History
Unearthed Elf is a one-man-band, a solo project by Keith D., co-founder of the progressive atmospheric doom band Arctic Sleep.
In 2015, Keith suffered a severe knee injury that left him incapacitated and unable to walk for quite a while. During this time, he was sequestered in the solitude of his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and underwent surgery that resulted in him being filled with narcotic painkillers and incapable of leaving the house for several weeks. Not being a big fan of TV, and having a very limited selection of video games except for Castlevania and Shadowgate, Keith naturally spent most of his time with a guitar and a digital recorder, and began to write epic doom metal songs as a means of escaping into a world of imagination and metal.
Influenced by traditional heavy metal, epic doom metal, power metal, mysterious recurring dreams of crypts & mausoleums, and soul-crushing boredom & loneliness, all the music for the debut album 'Into the Catacomb Abyss' was written in just two months. Keith set out to forge this full-length album in July & August of 2016, as a lone traveler journeying an epic quest all the way to Portrait Recording Studios in New Jersey, where he could immerse himself in the recording & production process. This album is set for release in October 2016.
The character Unearthed Elf is some kind of cursed elven vicar of doom from the Shadow Realm. An entity from the netherworld that exists in the shadows. An antihero in the underworld dimensions. Keith claims to have seen this character in a vision while looking into a mirror in a strange old abandoned house. He felt a strange calling to become this entity in real life, and have it be a singer in a metal band. Many of the lyrics are based on visions and dreams that occurred during this time period.
The result is distinct brand of "old meets new" epic fantasy doom metal that is melodic, catchy, fun, and ideal for headbanging. Open the door to the cobweb-laden mausoleum... See the shattered stained glass... Go down the spiral staircase to the crypt and beyond to the Catacomb Abyss!
(source: Unearthed Elf website, November 2016)(discography updated in November 2016)
