Noturnall

Noturnall is a Brazilian metal band formed in São Paulo in 2013, born directly out of the collapse of Shaman. When Shaman effectively ceased activity — vocalist Thiago Bianchi would later describe the band as being "on vacation" in early 2014 — four of its members carried on together under a new name: Bianchi on vocals, Leo Mancini on guitars, Fernando Quesada on bass and Junior "Juninho" Carelli on keyboards. They were joined by Aquiles Priester, one of the most internationally recognised drummers Brazil has produced, best known for his years in Angra and Hangar. Bianchi has said in interviews that an earlier, never-realised version of the project would have included Kiko Loureiro and Edu Ardanuy, both of whom accepted the invitation before schedules made it impossible. That pedigree gave Noturnall an unusual character: not a one-off all-star studio project, but a supergroup of working musicians who toured relentlessly and treated the band as a full-time job. Their first show was on 21 December 2013 at Blackmore in São Paulo, and the self-titled debut album followed on 13 February 2014, preceded by the video for "Nocturnal Human Side", shot in New York and at Fusão Studio in São Paulo with the participation and production involvement of Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen. The record's mix of modern, groove-heavy metal with progressive and alternative touches was received as a deliberate break from the melodic power metal their members had been associated with — a shift that divided some of the Brazilian press but established the band's own identity quickly. A live album, First Night Live, appeared the same year, and the heavier, more aggressive Back to F*** You Up! followed in 2015. Live performance became their calling card. In September 2015 they played Rock in Rio with Michael Kiske as guest, running through Unisonic's "Exceptional", their own "Sugar Pill" and Helloween's "I Want Out". Their first international run took them to Europe in that first period, with shows in Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and international touring has continued ever since. The band's best-known association abroad is with Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's original singer: Noturnall backed him on a 30-date Brazilian tour in early 2023 — an unusually exhaustive itinerary for an international artist in Brazil — and again on his Australian dates in January 2024, with reviewers repeatedly noting that the Brazilians' own set was stealing the show. Lineup turnover has been constant. Mancini left in February 2016 and was replaced by American guitarist Mike Orlando of Adrenaline Mob; Mancini returned in 2017, then he and Priester both departed in 2018 over scheduling conflicts, announced amicably in a live broadcast. Quesada and Carelli left in 2019, ending the last of the Shaman continuity and leaving the band without keyboards. Bianchi — who survived cancer as a young man and a serious bout of pancreatitis in 2016 — has been the sole constant and the group's bandleader, songwriter and business engine throughout. The current four-piece pairs Bianchi with drummer Henrique Pucci (since 2018) and bassist Saulo Xakol (since 2019). The fourth studio album, Cosmic Redemption (2023), featuring guests including Mike Portnoy, David Ellefson and Ney Matogrosso, launched a world tour across five continents and is widely treated as their strongest commercial and critical moment. They remain active in 2026, with a European festival season announced and a confirmed slot at Bangers Open Air in São Paulo.