Iron Fist Magazine

INTO BATTLE: NOCTUM

Hitting us with a last minute contender for album of the year, the latest offering from Uppsala hard rock legion Noctum, ‘Final Sacrifice’, has been the soundtrack to this issue. It’s way more Mercyful Fate than people accuse their neighbours In Solitude of, but with their own twist of classic heavy metal and doom intricately weaved into addictive and masterfully crafted songs. If you’re lamenting Ghost’s move away from the classic rock template and into disco territory then here’s your salvation. So we’re surprised when bassist Tobias Rosén admits that before the band started in 2009 he didn’t play any instrument. “We all went to the same school and since I wanted to start my first band I asked David [Indelöf, guitars] if he was up to it and well, here we are,” he says. Five years on he’s mastered the four strings, telling Iron Fist that, “The dedication, desire and danger that heavy metal brings fuels me in a way that I’ve never experienced in any other aspect in my life.”

About the new album, he also admits that, “I was sitting down listening to ‘The Wall’ by Pink Floyd and read ‘Black Cat’ by [Edgar Allan] Poe and just out of nowhere I got this urge to create a story, and I have to admit that I’m far from done. ‘Final Sacrifice’ is just the first step of many on a personal level.”

Hailing from Uppsala, it’s interesting to note that Noctum are not part of the inner circle talked about in Iron Fist issue 7 but reveal (no pun intended) that there are many bands from the city that we’ve yet to discover.

“On a personal level the surroundings of Uppsala are more important then the people within it from an inspirational point of view,” he says of his peers. “I would never get mad on other people’s success. It provides motivation; how a group of people can share the fire of dedication yet provide art that’s far from each other, yet close, is fascinating. Good bands from Uppsala won’t be forgotten just because a certain group has the main focus. If a band has what it takes they will be noticed.”

Noctum have been noticed, with their second album out on Metal Blade Records and touring plans throughout 2014. When asked what’s next for the band, Tobias simply says: “To try to set the night on fire.”

 

 

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