WINTERFYLLETH Splits With Bassist NICK WALLWORK

Winterfylleth and longtime bassist Nick Wallwork have parted ways. Wallwork played for Winterfylleth between 2009 and 2025, and contributed quite a bit of acoustic guitar playing to the band’s records over the years. Wallwork is replaced by Mark Doyle, who also plays with Wallwork in Arð.

Wallwork shared the following statement: “It is not with a heavy heart but with a considered sense of self-reflection that I come to announce my departure from Winterfylleth. I look back over the last 16 years with a joyous sense of achievement and pride and am happy to be stepping away now at this point in my life and wish the band all the best as they continue into their next phase.

“I would like to assure everyone that this is not a decision that has been taken lightly on my part and has been one in the making for the past few years, since before we started to write The Imperious Horizon. It was my personal ambition to do one more album and to honour that material live onstage, which we have now accomplished on a number of occasions. I am also very happy to be stepping away following an album which I think is one of the strongest in the band’s catalogue and I stand by it with extreme pride and see it as a fitting bookend to my tenure in the band.

“I have had some of the most amazing experiences of my life whilst being a part of Winterfylleth and it has allowed me to experience things I previously would never have been exposed to. From candlelit acoustic shows in St Pancras Old Church, European tours and festival appearances alongside some of our most notable peers and influences to simply seeing my own music pressed onto vinyl for the first time. These are all lifelong memories I will cherish forever.

“On a personal note, I would also like to wish all the very best to my good friend Mark Doyle who will be taking the torch from me going forwards. Mark and I go way back to High School days, playing music together there for the very first time in various forms and, of course, more recently onstage again in the live lineup for Arð. Winterfylleth has always been a very close knit unit and I couldn’t think of a better person to be stepping up and taking things forward – being a very talented, versatile musician in his own right. I’m sure he will waste no time in bringing his own talents to the fore and help the band move forwards into their new chapter.

“I would like to personally thank all the people who have worked alongside myself and the band closely on the journey over the years but mostly I raise my glass to my fellow bandmates over the course – to Russell Dobson, Mark Deeks, Dan Capp, Mark Wood and of course Simon Lucas and Chris Naughton who were good enough to welcome me into the rehearsal room at Strangeways Studio in Manchester back in 2009 as we put together material for The Mercian Sphere – ETERNAL HAILS to you all.

“Lastly, thank you to everyone who has supported both myself and Winterfylleth over the last 16 years. See you all down the road and at the bar.”

Winterfylleth also issued their own statement, saying: “Friends, We have some sad news to bring to you all today…

“After giving his all for 16 years, 7 albums, 2 live albums, various EPs, as well as performances at almost every show we have ever undertaken, Nick Wallwork has taken the decision to hang up his guitar and retire from Winterfylleth.

“In some ways it is an impossible task to try and quantify the depth & importance of Nick‘s contribution to Winterfylleth within just a few paragraphs. But, needless to say, his presence within our number enabled us to up our game, and push ourselves towards the true direction and approach we would ultimately end up taking as a band. His signature Bass playing, his skills on the Classical Acoustic Guitar & his Lead Guitar creativity have all moved us into unchartered territories, both sonically and stylistically. But more than all of that, he has been an amazing bandmate and friend to us all, at every step of the way along our career to date.

“Since our early days, Nick has been an integral part of the band and a huge driving force behind the songwriting and development of our sound. Simon & I have always thought of Nick as an ‘original member’, despite him not being on the debut album, because it was only after his joining that we truly developed the direction we wanted to take the band in. His inclusion was also the point at which we genuinely became a ‘proper band’ and not just a studio project for the first time.

“While there is no animosity or impact on our relationships in his departing (and indeed he will still be around for Arð, and our other less intensive projects) it is still difficult to be losing the talents of a great musician and friend from our main endeavours as Winterfylleth. It takes a lot from a person to be in a band for the long haul – both in terms of the time & continual efforts needed to maintain it and push it forwards. All of this having to be done around the rest of life’s many requirements.

“It goes without saying that Nick‘s presence will be greatly missed by us all, and that he will always remain, to us, a member of Winterfylleth. In his parting, we have come to accept that life dictates other priorities for everyone at various stages throughout its course, and that there are other ‘peaks that must be climbed’ for us all. So, we all support his decision to progress into the next chapter of his life.

“I hope you will join us in thanking Nick for everything he has done while in Winterfylleth these last 16 years!

“To lessen the blow of his moving on from that band, we have (Nick included) been working on finding a suitable replacement for his role in Winterfylleth. After careful reflection we are pleased to announce that Mark Doyle (a close friend, and also a live member of Arð) will be joining the band on Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals. Those eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that Mark has been around the band for a long time, and has stepped up to perform with us on a number of occasions over recent years, where one of us was unable to do so. Most recently he appeared with us on Lead Guitar at March Into Walhalla Festival 2025 in the Netherlands. We will continue to work closely with Mark behind the scenes and we shall return anew for the next set of shows in Summer 2025.”