In the east of the Netherlands, in a secluded rehearsal room. A number of people work on creating music. They feel a need to cross boundaries, without giving up the melody. It started when two people discussed their love for different types of melodic metal, agreeing to try and contribute. Soon after Gerben and Mark made their plans, Mark and Alex met. Alex was looking for a band and had the same level of ambition as the other two.

Stemming from the music written by Gerben, the then unnamed band started to work on (re)writing songs. With feelings of melancholy and despair, but also a kind of hope. Some months later the trio had produced enough to form a live set. And was ready to show their creations to the world, if not for missing a fourth member.
During summer, the group decided on a name and started recording their first single: Grey. Jochem was introduced to the band and joined on keys/guitar/bass, switching instruments with Alex during the live shows. He also revealed to be capable of screams and took lead on one of the songs. Playing the first string of live shows, it became apparent that doing vocals in combination with guitar limited Alex in his performance. The decision was made to give Jochem the role of lead vocalist, who introduced a layer of clean vocals.

With that the spot opened for a, dedicated, bass player. Who was found in Martijn. With 6 strings on his bass guitar he adds a new dimension to the already dynamic mix. Just after the line-up change the second demo was recorded and released, called Heeding the Call, which features two songs recorded, mixed and mastered by Gerben.

After three years of playing live, doing over 60 shows one of which on MetalDays. Desolate Fields released their debut album Past Apocalyptic Dates. Featuring songs both from the very beginning as well as new songs. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Moonbear Productions. The early-released songs got very positive response and the album marks a next step for Desolate Fields.

Desolate Fields is influenced by bands like:
Agalloch, Anathema, Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Textures, Gojira, Katatonia, Solstafír, In Mourning, Swallow the Sun, Long Distance Calling, Alcest. But also (old) progressive rock and classical music.


Source : Alex Weisbeek