Noctule Extinguish Thy Flame Review
Noctule
Extinguish Thy Flame
Self-Released
2026
Hold on for just one goddamn minute. There’s a blackened melodeath album that is entirely about one of my favorite video games, Elden Ring?! Just take my money! To say I’m a fan of Elden Ring would be an understatement as I have well over 200 hours into the game and have obsessed over it since the beginning. It’s brutal, unforgiving and intense – much like most of what you’ll find on Noctule’s sophomore release, EXTINGUISH THY FLAME.
Noctule is the brainchild of Serena Cherry, former singer/guitarist for the British post-hardcore band, Svalbard. This album is a true labor of love as Serena wrote and performed the entire album and is self-releasing it in September as well. A true DIY approach that is always more admirable in my opinion.
When I first discovered this album and read about its concept, I wasn’t sure if this was just a gimmick or something legit. All I knew was that my interest was immediately piqued. It doesn’t take long to know that not only is this the latter, but is something exciting, even if you’re not familiar with the game. “Welcome to Limgrave” starts off welcoming and epic, just like the game itself and then “Devour the Gods” hits you just like that first Tree Sentinel (if you know, you know). This song delivers some serious golden-era Arch Enemy vibes and I’m here all day for it. The album’s first single, “Lord of Blood”, is about Mogh, the horned demigod who has accursed blood and can wield bloodflame magic. This song provides the quintessential darkness and intensity that can be found throughout the album, especially with its double bass and blast beats anchoring soaring guitar leads.
“Grafted” starts off as a classical composition and immediately turns the beauty into cruelty. It’s quite reminiscent of Fleshgod Apocalypse and I’m not mad about it. “Become My Blade Once More” is a straight ripper and the album closer, “Hallowhorn Grounds”, finds a way to beautifully intertwine the heaviness of this journey with an uplifting atmosphere, to where you can finally catch your breath, just like after having defeated the Elden Beast.
~TJ