NOCTURNA
“Daughters Of The Night”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Nocturna are a Gothic/symphonic power metal band from Italy, formed in 2021, founded by Frozen Crown guitarist Federico Mondelli, and featuring vocalists Grace Darkling and Rehn Stillnight. The bands debut album ‘Daughters Of The Night’ was released in 2022…

…and features the prominent elements of the mighty power metal genre within its symphonic and Gothic metal roots. The dual vocals of Grace and Rehn are simply spectacular, totally flawless, and soar ever so high. Fans of bands such as Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Epica, are absolutely gonna love this.

At just under forty minutes in length, ‘Daughters Of The Night’ is fairly short, but the ten songs on offer more than make up for the shortage. Each and every one is stunning, with a faultless dual vocal performance throughout. ‘Spectral Ruins’ is a two minute anticipation filled and tension fuelled intro, gently caressing a haunting atmosphere as it builds to a crescendo – and then BOOM! ‘New Evil’ explodes into life with a blazing guitar riff, pure metal pulsing outta the speakers. And then the vocals come soaring in, the symphonic side of the band coming straight to the fore. The intensity and pace of ‘New Evil’ is phenomenal, spreading itself across a number of genres – a new band making an immediate and fairly sizeable impact. Title song ‘Daughters Of The Night’ ups the intensity and heaviness, forging forward with a touch of aggression. And the stunning beauty of the vocals is amazing, the duality, the duet-ing – simply perfect. The opening two songs have very much toed the symphonic power metal line, with not a hint of the dark, haunting and chilling atmosphere normally associated with Gothic metal.

But then Gothic metal is so much more. It’s also about the lyrics – deep, romantic, passionate and emotive – aggressive guitars, a melancholic mood, a spooky vibe, and a gloomy outlook. This is my first “real” listen to Gothic metal – my first listen was many, many years ago when Gothic metal was just in its infancy, and doom and gloom was what it was all about back then. It has progressed so much over the years, to incorporate other styles of metal and rock, and is a far cry from what it used to be. So to say I’m surprised by what I’m listening to right now, is the biggest understatement of the year so far! Nocturna are fucking good… And after such an astonishing opening double, I am literally drooling at the prospect of what delights are gonna pleasure my ears next! And I’m rewarded with ‘The Sorrow Path’ – exquisite keyboards and a soaring, absolutely mesmerising vocal performance. Coming across as a lullaby of sorts, ‘Sorrow Path’ is a symphonic power ballad, that makes you sway from side to side, with a dreamy feeling washing right over you. Absolutely wondrous stuff.

Energy and tempo rise through the fucking roof, as the hard hitting ‘Sea Of Fire’ comes to life, foot stomping heavily as it majestically marches on. The melodious intent is top notch, ‘Sea Of Fire’ a hard rocking, harder kicking slab of thunder. And the thunder just gets heavier – with the aggression driven ‘Blood Of Heaven’. Searing guitar riffing leads the way, with ‘Blood Of Heaven’ encroaching on the thrash metal genre, taking on its aggressive and furious nature. Just wow! And in stark contrast, we return to the serenity of balladry with ‘In This Tragedy’, maybe actually more hymn-like, but then as the song progresses it takes on a heavier feel to become a thunderous mid tempo gallop. And at six plus minutes in length ‘In This Tragedy’ is by far and away the longest song on offer – the Gothic influence here I can easily detect amidst the songs power and symphonic metal nature.

And blending every influence together, the band move swiftly on with ‘Darkest Days’ – one of the heaviest hitting, yet also one of the most tempo changing songs on offer. The roller coaster ride of changing influences is sparkling, and not knowing where ‘Darkest Days’ is going next is so damn exhilarating! ‘Nocturnal Whispers’ is a short but astounding orchestral passage, leading straight into the albums final song, the epic ‘The Trickster’. And when I say epic, I mean ‘The Trickster’ has the feel and aura of a closing theatre stage performance. You know the one – it’s the one that has the big finish, gets the crowd up on their feet cheering, and brings the curtain down to a tumultuous standing ovation. What an end to what has been, a great album.

Overall, a terrific album of bombastic symphonic power metal, highly melodic and very infectious.

TRACKLIST

Spectral Ruins
New Evil
Daughters Of The Night
The Sorrow Path
Sea Of Fire
Blood Of Heaven
In This Tragedy
Darkest Days
Nocturnal Whispers
The Trickster

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