Biography

• Arwen began in middle 1996 with guitarist José Garrido (Ex Dark Moor) and bass player Luisma Hernández (also with Nagasaki, Tyme Symmetry and ‘Jero’ Ramiro) willing to show a melodic metal rock with progressive and agressive overtones in their music.

In 1997 Nacho Ruiz (now in Perfect Smile) joins the band as guitarist and singer (later he would be only the vocalist of the band ). At this time, the ideas of the three members gave thier results and showed up songs which are part of the nowadays band’s set list. Due to some Celt music influences on the band, Mamen Castaño would join the band as a singer, because the band needed also a female voice for the sweeter and softer tones of the songs.

The join of the drummer Nacho Arriaga (InTrance, Ex Gauntlet), keyboardist Rosalva Alonso (now in Nagasaki) and guitarist Alberto Avilés was made during 1999.

In this year the band recorded the ‘At the End’ Demo EP and played some shows with ‘Def con Dos’ and ‘Seguridad Social’, and giving rise during 2000 to take part in some rock contests, like ‘Call & Play 10th Anniversary Contest’ and wining in ‘Villa de Madrid’ .

After all happened during these years, the group thinks out to make music as their profession. Following this new idea, moreover its passion for giving great and live shows, the band incorporates an eighth member, who finally was keyboardist-composer Jonathan Zapatero, so the band became a real crashing live band without pre-recorded parts in their shows. That is the reason why the initial line up was made of eight members.

Arwen signed with Arise records in December 2001 and in May 2002 recorded its first album ‘Memories of a Dream’ and, at the same time, a Helloween’s cover ‘March of Time’ which was included in ‘The Keeper of Jericho Part II – A Tribute to Helloween’ album, where the band shared track list with a lot of great artist of the moment.

‘Memories…’ was released in whole Europe with big success and it was also licensed to Russia, Greece, USA, Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, and finally Japan, where Arwen had the best sales. In the rest of European countries, the CD was released by SPV.

‘Memories of a Dream’ shows a band with very clear ideas, well defined sound and a lot of things to provide to the present music scene’ STRUTTER METAL, HOLLAND During the ‘Memories’ tour, Jonathan Zapatero leaves the band to follow with his professional career and his own projects in London. The band choose its new member, Javi Díez, (ex Ebony Ark, Javier Salán), after trying some keyboardist.

With this stabled line up, all tour dates were over and, at the same time, the band prepared themselves to record the second album.

After a hard work during some months, composing the new songs, the members shut themselves in the ‘New Life’ studios to start recording the new album , produced by José Garrido and Daniel Melián (Ebony Ark, Angelus Apátrida…) which came out between 2004 and 2005 and finally called ‘Illusions’. This new release, as all the reviews said, surpassed all the expectations created at all.

‘Illusions’ made the band to get better sales. Once more the new album was licentiated in the same countries as in the first one, but now the reviews are much better and the marks given much higher.

Arwen gets also in the top lists in Argentina, number 4 and number 2 with ‘Dance of Souls’ and ‘Riding Alone’ in two famous radios during three months moreover having a lot of success in Mexico and Chile.

It is appropriate to underline that the bands gets also in the UK, where it seemed to be impossible with the debut album, 9.5 points over 10 with ‘No More Tears’.

In Spain, Arwen has better results and, during 2005 and 2006, makes the whole ‘Illusions’ tour, some dates also with the Swedish band Evergrey and later with the Argentinian band Rata Blanca. Since here, Roberto P. de Camus (Ex Dark Moor, and member of Arwen at the beginning of the band) joins the line up in substitution of Rosalva Alonso, who left the group due to incompatibility with her career. More dates were played in some fests in Spain with bands like Jorge Salán, Dreamaker, Easy Rider, Silver Fist, Coz, etc.

After a failed attempt to play abroad, Arwen and the record company, Arise records, are in disagreement and decide to finish with their contract.

In this moment, the group suffers a sudden due to the change of record company, delays in the new compositions and some personal issues. All this concurrence of problems takes Nacho Ruiz (singer)to leave the band in 2007. The rest of the members decides unimamously to go on with Arwen and work on the new songs. A long search for a new singer begins where auditions, rehearsals and studio recordings were made with great vocalist from the whole country.

But an unexpected fact would happen, after all the auditions, guitarist José Garrido would be taking care of the main vocals in Arwen. Nowadays, Arwen is finishing the new compositions of the new cd at the same time some members take part in other bands like Nacho Arriaga (Inntrance) Luisma Hernández (Nagasaki, Santelmo) , Roberto P. de Camus (Nagasaki) and Javi Díez (Biosfear, Mago de Oz).