Noctule (band)

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Noctule
Background information
OriginBristol, England
GenresBlack metal
Years active2020–present
LabelsChurch Road
Spinoff ofSvalbard
Members
  • Serena Cherry
Websitenoctule.bandcamp.com

Noctule is a British musical project founded by Serena Cherry, best known as the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of Svalbard, in 2020. Launched as a personal creative outlet amidst the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Cherry considered the project to be a return to her roots as a black metal solo artist,[1][2] prior to forming Svalbard in 2011, with its video game-inspired lyrics contrasting with the aforementioned band's heavy subject matters.[3]

The project's debut album, Wretched Abyss (2021), is musically and lyrically themed around the 2011 video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; its songs focus on certain dungeons, storylines and weapons from the game. As of 2024, Cherry is working on a follow-up album, which will be about a different game.

History[edit]

Early history and Wretched Abyss (2020–2022)[edit]

When she was 16 years old, Serena Cherry purchased a four-track recorder, a Jackson guitar and a Boss DR-110 Dr. Rhythm drum machine and began writing black metal songs, releasing three EPs under a moniker.[2][4] A few years later, she hired a live band which opened for Gallhammer and Nachtmystium,[1] though it eventually fell apart and she returned to working on music on her own.[2] Cherry later formed the post-hardcore band Svalbard with Liam Phelan and Mark Lilley in 2011.[5] Cherry said that her black metal element "never stopped but it simmered down" whilst in the band, and that she "always found I had way more [blackended] ideas than I could cram into a Svalbard album";[2] some of the riffs that would be used with Noctule were originally written for Svalbard but deemed unfit for the band's sound.[1][6]

I have always associated Skyrim with black metal. The snowy mountain settings, the morbid themes, the Norse mythology backbone – it just goes hand in hand for me.

– Serena Cherry[7]

In 2020, after losing her job and the cancellation of Svalbard's tours for that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns,[8] Cherry began playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) and returned to writing black metal music.[4] She soon became inspired by the game and its accompanying soundtrack and decided to theme her music around them.[2][6][9] "I wrote three songs instrumentally, just for fun", Cherry told NME in 2021, "Then I thought 'Oh, I might write one song about my favourite weapon…' And then, 'maybe I should write about my favourite dungeon' ... And it snowballed from there! It felt like such a natural pairing that it would have been mad not to just run with it."[10] Cherry named her project "Noctule" after the bat of the same name, feeling that the name "[sounded] quite black metal".[9]

Cherry wrote Noctule's debut album, Wretched Abyss, in under a year's time,[1] and she produced and recorded it with co-producer Matt Francis, who mixed, mastered, and contributed some riffs to the album.[2][11] Cherry played every instrument on the album, and taught herself how to program drums (instead of using drum loops) and use Logic Pro during its production.[4] The album and its title track are named after Hermaeus Mora, one of Skyrim's Daedric Princes,[12][13] and its lyrics further reference certain dungeons, storylines and items in the game.[7][14][15] Cherry said that she wanted to distance herself from the heavy and often personal subject matters she wrote about in Svalbard's songs,[4] and as such made "a really deliberate choice to go, 'I'm not going to talk about anything to do with me on this record.' The only emotion on the album is how much I love the dungeons in Skyrim."[8]

Cherry had not planned on releasing Noctule's music publicly, but was prompted to by Sammy Urwin of Church Road Records.[10] Wretched Abyss was released on 28 May 2021[12] to generally positive reviews from critics,[14][16][17] who praised its songwriting and melodic qualities.[18][19][20] Metal Hammer listed the album as one of the top 10 black metal albums of 2021.[21] The positive reception to the album online led to Noctule receiving offers to play gigs, prompting Cherry to recruit a live band for the project,[10] featuring Francis on guitar and Rhys Griffiths, formerly of Extreme Noise Terror, on drums.[6] Noctule played its first show on 7 May 2022 in Camden, England, on the Underworld Stage of the 2022 Incineration Fest.[2][22] In August 2022, the band played at Church Road Records' 5th Birthday Bash at the Black Heart in London.[23][24] Noctule was put "on hold" following these performances as Cherry returned to her normal job and touring, leaving her with no time to write black metal, and because she found Noctule's performances too expensive and time-consuming for her to make into a regular occurrence.[25][26]

Upcoming second album (2023–present)[edit]

Cherry had already begun planning Noctule's second album prior to the release of Wretched Abyss.[4] She initially indicated that it would be a "choral black metal" album themed to Sovngarde, Skyrim's in-game afterlife.[4][27] In a 2023 interview with Decibel, Cherry said that "exploring my passion for games by writing songs about them is definitely what Noctule is about now", and that the project's next album would now be about a different game.[3] As of February 2024, Cherry is working on the album.[28][29]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums

Title Details
Wretched Abyss

Singles

Title Year Album
"Wretched Abyss"[12] 2021 Wretched Abyss
"Labyrintian"[7]
"Evenaar"[30][31]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Rosenthal, Jon (June 2021). "Profiles: Noctule". Decibel. No. 200. Red Flag Media, Inc. p. 28.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Hutchings, Paul (18 May 2021). "Interview: Serena Cherry of Noctule". The Razor's Edge. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Lewis, James; Wohlberg, Michael (13 September 2023). "Kill Screen 020: Serena Cherry of Svalbard Doesn't Fake Her Love of Gaming". Decibel. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Dunn, Nicholas (4 May 2021). "Svalbard Vocalist Serena Cherry Discusses Black Metal, Gaming, and Her Solo Project Noctule". V13.net. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  5. ^ Stewart-Panko, Kevin (6 April 2018). "Hacks and Half-Stacks: An Interview with Svalbard's Serena Cherry". V13.net. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Adams, Gregory (11 May 2021). "Noctule's Serena Cherry: "The leads on this album are a window into my personality – they're euphoric, but also heavy"". Guitar World. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Neilstein, Vince (25 March 2021). "Svalbard Singer's Black Metal Solo Project, Noctule, Unveils New Single, "Labyrinthian"". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b Mills, Matt (9 March 2022). "Light at the End of the Tunnel: Svalbard on Returning to the Road - Stereoboard". Stereoboard.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b Alexander, Phil (15 December 2020). "Svalbard: What lockdown has taught us". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Regan, Tom (14 July 2021). "Virtually famous: How musicians used gaming tech to adapt to a gig-less future". NME. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  11. ^ Noctule (2021). Wretched Abyss (booklet). Church Road Records. CRR068.
  12. ^ a b c Chichester, Sammi (24 February 2021). "Hear Svalbard Singer's 'Skyrim'-Themed Black-Metal Project Noctule". Revolver. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  13. ^ Marshall, Will (24 May 2021). "Noctule - Wretched Abyss | Album Review". Noizze UK. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b O'Boyle, Tom (July 2021). "Album Reviews". Metal Hammer. No. 349. UK: Future plc. p. 92.
  15. ^ Bellino, Emily (23 March 2021). "Track Premiere: Noctule - 'Labyrinthian'". Decibel. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  16. ^ Schafer, Joseph (27 May 2021). "Mining Metal: The Best Underground Metal Releases of May 2021". Consequence. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  17. ^ Whelan, Kez. "Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal For June Reviewed By Kez Whelan". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  18. ^ Fröhlich, Ollie (August–September 2021). "Review - Noctule - Wretched Abyss". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  19. ^ Summers, Brad (4 June 2021). "The Best Metal on Bandcamp: May 2021". Bandcamp Daily. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  20. ^ Travers, Paul (26 May 2021). "Album review: Noctule – Wretched Abyss". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  21. ^ Hobson, Rich (1 December 2021). "The top 10 black metal albums of 2021". Metal Hammer (loudersound). Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  22. ^ musclassia; omne metallum (1 June 2022). "Incineration Festival 2022". Metal Storm. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Church Road Records 5th Birthday Bash". Our Black Heart. 6 August 2022. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  24. ^ Hill, Stephen (October 2022). "Live Reviews: Church Road Records' 5th Birthday Show". Metal Hammer. No. 366. UK: Future plc. p. 99.
  25. ^ Ranjbare, Yasmin (June–July 2023). "Auf die Fresse aus Bristol" [Cheers from Bristol]. Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  26. ^ Daly, Andrew (5 December 2023). "Serena Cherry of Svalbard: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview". ClassicRockHistory.com. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  27. ^ Marshall, Will (26 May 2021). ""I heard they're reforming the Dawnguard!" – Noctule on the Parallels between Black Metal and Skyrim". Noizze UK. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  28. ^ Shinpei, Natsume (10 February 2024). "来日決定！プロのゲーム・ライターとメタル、二足の草鞋を履きこなすSVALBARDのセレナ・チェリー。｜夏目進平" [Decided to come to Japan! Svalbard's Serena Cherry is a professional game writer and metal player.]. note（ノート） (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  29. ^ Orzeck, Kurt (13 February 2024). "Interview: Svalbard Leader Says New LP Was Worth The "Weight"". New Noise Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  30. ^ Noctule (16 April 2021). "Evenaar". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  31. ^ Trnaslation Loss Records (23 April 2021). NOCTULE - Evenaar (Video). Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024 – via YouTube.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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