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Band/artist: Nino Sable
Album title: sedate ⊚ seduce
Release date: 28 March 2022
Label: Equinoxé Records, Bat-Cave Productions
Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk, Dark Pop, Synth-Wave, Darkwave, Industrial
Tracklist:
01. Driven By The Night
02. Church Of No Belief
03. Ultima Estacion - El Underground
04. Chaos
05. Beautiful Death
06. Allordieside
07. Hydra
08. Script Of Devotion
09. Obey 2020
10. Taraxon (feat. Diane Wang)
11. Into The Void
The renowned German dark music singer and composer Nino Sable, better known as the frontman of the magnificent dark rock band Aeon Sable, is here to seduce the lovers of darkness with his debut solo album. Eleven versatile and dynamic songs on this album showcase the multifaceted artistic nature of Nino Sable. While being active in the dark music underground for more than 15 years, it's obvious that Nino is an experienced musician and knows how to do things right; he knows how to sedate and seduce the listener. His former bands, Melanculia and Deied, are no more - perhaps they have had to die so that Nino Sable could have emerged.
Each song on this album brings forth a special mood, a different atmosphere, from deeply melancholic dark pop to harsh electro and everything in between. Delicate and elaborate, with no complications, no avant-garde and no progressive technical overdo, rather than that all of them are done in a way to be potential hits. Easy to listen to, hypnotic rhythms and catchy melodies are so addictive that will stay with you for a long time. Nino Sable's music is a bridge between old-school and modern; thus, the listener has a feeling of being served with something cosy but at the same time with something different.
Those who know Nino Sable's other music endeavours will notice pieces of those in these songs. For example, there's some Melanculia in the captivating semi-acoustic post-grunge-indie rocker "Script Of Devotion". There's some Deied in the "in your face" threw harsh electro/industrial madness called "Obey 2020", and of course, there's a smell of Aeon Sable in all of the darkest places on this album. Nino's hypnotic dark voice is the main thing here, beautiful vocal lines and his tone sound like a post-punk version of Bruce Dickinson. Vintage haunting and sometimes evocative synths, together with irreversible danceable beats, moving deep basslines, and mesmerizing guitars, work out like a cohesive unity of well-structured pieces, which are the result of meticulous songwriting.
I guess that most of you already know the songs since they were all released as singles during 2021 and presented in the Nino Sable's radio show here on Terra Relicta radio, but listening to them all together on the album, is a whole new experience. The songs were slightly redone and re-mastered for the album versions. While each brings forth a different emotion, there are some that I could name as pillars of sedate ⊚ seduce. The emotional and moody synth-wave/dark pop opener "Driven By The Night", the pulsating hauntingly devilish "Church Of No Belief", the dark evocative semi-acoustic ballad "Beautiful Death", the mesmerizing atmospheric darkwave heart breaker "Hydra", and before mentioned "Script Of Devotion", are the songs that will certainly set aflame the dark music world.
There are more gems here, almost no fillers; the lost in reverie "Allordieside" provokes the senses with a beautiful melody, while the gothic rocker "Ultima Estacion - El Underground" captivates with its retro smelling "bat-cave" danceable rhythm and mellifluous chorus. "Chaos" is the heaviest guitar-driven song up here - almost at the edge of gothic metal; it sounds like a mixture between The Sisters Of Mercy, Tiamat and Paradise Lost. The only two songs that I find too mellow are the ghastly dark and cold "Taraxon", which features Diane Wang (La Scaltra) as a vocalist, and the rather soulless "Into The Void". Even these two fit into the whole picture quite good, though it would be better if they had been placed somewhere else and not at the end of the album.
The sound varies from minimalistic to thick and rich soundscapes. Often very atmospheric, melodic and sometimes multidimensional, it will, for sure, make fans of various dark music genres dance around the black fire for quite some time. Nino Sable and the helping hand of Lars Kappeler (Sweet Ermengarde, October Burns Black), who co-produced and played additional instruments, did a great album, which I'm sure will be on top of many charts. It's one of the most captivating albums released so far this year, and its sinister nature points to the essence of dark music. So, if you are into "easy-listening" dark music, I strongly recommend sedate ⊚ seduce - it will most definitely live up to your expectations.
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 8,5/10
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