Nocturnal Abyss

History

Nocturnal Abyss was formed in the Autumn of 1999 by Noctir (vocals, bass, drums) and Sin (guitar). Their primary influences were 80s bands such as Venom, Slayer, Bathory, etc. They wrote several songs and then recruited a superior drummer, Magnus. Noctir and Sin wrote all the music and Noctir also penned all of the lyrics.

A short time later, the 'At One with Evil' EP was recorded and distributed in limited number, available as a cassette only. Several shows were played in the eastern half of the United States. Just as the band had begun to build a little momentum, Sin unexpectedly disappeared. Things were put on hold at that time. He finally returned the following summer. They then picked up from where they left off, with Sin also handling bass guitar duties. They continued playing a few shows and spent a great deal of time working on material for the 'Rites of the Black Moon' full-length that they intended to release themselves. Sin had personal problems and lost his home. Halfway through the recording, he disappeared forever.

Magnus grew tired of the music scene and left the band as well. The album was abandoned. Noctir went on to DJ a specialty radio show, "The Abyss", featuring mostly underground metal.

In late Autumn/early Winter 2002, Noctir was contacted through "The Abyss" by local musicians with a similar dedication to the old bands, such as Morbid. He was joined by Mutilator and Ghoul, on guitar and drums, respectively. The style had shifted to a much more second Wave black metal sound, being very cold and minimalist, with Noctir and Mutilator writing all music. Material for a six song mini-album was written and rehearsed. The scheduled recording did not take place because the other members had a primary band that was monopolizing their time and Noctir abruptly left for Europe and would not return to the United States for some time. While in Sweden, he wrote and recorded a demo, titled 'The Freezing Darkness' in complete solitude. The band was then put on ice, but not dead, while Noctir then focused on Blackmoon.

In late 2005, Noctir returned to the US and Nocturnal Abyss was resurrected, under the name Nattsvargr.

(source: Nattsvargr. May 2010)