With the second single from his upcoming EP ‘Gothstar’, Ray Noir drops “Black” today May 14th – a high camp rave-metal track leaning fully into queer excess, with some chaotic visuals to match the song.

“It’s very much pushing the world and music I’ve been building recently”, Ray says, “it is pure, unfiltered excess.”

Labeling the track as a sleazy, high-camp collision of rave and metalcore, “Black” is indeed built for the dancefloor.

The music video turns things up further and offers a glossy, chaotic fantasy of power, fetish and performance, where Ray plays ringmaster to a cast of devoted, unhinged admirers. “It’s hypersexual, theatrical and deliberately over the top, less shock value, more weaponised camp.”

“I wanted to become a caricature of everything people project onto me and then make it worse,” Ray says. Drawing from fashion, nightlife and queer club culture, “Black” wants to blur satire and self-mythology. “It’s indulgent, confrontational and doesn’t care if you’re in on the joke or not.”

About Ray Noir

Ray Noir is a London-based alt-goth and electro-metal artist originally from Oslo, Norway. His music is influenced by Norwegian black-metal with industrial rock, goth, electronic club music and alt-metal. His first solo single, “Double Trouble,” was released in 2014, followed by early collaborations including QBoy’s 2015 single “DragOn,” featuring Ray Noir and Frankco.

We first covered Ray Noir in 2023 with “Pity Party,” a track from the “Scorpio” mixtape produced and mixed by KANGA, with songwriting by Ray Noir and Madeleine Wood, keyboards by Bjørn Heden of Combichrist, guitar by Christer Krogh and mastering by Joe Farr. The follow-up single “Latency” was also produced and mixed by KANGA, written by Ray Noir and Madeleine Wood, and mastered by Joe Farr.

“Scorpio” received a deluxe edition in July 2024 after passing 100,000 streams, adding “All Alone” with Mariann Rosa of Surferosa, a “Double Trouble” remix by TOVA, and remixes by Gothminister, Corlyx, Tension Control and others.

In 2025, we got the singles “Razorblade Romance” with Steve Stevens, known for his work with Billy Idol and “Top Gun Anthem.” The same year, “Shout,” was released, a reinterpretation of the 1985 Tears for Fears single, featuring guitars by Arno Von Detritus and backing vocals from Ben Christo of The Sisters of Mercy.

The EP “Against The Machine” followed on September 18, 2025. The EP was produced by Jon Cass and includes “Razorblade Romance” with Steve Stevens, “Dead Valentine,” “Mad World” and “YMATD (Alternative Version).” A deluxe edition followed in December 2025 with remixes by Tension Control, Verona On Venus, Junkie Kut and Ays Kura, plus vinyl and CD editions.

In 2026, Ray Noir launched “Temptation,” “Breathe,” “Label Whxre” and “Black”, ahead of the “Gothstar” EP which is scheduled for release on September 17, 2026.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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