Noturnall Interview: Chaos on tour with Paul Di'Anno, new album, Ney Matogrosso and more

Noturnall is an exceptional band in the Brazilian heavy metal scene. With robust experience on the road around the world, including extensive tours with Paul Di'Anno , the group has amassed impressive and unique achievements – and this is no different in the release cycle of Cosmic Redemption , the band's fourth studio album.

In an interview with Wikimetal , vocalist and producer Thiago Bianchi Iron Maiden 's first vocalist in Brazil, Noturnall's new album, and the band's current situation.

The album Cosmic Redemption was born in a turbulent context: with the sudden arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the band had an entire European tour with Sons of Apollo postponed after the first show. With travel restrictions, the album recording process was more difficult, especially since Noturnall's lineup was undergoing restructuring… But it was precisely these obstacles that make the album even more remarkable in the eyes of the musicians involved.

Noturnall on the road with Paul Di'Anno

On the eve of the album's release, Noturnall embarked on a historic tour, chosen as Paul Di'Anno's backing band for a series of 30 shows across Brazil , alongside Electric Gypsy . The shows took place between January and March, covering all regions of the country. No other international artist has ever undertaken such an extensive and comprehensive tour in Brazil. Even among the national bands involved, this was one of the largest consecutive tours on Brazilian soil.

Such an intense series of shows doesn't come without setbacks, especially with Di'Anno's health complications , and Bianchi feared the bands wouldn't make it past the first (and catastrophic) show. It soon became clear that Di'Anno would need a medical team to continue with the commitments. "He had some adverse situations in his life that left him in a completely different state, much worse than he had been when they went there to close [the tour]," recalls the Brazilian. "It was a shock to everyone."

Technical problems and a sudden illness suffered by Noturnall's drummer Henrique Pucci , also marred the tour's debut, which began in Fortaleza. "The general feeling was that the tour would end there, or that it would last one or two more shows, a fiasco that would be remembered for posterity, right?" confessed Thiago Bianchi.

Fortunately, the “cosmic redemption” of Noturnall’s album intervened to prevent the worst – and the combined effort of everyone involved, from backstage to the stage and audience, completely changed the apocalyptic scenario of the undertaking. Almost like magic, everything “fell into place” from the second date onwards, with several sold-out shows already scheduled. “[After that], it was an extremely fun tour. Everything went right. I think it was the most emotional tour of my career,” said Bianchi. 

Without a doubt, the partnership with Di'Anno was a success. "It became a honeymoon, we became great friends," summarizes Bianchi. Proof of this lies in future plans: Noturnall and Electric Gypsy will accompany Paul Di'Anno on tour in the United Kingdom between November and December. The schedule continues into 2024, with a second round of shows with the vocalist in Brazil, with 45 performances already announced between January and April of next year.

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Through their time spent together in airports, hotels, and buses, this friendship developed between the members of Noturnall and Paul Di'Anno, an iconic figure in heavy metal known for his voice and attitude on Maiden's early albums, making it impossible not to imagine that a studio collaboration would be the natural next step. 

“I don’t like doing anything generic. I want to do something with him that will mark not only our careers, but his as well. And as everyone knows, Noturnall always likes to give fans great performances, great music videos, great DVDs, great albums, and great collaborations, done in the best way possible,” the musician explains. “We can try that on the next album. Something like that will definitely happen in the future, but the time has to be right. That time is near. It hasn’t arrived yet, but it should happen soon.” 

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New album Cosmic Redemption with Ney Matogrosso and other idols.

Two good examples of this discipline of producing grandiose and original material are found on the album Cosmic Redemption , with a surprising heavy metal version of "O Tempo Não Para," a classic by Cazuza – and featuring a special appearance by Ney Matogrosso . For Bianchi, the choice was instinctive, as Cazuza represents a "heavy metal attitude," possessing sharp poetry and (caused) rebellion essential in a country like Brazil. And as the son of Maria Odette, a Brazilian popular music singer, the vocalist also has deep admiration for Ney, who invited him to this project after an interview and received the idol's complete trust.

"The crowd received it really well, I was somewhat prepared for criticism, but there wasn't any. It's impressive how eager the public is for good, well-made things; they welcomed it with open arms and it was a success. And this song is one of the highlights of our show nowadays," Bianchi revealed proudly. 

Another highlight of the album is the energetic song “Try Harder,” with a music video filmed in the Rocinha favela, something unprecedented for a progressive metal band. An anthem about giving your best and fighting to stay true to your instincts, the song becomes even more complete in the video's setting. “It's about showing the world that metal, especially Brazilian metal, knows no creed, race, color, social or financial condition. Heavy Metal is for everyone. I regret that, often, metal ends up being too focused on that thing of destroyed factories [in music videos], cemeteries, corroded things and all that. Okay, I understand that there's that attitude aspect. But I think we have to take Heavy Metal to other places and situations that go beyond that common ground, that also show our situation, our condition in Brazil.”

In general, Cosmic Redemption marks a fresh start for Noturnall. All the previous members left Thiago's project, as reported in the humorous music video "Scream! For!! Me!!!", featuring Mike Portnoy . Despite the necessary acting, the video explains well how Bianchi found Mike Orlando (guitar), Saulo Xakol (bass), and Henrique Pucci (drums), duly "baptized" by Portnoy in real life and in the fictional setting of the recording.

With the new lineup, the band has already achieved incredible and unprecedented milestones, such as a DVD in Russia, released in 2020, in addition to collaborations with global music icons and plans for the road, some of which we mention here. "This new album cemented that Noturnall is a band with a lot to offer to the world of metal," summarizes the frontman. "This project came about with great difficulty; we had a pandemic, a tour, situations happening along the way… So the feeling I have is one of victory." 

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