Ashen Mortality

Ashen Mortality

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1993
Founder	Ian Arkley, Melanie Bolton
Defunct	2005
Headquarters	Birmingham , United Kingdom
Products	Music albums, demos

Ashen Mortality was a British doom metal ensemble established in 1993 by Ian Arkley (formerly of Seventh Angel) alongside Melanie Bolton. The group produced two demo recordings and two full-length albums, performing live across England, the Netherlands, and Germany. Their sound featured a fusion of clean and harsh male vocals with female singing, integrating medieval motifs with elements from black, doom, death, and gothic metal genres. The band ceased activities in 2005 following Arkley's formation of My Silent Wake.

Career

Their initial demo, titled Ashen Mortality, was laid down in October 1993 at The Wall studio in Birmingham, with Andy Wickett serving as engineer. The band's first live appearance occurred the following month as a supporting act for Rez Band in Salford. Throughout 1994, they toured extensively within the UK, including a notable performance at London's Brixton Academy on 14 May. The second demo was recorded in July 1994 at Attic Studios; soon after its completion, Ben Jones exited the lineup. In August, Ashen Mortality appeared at the Greenbelt festival with stand-in drummer Neal Harris, who subsequently joined them for their September tour across Holland and Germany.

In 1995, three songs from their second demo—"Separation," "Sleepless Remorse," and "Imprisoned"—were remixed and combined with four new compositions to form their debut album Sleepless Remorse. Neal Harris handled drums on the new tracks while Ben Jones featured on the remixed material. The album was produced at Attic Studios on a budget of £400 and released in 1996 through Forsaken Records, a label established by Bolton. Neil Shilvock joined as the full-time drummer that year. Ashen Mortality toured England alongside acts such as At the Gates, Serenade, Acrimony, and Hecate Enthroned during this period.

Following a brief tour to promote Sleepless Remorse in 1997, Shilvock departed and George Aytoun stepped in temporarily on drums. The band made a return appearance at Greenbelt festival that August. Aytoun became an official member in 1998 and participated in recording Your Caress in April. This album was completed within two days and mixed by Dan Sprigg at Dep International. Subsequently, the group relocated to Weston-super-Mare and resumed performing locally throughout 1999; Aytoun also developed their website which launched that summer. Your Caress achieved international distribution via Plastic Head. Activity diminished in 2000 as plans for a third album were abandoned. After several years of inactivity, Ashen Mortality reassembled in 2004 with new drummer and bassist for rehearsals and two live performances.

Due to illness, Tim Cooper was unable to perform during the band's final shows in Norway and the UK; these gigs were completed by Andi Lee on bass and Jasen Whyte on drums. In 2005, a remastered double CD edition of both albums including bonus tracks was issued. The group officially disbanded in April of that year. Ian Arkley went on to form My Silent Wake with former members Andi Lee and Jason Whyte, collaborated with James Allin of Visionaire in Century Sleeper, performed with Alan Southorn in The Other Window, and later revived Seventh Angel. Tim Cooper passed away from leukemia in August 2006.

Final Lineup

• Ian Arkley – guitar and lead vocals (1993–2005)
• Melanie Bolton – vocals and keyboards (1993–2005)
• Tim Cooper – bass guitar (1993–2005) (deceased 2006)
• Jasen Whyte – drums (2004–2005)

Previous Members

• Ben Jones – drums (1993–1994)
• Neil Shilvock – drums (1996–1997)
• George Aytoun – drums (1998–2001)
• Marcelo Lopes – drums (2001–2004)

Touring Musicians

• Neal Harris – drums (1994–1995)
• Andi Lee – bass guitar (2004)

Discography

Studio Releases

• Sleepless Remorse (1996)
• Your Caress (1998)

Demo Recordings

• Ashen Mortality (1993)
• Separation (1994)

References

Sources