The Living Fields play a hybrid of doom, thrash and epic metal with string quartet arrangements and socio-political lyrics.
In the autumn of 2002, The Living Fields was born as an outlet for guitarist Jason Muxlows doom inclinations and populist beliefs. Fed up with both the tuneless brutality of the late 90s and near-fascist, right-wing idiocy pouring out of the metal community after September 11th, work began on initial compositions with the intent to combine doom-fueled songwriting with the progressive politics metal once stood for.
The music progressed quickly, and before long, Muxlow was looking for a partner to bring a voice to the score. Jon Higgs was contacted on the basis of his energetic vocal performance with Monsterworks, but it was his similar world view and undiluted passion for metal that ultimately sealed the deal. Within weeks, Higgs had cut vocals for the newly-christened Empires Fall, and though far from perfect, the song clearly had legs. Higgs also proved dead-on lyrically, and both The Miseries Never Cease and A Leveling Spirit grew out of the ensuing enthusiasm.
As the material progressed, it was obvious that something extra was needed and string and piano arrangements were composed to fill the void. All songs soon had full orchestral accompaniment, but as they evolved, the orchestral sounds were stripped out in favor of a more intimate and expressive string quartet sound. Not only did it sidestep the formidable task of mixing a full metal band with a full orchestra, but the simplicity and humility of the solo instruments favored them to both the aesthetic and ideological aims of the band.
Today, The Living Fields plays an eclectic smelt of metals fleshed out with piano, violins, viola, cello, acoustic guitars and a variety of internal and external musical influences. Though built around a core of deep respect for the early death /doom architects, The Living Fields songs are rife with healthy doses of thrash, black, Viking and epic metals that reflect the underlying moods and themes of the lyrics. Higgs storylines typically veer far to the left of the self-centered cliches of doom (love, loss and death) in favor of more universal horrors that flow freely from the seemingly endless parade of humanitys self-inflicted plagues. Oppression, injustice, suffering and mans inhumanity to man flourish with such virility in todays world that merely turning on the news offers up ample material for an entire album. Reading any book of history provides enough for a dozen.
Comprised of four songs and clocking in at over 22 minutes, The Miseries Never Cease opens with the epic ride of A Leveling Spirit, slips quietly into the early dawn lament of the title track, and concludes with the thrashing intensity of Empires Fall. Together, these songs stand as the first shot in our canon and set up a wide base to explore in the future.
Recently, The Living Fields welcomed drummer extraordinaire Chad Walls (Pustulated, ex-Brodequin) to the fold and will soon be putting him to work on new songs for a full-length album, tentatively titled, The Peoples Sores. If the early vibes are any indication, theyre going to be consecutive steps in the right direction.
Rekindle the fire and let it burn.
Sadly, The Living Fields is a studio-only project.
My Dying Bride, Solitude Aeturnus, Paradise Lost, Anathema, Primordial, Opeth, Judas Priest...the list goes on and on.
