Athelstan is the eponymous side project of Forefather guitarist Athelstan. Recording for Athelstan's first solo album began in 2010, in between the release of Forefather's Steadfast and The Last Of The Line, and was completed in 2012. The Ride was released on February 5, 2013, on Forefather's Seven Kingdoms label. Athelstan performed all of the instrumentation himself, with guest vocals on two tracks from his brother and Forefather co-leader Wulfstan.