Having blurred the lines between post-hardcore, punk and black metal for a decade as vocalist/guitarist in Svalbard, last year’s lockdown brought a bit of downtime for Serena Cherry to focus on a Skyrim themed album. For the uninitiated, Skyrim is the highly rated fifth edition of the Elder Scrolls video game series, and is frequently featured on “best game of all time” lists.
This Tolkienesque fantasy world lends itself quite aptly to a more atmospheric sonic spectrum, and a quick canter through artists tagged with “Skyrim” or ”Elder Scrolls” on Bandcamp reveals that black metal, dungeon synth and ambient are the most prominent genres (though it’s anyone’s guess what the bizarre chaps from Skooma Cat are classed as).
Despite would-be gatekeepers continuing to question the authenticity of such non-traditional entries to black metal canon, the intention and aesthetic of Noctule is beyond reproach. The provenance of the project name is also rather apt; the noctule is actually the UKs largest bat, and possesses one of the few bat calls that can be heard by the human ear without use of a bat detector. Suitably enough, the album opens with a short, viciously tortured chant, screeched at the listener and immediately commanding attention, before exploding with furiously tremelo-picked riffage resplendent with melodic layers.
“Labyrinthian” follows, a soaring atmospheric tune that adds some extra layers with acoustic guitars. “Wretched Abyss” veers more towards traditional black metal structures, though the way that the layered guitar melodies interweave make it stand out from the standard kvlt fayre. “Evenaar” showcases a knack for delivering post black metal folk flavourings on par with recent efforts by Fen and Panopticon, enriched with melodic leads and the occasional cheeky pinched harmonic tail. We even get some clean vocals low in the mix juxtaposed against the now familiar guttural howled shrieks.
Parts of the album are oddly uplifting and almost bouncy, notably passages in the title track, “Winterhold” and “Unrelenting Force”, all of which convey the shoegazing, dream-thrash feel of acts such as Astronoid. I s’pose this is not unusual for something based on a video game of dizzying highs and pitiful lows.
It’s the rich, layered melodic guitar tones that really stand out for me on this album, and many more listens are required to plausibly identify how many guitar parts Serena has laid down here. Coupled with the reverb drenched shrieked vocals, this gives the listener a sense of urgency, even in slower moments such as the outro of “Deathbell Harvest”.
The album benefits from a clear, organic production, which is only let down a bit by the plastic sounding quality of the obvious drum machine. Aside from that minor gripe, this is a fantastic album that all fans of atmospheric black metal (“post” or otherwise) are urged to check out.
(8/10 Doogz)
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