Epic metal band Mythbegotten is set to regale listeners with an aural tome filled with stories of legend, myth, and the macabre, collectively titled “Tales from the Unseelie Court”.
Hailing from the hills and woodlands of Central New York and New England, Mythbegotten combines a love of legends old and new with a folk-inflected fusion of metal genres to arrive at a uniquely epic and melancholic melodic concoction.
The result is an eight-track journey that reaches Tolkien-esque levels of grandeur. The band offers an in-depth look at the inspiration behind “Tales from the Unseelie Court”.
“The key inspiration for the individual songs includes the Dullahan (an evil fey from Irish Mythology) which inspired the song “The Heedless Horseman”, Sawney Bean (a legendary Scottish Cannibal and inspiration for “The Hills Have Eyes”) which inspired the song “The Terror of Lothian”, H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Rats in The Walls” which inspired the song “Beneath Exham Priory”, The Welsh Legend of the Wild Hunt which inspired the song “Mallt-y-Nos”, the Arthurian legend of Merlin and the Dragons which inspired the song “Omen of Embers”, The melancholy book 4 of Milton’s “Paradise Lost” which inspired the song “The Fall”, and the climactic Battle of the Pelennor Fields from Tolkien’s “The Return of The King” which inspired the song “Of Wrath and Ruin”. This is all rounded out by an arrangement of the classic Scots ballad “Twa Corbies” which brings together the old traditions of British Isles balladry with this modern sonic storytelling which Mythbegotten bases its songwriting upon.”
Over the last several months, Mythbegotten has released a series of two-song “chapters” from Tales from the Unseelie Court. Stream “The Road to Unseelie Court” series at mythbegotten.bandcamp.com.
“Tales from the Unseelie Court” is set for release on October 31st.
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1. The Heedless Horseman |
The Journey So Far…
A decade ago in Syracuse, New York, Connor Hoffman, Daniel Barbour, and Joe Sopchak released the Stirling demo under their folk/power metal fusion project Hounds of Annwn. Shortly thereafter, they performed their only live show at the Sturmfeier folk metal festival in Hamlin, New York, but with college and work taking priority, the three soon scattered throughout the Northeast. All knew, however, that there was much left undone, songs left unsung, and stories left untold.
In 2022, after years of sporadic songwriting and fits and starts of recording, the trio re-committed to bringing their vision of folk- and symphonic-infused power metal to fruition under the new moniker Mythbegotten. This name was chosen for its elegant encapsulation of the band’s ethos: to chronicle the stories from myth, fantasy, and history that have inspired them.
“Tales from the Unseelie Court” is the first release from this reforged musical triumvirate and is centered around the folklore of the British Isles and literary fantasy, showcasing the eerie and macabre as well as the wondrous and heroic. Listeners feel as though they are sitting amidst a gathering of the Unseelie Fey Court, hearing great and terrible stories retold to the assembled congregation.
Mythbegotten is excited to reveal its unique blend of metallic styles in this first eldritch release and looks forward to sharing tales even stranger and more wondrous with the world.
