Both songs were released on Friday, September 23. The unique 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 and Cellar Darling, with videography and editing by Merlin Sutter and generous post-production help by Michel Frutig at Maybaum.

The band comments on the songs: “‘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 newfound 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.

“‘Challenge’ is inspired by a visual image that crept into Anna‘s mind, during what felt like a period tainted with recurring downfall and getting back up again. The music accompanying this image is a symbiosis of dance and combat, sweet and angry.

“‘Fire, Wind & Earth’ was written recorded in the same sweaty summer sessions. The idea for the intro riff was stuck in Ivo‘s head for a long time. As soon as all of Cellar Darling started working together on it, the whole song just evolved naturally. The result is a very straightforward and furious song, both musically and lyrically!”

Murphy, Sutter and Henzi left Eluveitie in June 2016 in an unexpected and stunning turn of events. In their decade with the band, they recorded and released six albums and played nearly a thousand shows in more than 45 countries on six continents, picking up a fan-voted Swiss Music Award as “Best Live Act” along the way.

“For over 12 years, we got to do what we love most in the world, and when it all fell apart one faithful day last summer, we were as stunned as the fans,” the trio said. “Eluveitie was our life, touring the world many times over, meeting fans in all corners of the planet…

“What we are left with is the overwhelming support from the best fans in the world, as well as incredible creativity, drive, and the desire to share with the world what we have in store for the future.

“Friendship and support have helped us through a very dark period filled with anguish and uncertainty, and we are thankful to both our fans and the colleagues and friends who came through for us — you know who you are.

“One thing that never ceased is the music flowing in our veins. The three of us have helped each other through this, and have channeled all that energy into these two songs. We’ve stepped up to the challenge that life threw at us.

“We are looking forward to continuing our musical journey with you all. For your friendship, we will reward you thousandfold!”

Upcoming Shows:
Dec 17 – Melkweg Amsterdam, Netherlands

Weblinks: Facebook / Website / Twitter

Video below: ‘Challenge’

Video below: ‘Fire, Wind & Earth’