Formed in 1984, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM took their name from the Biblical legends of Nephilim, who were fallen angels expelled from Heaven for divulging hidden knowledge to humans.Their debut occurred in 1985 with their "Burning the Fields" EP, of which 500 copies were originally released on their own Tower recording label.
The EP, even though being rather limited, caught the attention of Beggar's Banquet, who released the 'Power' single on the Situation2 label the following year.
Quickly, the band secured their own individuality of a superficial pastiche of spaghetti western chic.
This look embodied the essence behind the image of "dust and death", and reflected the band's fascination with the darker side of life.
Through continual touring, the band gathered a barrage of followers.
"Dawnrazor" (1987), the first FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM album, established the band's distinctive sound, along with the visual images associated with live performances and their video for 'Preacher Man.'
All four of the singles ('Preacher Man,' 'Blue Water,' 'Moonchild,' and 'Psychonaut') off of the album reached the top of the independent chart and climbed the UK Top 40 national chart.
In 1988, they produced their second album, "The Nephilim", which debuted on the UK Album Chart at number twelve.
A live concert video, "Forever Remain", was released to document the band's epic performances.
"Morphic Fields", a collection of the band's three prior videos, was released in 1989, along with the video for 'Psychonaut,' which in turn caused some considerable stir.
FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM's third studio album, "Elizium," was issued in 1990, along with two more videos, 'Sumerland,' and 'For Her Light.'
A double live album recorded at Brixton Academy, "Earth Inferno", followed "Elizium" up the UK Top Forty.
A video was also released to supplement the live album titled "Visionary Heads."
Then in early 1991, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM performed two shows at the sold out "Fire Festivals" at the Forum in London, after which the band split up.
After the break up, Carl McCoy, vocalist, explained: "We had never had a break in our career, so we needed one to pursue our own separate ideas."
"The reformation is inevitable, really, because it's unfinished business. We owe it to the fans too."
Carl produced a new project, Nefilim, while the other band members continued on under the moniker Rubicon.
Finally after nearly a decade of wonder, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM announced their return by appearing at major European festival dates during the summer of 2000.
Their first release was the 'One More Nightmare (Trees Come Down AD)' single, with the B-side 'Darkcell AD,' on Jungle Records, the home of their original label.
Both songs on the single were radical re-works of two tracks from their "Burning the Fields" release.
"The reason we released those tracks first is that they were a good stepping-stone from the past to what we we're presently doing," said Tony Pettitt.
Their newest album (and first for Metropolis Records), "Fallen", takes their "dust and death" image to a deeper level.
Each track is dramatically heavier than their previous work, which allows the band to explore new levels of musical genius.
Hard rock songs and atmospheric tracks are blended brilliantly together to form a coherent revolutionary journey into "Fallen"'s depths.
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