NAPIERDALAĆ - Who Are We?
NAPIERDALAĆ is an extreme symphonic metal band (with strong black and death metal influences) residing in Manchester, North West England. Our sound is a combination of thunderous death metal and villainous black metal, combined with the heart-wrenching melodies and powerful sonic resonances of a symphonic orchestra. We aim to commentate on societal issues using our art as a vehicle. Our recent music video, Mylings, explores the religious persecution of female reproductive rights. The ancient folklore of a Myling is used to demonstrate this, as the protagonist is followed on her journey to bury her dead child. Our recently released EP, Principium, has been crafted to be the origin point for our next stories to tell. So far, we have a release (EP or LP) planned out to relate to each song on Principium. In other words, this is just the beginning.
NAPIERDALAĆ
Bill Fenwick: Vocals and Guitars
Wesley Needham: Guitars
Joshua Haslam: Bass
Bill
My name is Bill and I'm the vocalist, guitarist and main composer for NAPIERDALAĆ. I originally started writing songs for this envisioned band back in September of 2021. I don't have any formal musical qualifications (yet) so this was initially a big challenge. However, writing lyrics came a lot more naturally. I had been writing poetry for some time beforehand because of my keen interest in literature, so it was great to combine two of my passions. After moving to Manchester, I managed to pull together the crew we play with today and I am also studying for a degree in Creative Music Technology.
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My main influences mostly come from the Polish and UK Black/Death Metal Underground (with far too many bands to name), as well as classical music. Lyrically, I take a lot of inspiration from writers such as William Shakespeare, John Milton and Robert Louis Stevenson. The new album specifically contains a lot of Shakespearean language, derived from Hamlet, R+J and Henry V.
I'm incredibly proud of the progress we've made so far despite the challenges we have all faced, individually and as a collective. I look forward to leading the charge that shall see this musical hellhound unleashed upon the world.
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Find Bill on Social Media!
Wes
I'm Wes, the newest addition to Napierdalać. I've been playing guitar for over a decade and for the past 2 years I have also been the lead guitarist in Suicide Samurai. Bill initially asked me to play as a favour when the band's original guitarist stepped down. They had a gig booked imminently and needed someone to step in as soon as possible. After some initial hesitation, he bought me a drink and that was all the convincing I needed it seems. I had around 4 weeks to learn the set and maybe 3 rehearsals total, but everything just clicked immediately. The first show went really well, and I was offered a permanent slot the same night - the rest is history.
So far I have 2 gigs under my belt with the lads and they've been absolutely fantastic experiences, with many more to come I hope! I can't wait to get to work on our upcoming project and start adding my own flavour to the mix! From what I've heard so far these songs are gonna blow you away!
Josh
I'm Josh, the bass player for Napierdalac. I joined the band at the end of April after Bill posted an advert on Instagram. I've been playing bass and guitar for many years now, with bass being my main instrument of choice. Trumpet, however, was my original instrument, playing for over ten years as I grew up. I've played for several orchestras/big bands as a trumpet player and in many bands with bass. My long relationship with music has also led me to a keen interest in music theory, and I'm always trying to find new avenues of approach to our songs, especially in terms of harmony. I also write a lot of my own songs, with a variety of influences ranging from death metal to goth.
I'm looking forward to our next writing session and being able to fully dig my claws into Napierdalac's next big project. ​
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