W: Sadie Ault I: Andy Ford
“I feel cathartic. It almost feels like I get all the dirt, all the pain from inside of me, and just take it out.”
Fusing together Russian and English in a raw, explosive, and distorted sound is n0trixx, a Russian-born, Lancashire-based, self-produced musician. The masked artist fled her home in Russia following an arrest for protesting the war in Ukraine. Now residing with a Global Talent Visa, n0trixx turns her story and struggles with mental health into a distinct and thrilling melody. Her upcoming album ‘A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia’ exhibits a journey of living with an array of mental health issues.
From depression to ADHD, her vulnerability creates a deep connection between the listener and n0trixx. Struggling to fit into one genre, she goes by bedlamcore, describing it as something crazy and unhinged.
Inspiration truly is everywhere. While reflecting on her own mental health, n0trixx also collects influence for her psychological horror-esque sound from movies and video games too. “My music is entirely based on the turbulence in my head,” she shared while discussing the impact of horror for her music; “It all eventually ends up in that area of interest.” Moreover, her music exhibits her struggle with mental health and living with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Turning these experiences into art.
Being self-produced allows n0trixx the advantage of not limiting her self-expression; through her lack of restraint, she’s created a flexibility of expression that individualises her sound. Switching between languages depending on what she decides the music needs, “If I feel like I can't possibly express this in English, it needs to be in Russian”.
Her self-described ‘most honest’ song that she recommends to new listeners is ‘Tvar’, which translates to ‘creature’. This song was written in one day, during a DID meltdown. “Everyone who ever really closely connects with me and my project really loves this song because they can actually feel all the emotion. You don't even need to speak the language to hear the emotion in my voice”.
N0trixx explores mental health as a theme for her music, frequently creating an audible representation of the impact mental health issues have on certain individuals and how they may physically sound to experience.
For instance, the song ‘Narc (i’m so happy that you’re dead)’ is tailored to sound like you're experiencing narcissistic abuse. Curating a beautiful melody with strings which suddenly disappear or distort. “It's just like give and take, give and take, like withdraw and give back”. Creating a discomforting discordance through the sound that parallels the experience.
“I feel cathartic. It almost feels like I get all the dirt, all the pain from inside of me, and just take it out,” she reflects on performing ‘Narc (i’m so happy that you’re dead)’ live, “I feel such a relief, it's crazy. It's like nothing else I've ever done or ever experienced”.
The final song she produced for her upcoming album was ‘Spectrum’, which represents autism. Being friends with lots of autistic people, she felt that it was the thing missing from the finished album. The song was created on a launchpad, having her live performances in mind while producing. “I can have a breather from singing and screaming, but also show off that this is all my production.”
N0trixx knew from the start that her identity should be hidden, using a mask to do so. This aesthetic fuels her honest and vulnerable lyrics, but it is also because she lives with DID. Her other self is not supportive of her music or being a public figure. So the mask supports her in being able to create without the anxiety of people in her life finding her story. “ I am carefully separating some of my real life with what's happening in my artist life,” she told me while discussing her aesthetic, “she [her other self] would not tolerate me being a public figure with her face being featured in this all,” n0trixx tells a unique, honest, and open story.
In the lead-up to the release of her album, she has also begun preparing for her nationwide tour. Rehearsing up to 4 times a week and remembering the intense raps. “The most important thing for me is to tap into those parts of my brain where I have all of this pain”. N0trixx channels her hurt and energy into her shows, even performing during times of grief. Showing that honest part of herself helps break barriers and connect her with the crowd, making the intense shows also intimate.
Her sophomore album ‘A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia’ is out now.
The first two singles, ‘Revenge On God’ and ‘harmless’ have been released. With ‘Revenge On God’ earning a spot on Metal Hammer's Best Songs Of 2025 poll. If you're looking for a combination of heavy riffs and intense raps, then n0trixx should be on your radar.