Editing Fields of the Nephilim (section)

== Career ==
=== Early years (1984–1991) ===
[[File:20170722 Köln Amphi Fields of the Nephilim 0008 Fields of the Nephilim.jpg|thumb|Vocalist Carl McCoy performing in 2017]]
The band's debut 12" EP, ''Burning the Fields'', was first released in 1985 on their own Tower Release label and was quickly picked up by [[Jungle Records]], who put them in the studio for further recordings that became the ''Returning to Gehenna'' 12" EP. Managed by a Jungle Records director, they soon got signed to [[Situation 2]] records (an imprint of [[Beggars Banquet Records]]) in 1986 to release "Power" and "Preacher Man", and their first album, ''[[Dawnrazor]]'', which topped the Indie chart in 1987.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Sutherland|first1=Steve|title=A fistful of dynamite|magazine=Melody Maker|date=16 January 1988|page=24|issn=0025-9012}}</ref> The next release, "Blue Water", was the first Fields of the Nephilim single to reach the [[UK Singles Chart]] (number 75).<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= [[British Hit Singles & Albums]] | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 199}}</ref> It was followed by "Moonchild", the lead single from the second LP ''[[The Nephilim (album)|The Nephilim]]'', which reached number 28 in the UK chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Collins |first1=Andrew |title=Bluffer's Guide to Goth |magazine=New Musical Express |date=30 November 1991 |page=30|issn=0028-6362}}</ref>

''Psychonaut'' was released in May 1989 and peaked at number 35;<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> the ten-minute track indicated a slight shift for the band toward a more experimental and intense sound. This single/EP was a precursor to the polished and highly produced ''[[Elizium]]'' album (1990), for which they "upgraded" to the Beggars Banquet label. Produced by [[Pink Floyd]] / [[David Gilmour]] engineer [[Andrew Jackson (recording engineer)|Andy Jackson]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Biography|url = http://andyjacksonmusic.com/biography/|website = Andy Jackson Music|access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref> (taking over from previous band producer Bill Buchanan), the album was preceded by the single "For Her Light," which clipped the British Top 40 in its first week of release. A remixed version of "Sumerland (Dreamed)" (this version is on the CD single only and differed from the 7" vinyl format of the same release), released in November 1990, peaked at number 37.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" />

In 1991, the band played their final gigs, a two-day 'Festival of Fire' in London. The final releases of this era are the live CD ''[[Earth Inferno (album)|Earth Inferno]]'' and the video ''Visionary Heads'', followed by the compilation ''[[Revelations (Fields of the Nephilim album)|Revelations]]''.

=== Departure of McCoy and hiatus (1991–1998) ===
Frontman McCoy left the band in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|title = Sumerland: Press: Melody Maker, October 1991|url = http://sumerland.net/articles/nephilim-melodymaker-2-1991.shtml|website = sumerland.net|access-date = 14 October 2015|archive-date = 6 April 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160406151447/http://sumerland.net/articles/nephilim-melodymaker-2-1991.shtml|url-status = dead}}</ref> The remaining members, together with singer Andy Delaney, chose not to continue with the "Fields of the Nephilim" name and instead recorded under the name [[Rubicon (English band)|Rubicon]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Sumerland: Press: Rubicon, Legacy, 1992|url = http://sumerland.net/articles/rubicon-legacy-1992.shtml|website = sumerland.net|access-date = 14 October 2015|archive-date = 5 March 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305000854/http://sumerland.net/articles/rubicon-legacy-1992.shtml|url-status = dead}}</ref> The band released two albums before disbanding: ''What Starts, Ends'' in 1992 and ''Room 101'' in 1995.

Meanwhile, Carl McCoy formed a new project called [[Nefilim]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Sumerland: Press: Nefilim in Zillo, 1993|url = http://sumerland.net/articles/nefilim-zillo-1993.shtml|website = sumerland.net|access-date = 14 October 2015}}</ref> in 1991, after the disbanding of Fields of the Nephilim.

The band played some gigs in 1993, showcasing new material. According to McCoy,<ref>[http://sumerland.devin.com/articles/orkus-interview.shtml Carl McCoy in Orkus Magazine, 1998], mentioning the album "could have appeared four years earlier". Accessed through Sumerland on 28 July 2009.</ref> the release of their debut album, ''[[Zoon (Nefilim album)|Zoon]]'', was delayed for several years due to disagreements with the record label. ''Zoon'' was eventually released in 1996 and featured a distinctly heavier sound<ref>{{cite web|title = Nefilim – Zoon – Reviews – Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives|url = http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Nefilim/Zoon/22354/|website = Metal-archives.com|access-date = 14 October 2015}}</ref> than McCoy's previous works.

=== Reunion and ''Fallen'' (1998–2002) ===
On 15 August 1998, McCoy and original bassist Tony Pettitt held a press conference<ref>{{cite web|title = Sumerland: Press: Zillo Press Conference|url = http://sumerland.net/articles/zillo-press-conference.shtml|website = sumerland.net|access-date = 15 October 2015|archive-date = 14 January 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200114163400/http://sumerland.net/articles/zillo-press-conference.shtml|url-status = dead}}</ref> at the [[Zillo Festival]] in Germany, announcing their future plans to collaborate under two separate monikers, Fields of the Nephilim (along with the Wright brothers) and The Nefilim (an altered spelling of McCoy's solo project).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sumerland.devin.com/articles/zillo-press-conference.shtml |title=Sumerland: Press: Zillo Press Conference|website=Sumerland.devin.com}}</ref>

According to different original band members, the band was rehearsing and writing the next Fields of the Nephilim album (with the exception of Yates). However, the anticipated reunion of the original band line-up never happened.

In May 2000, McCoy and Pettitt released "One More Nightmare (Trees Come Down)," the first Fields of the Nephilim single with their new (and original) label, [[Jungle Records]]. It contained newly worked versions of "Trees Come Down" and "Darkcell," both originally released on the ''Burning the Fields'' EP in 1984. Between June and August 2000, the band made four live appearances at European festivals: Woodstage, Eurorock, [[Roskilde Festival|Roskilde]], and [[M'era Luna Festival|M'era Luna]] music festivals.

In 2002, Jungle Records (and licensees including Metropolis Records in the US and SPV in Germany) released the album ''[[Fallen (Fields of the Nephilim album)|Fallen]]''. The release was claimed to be unauthorized by the band and consists of recordings from 1997–2001, the 2000 reworkings of "Trees Come Down" and "Darkcell," and a previously unreleased demo by The Nefilim. The release has been disowned by the band,<ref>{{cite web|title = News|url = http://releasemagazine.net/News/news0209a.htm|website = releasemagazine.net |access-date = 14 October 2015}}</ref> and only one song from it, "From The Fire," has been performed live.

=== ''Mourning Sun'' and ''Ceromonies'' (2005–2014) ===
[[File:FOTNephilim.jpg|thumb|Fields of the Nephilim performing live in 2008]]
Fifteen years after ''Elizium'', McCoy released ''[[Mourning Sun]]'', his fourth full-length studio album under the name Fields of the Nephilim. The album had seven original songs, with a cover version of [[Zager and Evans]]'s "[[In the Year 2525]]" included as a bonus track on the first 5,000 copies.

In interviews following the release of the album ''Mourning Sun'', McCoy mentioned collaborating with ghost musicians, but only John "Capachino" Carter is officially credited on the album.

In 2006, some European venues announced that a tour was to take place, although this was never officially confirmed. In spite of high ticket sales, none of the gigs occurred.<ref>{{cite web|title = View topic – Nephilim Tour Cancelled? :: Heartland :: The Sisters of Mercy Forum|url = https://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=11898&highlight=&sid=ad6928eeb4799a16b3d1cf5534499a5d|website=Myheartland.co.uk |access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref> Through the band's official website, McCoy emphasized that he had not confirmed these dates with promoters or venues, and reiterated that people should not buy tickets for such events until official announcements through the band's website confirmed that such live performances were to go ahead.

In May 2007, McCoy performed as Fields of the Nephilim for the first time in seven years, at the [[London Astoria]]. According to the band's website, the event was filmed by video director [[Richard Stanley (film director)|Richard Stanley]],<ref>{{cite web|title = Other Works: Music Videos [Between Death and the Devil]|url = http://www.everythingisundercontrol.org/nagtloper/other/music.php|website=Everythingisundercontrol.org|access-date = 14 October 2015}}</ref> who had directed videos for the original band's singles; however, due to quality issues with the audio recording and filming, it was abandoned.

''Ceromonies'' was the culmination of a two-night event sponsored by [[Metal Hammer]] magazine in which the band played material spanning their career. Performed at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, the band performed to sell-out crowds. The 'Ceromonies' line-up for this event that featured on the live album and DVD was McCoy, Carter, King, Edwards, and Newell. Highlights of this period included the band's biggest-ever headline show to date at the 2008 M'era Luna Festival, where the 'Ceromonies' line-up performed in front of over 23,000 people. The rapturous encore from this show, "Last Exit for the Lost," was also included on ''Ceromonies''.

In June 2008, a DVD entitled ''Live in Düsseldorf 1991'' was released. Sacred Symphony released the DVD and double CD box set as well as a double LP vinyl version of ''Ceromonies (Ad Mortem Ad Vitam)''<!---References support this apparent intentional misspelling---> on 16 April 2012, consisting of recordings and footage from the two concerts. The vinyl version does not come with the live DVD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2012/05/fields-of-the-nephilim-ceromonies/|title=FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM released Ceromonies 2-CD live album|website=[[Invisible Oranges]]|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref> It was also released as a collectible box set coming in a wooden box with the Ceromonies logo and title branded on the wooden lid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fields-of-the-nephilim.com/RK/Products/CEROMONIES_BOXSET.htm|title=Fields of the Nephilim Ceromonies Collector Box-Set|website=Fields-of-the-nephilim.com|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref>

=== 2014–present ===
[[File:Fields of the Nephilim Blackfield 2014 16.JPG|thumb|Tony Pettit (left) and Tom Edwards (right) performing in 2014]]
On 1 July 2014, Carl McCoy announced that the band was back in the studio "...recording and compiling the most important elements created and gathered."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fields-of-the-nephilim.com/2011NEWS3.html|title=FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM|website=Fields-of-the-nephilim.com|access-date=30 October 2011|archive-date=26 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626062805/http://www.fields-of-the-nephilim.com/2011NEWS3.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 2014, the band debuted two new songs live onstage, "Earthbound" and "Prophecy".<ref>{{cite web|title = Fields of The Nephilim debut two new songs|url = http://www.post-punk.com/fields-of-the-nephilim-debut-two-new-songs/|website = Post-punk.com|date = 8 December 2014|access-date = 14 October 2015}}</ref> "Prophecy" was produced, engineered, and mixed by [[Carl McCoy]] and mastered by [[Maor Appelbaum]]. The single was released as a 7" vinyl single and as an online single on the Sacred Symphony label, available only as a download on iTunes on 17 March 2016. It was promoted as a band single, but the track did not feature Pettitt. News reports said that a release on both CD and vinyl, containing exclusive artwork and bonus material, would follow,<ref>{{cite news|title=Fields Of Nephilim announce new single – first since 2005 – available today|url=http://louderthanwar.com/fields-of-nephilim-announce-new-single-first-since-2005-available-today/|publisher=Louder Than War|date=17 March 2016}}</ref> though this did not happen.

Tom Edwards died in 2017 from heart failure while touring in the US with [[Adam Ant]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.side-line.com/fields-of-the-nephilim-adam-ant-guitarist-tom-edwards-dies-aged-41/|title=Fields of the Nephilim / Adam Ant guitarist Tom Edwards dies aged 41|website=Side-line.com|date=27 January 2017|access-date=3 November 2019}}</ref>

Drummer Lee Newell announced that he quit the band, citing personal reasons regarding a move to the US.{{fact|date=December 2024}}

M'era Luna organizers <ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=848859856596472&set=a.759921755490283 |title= Unfortunately, Fields Of The Nephilim and Cassandra Complex had to cancel…|website=facebook.com|date=6 July 2023|access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> announced in July of 2023 via social media that Fields of the Nephilim would not be performing at that year’s festival.