ALBUM REVIEW: Wretched Abyss – Noctule

Climbing up a snowy mountain pretending you’re in a super edgy black metal video is something most of us have done at some point when we’ve played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, admit it. The entire aesthetic of the RPG game has the bleak vibe to it that suits the genre down to a t. Serena Cherry [SVALBARD] thought they paired so well during a playthrough in the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown that she decided to compose an album that blended them together. Wretched Abyss, the debut offering from NOCTULE, welcomes us to a whole other realm with Skyrim-themed black metal.

Each song on the album is themed around different dungeons, storylines and weapons that feature in the game. These have delivered us some of the best gameplay atmospheres we’ve experienced in recent years, and it’s a huge pair of shoes to fill when composing something to coincide. Thankfully, Cherry manages to step right in with no concern as Elven Sword opens the album with blistering black metal riffs and harsh, atmospheric vocals. It’s very easy to imagine what it would be like playing some of the story lines that grant you the weapon when listening to this track. Whether you’re pinching it from the Jarl at Dragonsreach or being rewarded for killing General Tullius, this is the perfect soundtrack for them all.

There are tones and textures that are layered over one another in a way that paints the picture of certain parts of the game, be it location or other, title track Wretched Abyss being an excellent example. As Cherry vocalises painful shrieks accompanied by bleak fast-paced riffs, there’s an instant connection to Daedric Prince, Hermaeus Mora, and not just because of the song title. This ability to be able to place pieces of the game to how the tracks are themed is something that Cherry has been able to achieve to an exceptionally high standard.

One of the most admirable things that jumps out about the album is the presence of how harmonies and melodies are dominant, but never overshadow the overall black metal atmosphere. Tracks such as Evenaar where Cherry‘s vocals blend with the main riff-work, and Deathbell Harvest‘s transitions most notable to the chorus, are where it’s most noticeable how these harmonies and melodies play to their strengths.

There is one moment where instrumentation takes hold, and the entire track just brings on astonishing amount of emotions, and paints a thousand pictures. Become Ethereal, the only instrumental track, closes the album in possibly the finest Skyrim fashion. As stunning piano notes layer over melancholic strings, with an undertone of slight choral notes, you are left to envision everything and anything that is possibly swirling around your mind, Elder Scrolls related or not. However, it does make for a perfect soundtrack for wandering around mountains and harvesting for alchemy, taking in just how stunning the province really is. It’s a complete 360 from what has been heard throughout the rest of the album, but that’s the beauty of it. The Elder Scrolls is meant to be interpreted as an individual and not into a strict set of lore rules such as other games, and this revolve has signified that.

There’s a level of depth in Wretched Abyss that goes beyond just understanding and creating music that fits a game, and it takes a certain level of skill, passion and dedication to reach that. You would expect this quality from multiple people, at least to have some level of minor input, but Serena Cherry has created this single-handedly, every note, every drum beat, every torturous howl of vocal, that in itself is extraordinary. Cherry, under the monikor of NOCTULE, has alone, captured the essence of the game and formed a nostalgia all Skyrim lovers can connect to, but on top of that composed a hauntingly beautiful black metal album. For that, she deserves complete recognition and admiration.

Rating: 9/10

Wretched Abyss is set for release on May 28th via Church Road Records. 

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