New film · 18:00 today

ORPHAN

HeathenStorm Productions, in association with Dawn of Elysium, presents ORPHAN.

A fast-paced journey into the cyberpunk future of another time, ORPHAN tells the story of Jane Doe, played by actress Aida Knight in her screen debut. Isolated and wandering the urban dystopia, haunted by a lonely childhood, she is drawn towards a glossy corporate clinic. Specialists in ‘Temporal Therapy’, they promise to rewind her memory to the moment before her parents died, so she may relive life a different way…

…but everything has a cost.

Shot entirely on iPhone and without the use of generative AI, ORPHAN pushes the possibilities of creative micro-budget filmmaking. In-camera effects are augmented by motion tracking, masking and overlays to transport the actress into the virtual environments of tomorrow.

Filmed on location around West Yorkshire, including Allen Brickworks, Shipley Glen and Production Park.

Conceived, directed and edited by Daryl Parson, a champion of regional filmmaking in his role as Ambassador for Film Wakefield, while also studying at the Academy of Live Technology.

Music by Bradford-based Gothic Progressive Rock band DAWN OF ELYSIUM. “Orphan” is taken from new album The Mandela Effect, independently released and available now.

Watch ORPHAN

Watch on YouTube HeathenStorm Productions

Released today · 22 September 2026

The Mandela Effect

The Mandela Effect, the new album from Dawn of Elysium, is released today.

Ten songs built around interwoven sci-fi themes, intended to be experienced as a complete work: a distinctive blend of gothic progressive rock/metal shaped by years of writing, development and studio work.

Listen and buy: Bandcamp · Spotify · Apple Music · Amazon Music · DistroKid release page · YouTube

Credits

Dawn of Elysium — Alec Marlow (lead vocals, guitar), Nige Mason (guitar, backing vocals), Emma Marlow (bass, backing vocals), Charles Shelley (keyboards), Gordon Wilkinson (drums).

Written and performed by Dawn of Elysium. First Light features vocals by Kirsty Frances and spoken word by Phil Ragnar. Audio produced by Alec Marlow at Idle Hands Studio and Kurt Wood at Cornerhouse Studio, and mastered by Gordon Young.

Open the album page Launch-party details

The new site brings the band’s music, live dates, history, lyrics, videos and photographs together in one place, with a layout that should be easier to use on both phones and larger screens. The archive is still there — including the old news, releases and gig history — but it should now be easier to find your way through it.

There is also a new gallery, including photographs from across the band’s history, and the Live section now brings current dates and past shows together more clearly. The site will continue to grow as new music, photographs and dates are added.

Have a look around and let us know if you find anything that needs fixing.

The line-up now comprises:

Alec Marlow – lead vocals, guitar
Nige Mason – guitar, backing vocals
Emma Marlow – bass, backing vocals
Charles Shelley – keyboards
Gordon Wilkinson – drums

We can confirm that it sounds MASSIVE!!

The first quarter of 2023 has seen the band experience somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.

The new year found us in a very uncertain place emotionally following a particularly challenging period at the back end of 2022. This was only exacerbated by the departure of Izak towards the end of January, with the band reverting to its pre-2019 core 3-piece. For all there was far too much unfinished business to consider calling time, morale was at an all time low and it was unclear how we might continue.

We got together as a 3-piece just to do something to kick the new year off, whereupon we went through material older and newer. It was very shaky and it was felt that the music had evolved so much in the intervening years, that at the very least the introduction of a second guitar was the way forward, even if just to bolster the sound in a live setting.

However due to an element of growing external personal commitments, this was complicated by the need to take the foot off the gas in terms of regular rehearsal time. We were therefore unsure as to how the addition of anyone new might pan out. There were some gigs in the diary which were rationalised down to the two May dates (as were), to give us some time to figure things out.

Following discussions, there was no appetite within the band whatsoever for finding a replacement vocalist, be they female or male. In any case, as a singer I really wanted to find my voice again and return to the lead vocal position. I took to the studio and began to work through the recordings, finding my place in the songs and making them my own. For all that I had written the lyrics, I hadn’t properly performed some of them before. It was a liberating experience having the mental space to be able to do that and my confidence began to return.

I contacted our friend and much respected musician Nige Mason to ask if he might be interested in helping us out, playing guitar in particular for the planned Manorfest set. We had played a number of times with his band Hollow Earth and he was a fan of our music. He was interested but had not played in a band with a full drums-laden backing track before and had some concerns. At this point it was suggested that we could ask Gordon Wilkinson (also of Hollow Earth / Ironrat / Lazarus Blackstar) if he might be interested in playing live drums. Gordon had already played drums on our forthcoming single and had shown an interest in playing more. Nige asked him, he very quickly accepted and a meeting was called so we could iron out logistics (which were not inconsiderable).

Following the meeting, the original remit was for the lads to primarily help us out live for the Manorfest appearance but the more we got together and the more we talked and planned, it became evident that this was the beginning of a very special and exciting chapter. Everyone was bang up for it, on the same page and this was cemented further when we all got together to play. And so very quickly and naturally 3 plus 2 became 5.

Unfortunately, the Manorfest festival was cancelled not long after that and whilst this was disappointing, had it not been taking place in the first place, we would not have ended up where we are. In this case, it is very easy for us to take the positive out of the negative.

Our first appearance will be at the 1 in 12 club on Saturday 20th May supporting Rome Burns and Inkubus Sukkubus.

It’s our intention to proceed with this line-up / configuration going forward for all activities.

As described in our last post, the end of 2022 was a challenging time for us and following the departure of Kaz in December, there was a degree of uncertainty as to how we might move forward.

After a period of reflection, coinciding with an increase in activity with his main band Wolves In Winter, Izak decided that now would be an appropriate time for him to step down and concentrate on that.

Izak joined Dawn of Elysium in July 2021, bringing with him a strong musical presence, which will be sorely missed. We’d like to thank him for his contributions during his time with us. We all think the world of him as a friend and musician and look forward to supporting him in Wolves In Winter going forward.

As for the band going forward, we’ll be continuing as we are for the foreseeable future and not actively seeking to expand the core line-up at this time. We will however be looking to bolster our live presence in terms of guitars, so you may hopefully see more of us on stage for the few live appearances we do have this year.

2022 has seen the band enter its second decade of existence. During the first ten years, we experienced a number of changes and chapters, both within the band and externally. We’ve had good times and bad and people have come and gone. The last 3-4 years in particular saw us go from a 3-piece to 4 to 5 and in the last 18 months, a different 5. The band dynamic has changed considerably over time and also I’d like to think the sound has become more sophisticated. Different ideas and approaches have been tried. Some have worked and some not so much. Although enjoyable, it has at some points in recent times felt creatively inconsistent.

Since embarking on the “The Mandela Effect” album project in 2019, a break and line-up change during the pandemic and attempting to get match fit again in 2021, there has been a large element of playing catch-up with material that was already there. It has seemed like a very long time since we composed anything brand new as a band and certainly with the latest line-up this has never happened.

This year has proven especially challenging for some of us for various reasons and what should’ve been a wholly fun and enjoyable landmark year for us was much more of a struggle than anticipated. Despite a reasonably productive year for live work and decent progress having been made on the album, towards the end of the year the ship was not running as desired.

Keeping busy is often a great distraction from addressing things which need addressing and it can be all too convenient to hide behind the “see how it goes” mantra. In a band dynamic which involves very close friendships and relationships, problems can be difficult to navigate and compartmentalise to the point of discouragement. Before long, something which is supposed to provide you with a sanctuary from life’s problems becomes something which is not that.

It was a long overdue time for us to “turn and face the strain” and address all of the above.

After some discussion, it was decided that the last two gigs of the year were to be our last under the current regime and with the current line-up. Unfortunately, ill health dictated that the last appearance, due to take place in Sheffield on 17th December would not be possible and so the Keighley gig on the 10th was to be the last.

And so, after almost three and a half years, Kaz Buxton is leaving the fold. The band would like to thank Kaz for her work and everything she has brought in that time and we wish her luck for future projects. Kaz leaves to pursue her ongoing band Echofire and her role in local rock covers band Whiskey Shed.

As for the rest of us, the plan is to enter 2023 with a blank page and a fresh resolve. Much is yet to be determined but in the short term, we all agree that there is a very real need to take the pressure off and get back to what we really enjoy doing, which is creating new music at our own pace with no other agenda.

We have some live dates in the calendar for later in the year, which we will of course look forward to playing and whilst opportunities will be considered if offered, we will not be actively seeking them for the foreseeable future. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of filling the calendar to the point where rehearsals and gigs take over the creative process.

Work on The Mandela Effect album will continue in the background as an almost parallel process, the rest of the band members having mostly recorded their parts anyway.

More news on all of this as it takes shape next year.

We’d like to thank from the bottom of our hearts all of the bands, promoters and everyone who has been out to watch us and help us celebrate our first ten years this year.

Have a wonderful festive period and all the best for 2023. See you on the other side!

Cheers!

Alec, Emma, Charles, Kaz and Izak

We are super excited to announce our latest addition to the band. Following Tim’s departure in March, Izak Gloom (aka Izak Buxton) has stepped in as guitarist. Please join us in welcoming him to the fold. Izak has been a friend of mine for many years and he brings with him a wealth of experience and a very strong musical history.

Izak was originally a member of Chorus of Ruin, a band which emerged from West Yorkshire in the early 90’s, alongside gothic metal pioneers Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride and gained an underground cult following, which I believe endures to this day. Following a time in stoner/grunge metal band Silverburn, he later went on to play with legendary acts Lazarus Blackstar, Monolith Cult and Solstice before forming his own band Wolves In Winter last year. Primarily a bassist by trade, Izak is also an accomplished guitarist and he brings with him a different perspective and a wealth of ideas. Although he has a passion for the heavier end of the musical spectrum, his influences reach far and wide and he has a very keen ear for melody and harmony.

It’s early days in this chapter of the band yet as Izak familiarises himself with our existing material. However, he is already raring to get involved with writing new things and contributing to the tracks we have in the pipeline. There is much to look forward to indeed.

If you have been to any of our gigs over the last couple of years, you may well recognise Izak. He is the husband of our singer Kaz and has been incredibly supportive of us, often taking care of the merch stand amongst other things.

As the live scene slowly winds back up again, we have just two gigs in the diary for 2021 as yet.

Our first appearance with the new line-up will be at Nightrain, Bradford as part of the Infest warm-up festivities on the August bank holiday weekend. With Infest plans in flux, the exact details of our appearance are still a work in progress. It was originally intended that we play on the Thursday night but this is almost definitely subject to change and we are not in a position to announce anything further at this time.

Our second appearance will be on 30th October, again at Nightrain. This time with Syteria. More details TBA.

On 16th July, Kaz Buxton joined the fold as additional lead vocalist.

Kaz had previously , which is a song she originally sang in our old band Suicide By Cop. A desire for her to be more musically active, coupled with us wondering what she might sound like singing some of our other material led us to getting together to see what happens.

It’s very early days as yet but so far it’s sounding great. We are really looking forward to giving a taster of things to come at the Shadow of the Castle festival this coming Saturday.

Going forward, I still intend to perform some lead vocal duties as well as write the lyrics, so hopefully we won’t be changing beyond all recognition, although we will continue to experiment as is the ethos of the band.

Depending on availability, future gigs may or may not feature all five of us, especially during this transitional period.

We are already working on our next recordings, which will feature the full line-up. More on this in due course.