Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Cenobia is the latest to join the ever-growing slate of lore-heavy masked acts in the world of Metal.
She released her debut single, ‘DEVOUR ME’, in May 2025 and a follow-up, ‘THRONE OF WANT’, about four months after. Both tracks have, thus far, garnered the artist over 439k monthly listeners on Spotify, and a total of almost 517k views on YouTube across the two music videos as of this writing.
Cenobia has also received significant attention from YouTube and TikTok music reviewers, such as METALBIRB and Drew Fortune.
So, what exactly is Cenobia all about? In this spotlight feature, STREAM KVLT breaks down some key elements that the masked act has put into the light so far.
Full disclosure: We initially reached out to Cenobia for an in-depth interview, but she politely declined, stating that she works discretely and wishes to remain hidden from the media. Hence, to respect her wishes and privacy, this article will only be focusing on the information that she has made public across her music and social media platforms
The Devouring Begins: Cenobia’s Debut Single
On 23 May, Cenobia broke into the sonic consciousness with her first offering, a stunning number christened ‘DEVOUR ME’.
The track, with guitars and drums rising and crashing like the waves in its music video, sets the tone for Cenobia’s existence — one full of longing and devastation as a result of unrequited love.
This is corroborated by the artist’s biography on her Spotify and social media pages, which contains a cryptic line about how “She writes music for him [but] He will never hear it”.
In ‘DEVOUR ME’, there is a certain struggle between the Self and the Other, the former trying to retain a semblance of control while the latter attempts to drown it out. Cenobia employs velvety clean vocals lamenting: “Stuck in your throat / I burn alone”, and juxtaposes it with brutal, desperate growls screaming: “You won’t take me”, to convey this conflict, just like how she battles against the waves in the music video.
Where lore is concerned, there is a point in the music video where the main character encounters a group of shadowy figures after being washed ashore, and she reaches out to one of them right around the bridge of the song.
Upon contact, the figures disappear and the main character is left alone once again, as she reemerges from the suffocating waters.
Perhaps this is Cenobia’s way of depicting the “Goddess Encounter” stage of the Hero’s Journey troupe in storytelling. This stage typically comes after a series of trials and challenges, where the protagonist meets a figure of wisdom and gains tools to aid their quest.
If this is true, her coming works could possibly depict how her journey and crisis started prior to the encounter, and how she will ultimately come to terms with her Self and her Other following said encounter.
Ascending the Throne: Cenobia Expands the Lore
The story continues on 26 September, when Cenobia dropped her second single, ‘THRONE OF WANT’.
While still keeping the same balance of hard and soft as ‘DEVOUR ME’, this track bodies a more resolute tone as the persona of Cenobia is formed, both sonically in the music and visually in the video.
‘THRONE OF WANT’ depicts the main character accepting the figure she encountered in the previous video, and seemingly morphing into the physical manifestation of whatever “Goddess”, deity, or entity the figure is.
Lyrically, this song is basically a “Look What You Made Me Do” moment, but Metal-ified. Lines such as “Well this is all I know / Your hands upon my throat / If this is what it takes for your affection / I will choke” and references to be “dragged under again” are direct callbacks to the aquatic struggle of ‘DEVOUR ME’.
But this time, instead of fighting the currents, the protagonist accepts the current state of matters and uses it to become a higher version of herself. While she is at it, she now asks the Other: “Do you see her now? / She did this for you”.
This suggests that this new manifestation of Cenobia is holding up a mirror to the Other, showing them what the pain they have put her through has turned her into after accepting the entity into her life.
Whether the image in that mirror is a portrait of peace or a gruesome graphic is still yet to be seen, although all signs are pointing to the latter.
It is also important to note that the full story of this Hero’s Journey can come in the form of a single album, or, as with the case of Sleep Token — who appears to have inspired this new act quite heavily — span the entirety of Cenobia’s musical career and discography.
Codes, Ciphers & Cult Mythos
On her social media accounts, Cenobia has employed a world-building Alternate Reality Game (ARG) to engage her audience.
Leading up to the releases of her two singles, Cenobia added to the mystery by putting out secret codes and ciphers for fans to solve.
Without spoiling too much, solving the ciphers have led to unlisted videos on Cenobia’s YouTube channel that provide those who embark on the quest more clues about her upcoming tracks.
For those invested in the hunt, Cenobia also has a Discord server where people gather to discuss and decrypt the ciphers.
From keeping her identity concealed to harnessing the power of the Internet to connect with listeners all over the world, this rising Aussie chanteuse is consistent in her efforts to shape a narrative that stretches beyond her music and videos, and into the imaginations of those that encounter her.
Only time will tell who (or what) exactly Cenobia is. But for now, it is safe to assume that all that has come to light is only the tip of the iceberg.
Dear Reader, keep your eyes peeled, for the Hero’s Journey continues to unfold — and the Goddess has only just arrived.
Follow Cenobia on her Journey on all major music streaming platforms and on socials via @cenobiaofficial.
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