Doomed Confessionary: Rob Melville & Steph Moffatt (Æl-Fierlen)
Photo credits: Robin “Dobbin” Thomas
Æl-Fierlen are a post-black metal/blackgaze band from the south of England with elements of black metal, shoegaze and folk twisted together like the branches of the oldest tree in the forest. They are what the woods sounds like.
Æl-Fierlen have just released their debut album »All Is Far Away« independently on September 19th, 2025. »All Is Far Away« is an exploration of dark memories and folklore inspired by the contrasting verdant landscapes where our band members were raised, across both the English and American south.
The album begins with »To Sleep Eternal«’s mournful urge to cherish waking hours rather than contemplate the grave. The journey continues through a thick, humid night where beasts lurk in the waters of »Pulrose« and the axe may come down at any time during tumultuous and sly »Eðe«. The final track safely delivers the listener from the dark, encroaching forest in the blackness of night, but not without first shrouding them beneath a canopy of atmospheric chanting and longing melodies.
Æl-Fierlen are Steph Moffatt on vocals, Rob Melville on guitar, OB O’Brien on bass and “Ginger” Will Taylor on drums.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
Æl-Fierlen are a four-piece blackgaze band from England. We are very excited to have just released our first album.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Our band members all live a few hours away from each other, which is challenging for setting up regular practices, but makes us feel like we are always ‘on tour’ and gives us the opportunity to be part of a few great local scenes.
What can you be most proud of so far?
The entirety of 2025 has us so grateful. We are proud of ourselves for releasing an album, getting to the finals of Metal 2 The Masses and playing over 20 gigs in our first year of live shows.
What was your biggest regret?
It would have been nice to win Metal 2 The Masses, but we are going to try again next year! We also shot one of our music videos about 3 months before our bassist joined, and it would have been nice if he could have been part of that. It was also -2 degrees the day we shot the video so that was a pretty big and immediate regret!
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Our album release show in London was totally surreal! It was the first time we’ve headlined a show and so being the centre of attention and having people show up for us was incredible and super humbling. We were also massively humbled to support Sylvaine, who was a huge inspiration for Rob starting the band.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Honestly, just how friendly and supportive everyone is! You often hear about how hard it is to make headway and to make things happen as a band but everyone we’ve met has been incredibly supportive and welcoming to us. I’ve heard the expression “A rising tide lifts all ships” and that really seems to be how the scene operates, everyone trying to bring each other up together!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power,
IGORRR – Amen,
Rivers Of Nihil’s self-titled album,
and our boys in Cistvaen – At Lights Demise.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Steph grew up doing theatre, and has grown up hearing, “as you rehearse, so you perform.” It’s probably very predictable advice, but it really helps to practice often and treat rehearsals as if you have an invisible audience.
What are your guilty pleasures?
We don’t believe in guilty pleasures as such, like what you like! But some less serious picks of ours would be We Butter The Bread With Butter, Windows 95 Man, and a few musicals. We have broad, dramatic taste.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in the south of England?
A large part of how we have experienced the scene in our country (as England is pretty small) have been through local one-dayer and two-dayer events, which are often hosted and promoted by other local bands. It really builds a community of bands who enjoy playing together, promoters who know what their area wants to see, and audiences who are interested in discovering new artists.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’re finishing off the year with a show at Rabid Fest on November 2nd and then we’re in Camden, London for a headline show on November 14th. We’re back in London in January on the 16th as well to ring in the new year though.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We’ve already begun work on our second album to keep our momentum going. We’re hoping to be able to play further afield in the north of the UK, and maybe even Europe, in 2026 as well.
How can people best support your band?
Our music and merchandise are available directly from us through our Bandcamp. If you’re in the UK, we’d love for you to come and see us at a show!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you to everyone who’s checked us out so far, we’re so glad so many of you are enjoying our music and we can’t wait to share more in the future. Your support during our first year is so much more than we could have imagined.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well