Renowned for being the frontman and lyricist of the gothic dark rock mainstay Aeon Sable, the Portuguese native artist, relocated to Essen, West Germany, Nino Sable feels the need to return, after an 8 years hiatus, to his early goth-tinged indie / alternative DIY roots under his Melanculia nom de plum, in search of a more “carnal”, straightforward, and intimate approach, built on a mainly acoustic and stripped down instrumental texture alongside a naked and unfiltered vocal delivery, steeped in an immaculate ‘melancholia’.
While many will surely know you from your longtime established band Aeon Sable, can you please introduce yourself and let us know about your early artistic and musical experiences, influences and inspirations?
Ciao Fabrizio, ciao WL/WH, I started as a singer at the age of 15, and sometimes I also played some guitar, but… my super power was to let my hair grow, so that people thought that I was a musician. Maybe… that’s why… at the end, I became one. After singing in some bands, I started to record my own music, and many years later, I also started to produce my songs in a professional approach, including mixing and mastering.
When I was a kid, I listened to traditional Portuguese Radio (Fado, Folklore, Rock), then, I started to check out the vinyl collection of my parents (Black Sabbath, Jimmy Hendrix, Scorpions, Metallica) and even later I begin buying Cassettes and CDs (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Death, Sepultura, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth…)… many years later, after moving to Germany, I worked at a music magazine called Darkspy Magazine and it was there, where I first got in contact with the world of gothic.
In the bio, you touch on the impact of a childhood split between Portugal’s sunlit northern coast and Germany’s industrial Ruhr Area, as the point of origin for Melanculia. Could you further expand on this?
In Portugal, I learned to pray to the sun, while in Germany, I learned to deal with the devil. My wish was to stay connected to my people on both sides – I guess it was that wish that led me to the path of music. For me, music is the most powerful universal language – a language that connects people from all over the world… through feelings and emotions.
What was the reason for returning to your roots/first project? Is it a limitation or a burden for you to be exclusively associated with the goth genre? Mostly acoustic, full of poignant, soul-stirring ballads, could you tell us the moods and inspirations that shaped it?
First of all, after almost 8 years (seventh circle), I had to return. About a year ago, I stared into a void and asked myself what had occupied that space before the void appeared; the answer was clear: it was “Melanculia.” So, I tuned my acoustic guitar and checked to see if I could still play those three chords – and quite quickly, it became clear that I was going to make a new album. A full-length record.
I enjoy being part of the Gothic movement and culture. I like the style of dress, and the people are, for the most part, very nice. No brawling at concerts or parties, no shouting, no insults. I do miss the magic a little bit—the Aleister Crowley side of things, and so on—but you can’t have everything… I feel that the Gothic sphere is broad enough to accommodate a more acoustic interpretation like mine as well. I often struggled to find my center and repeatedly twisted myself into extreme shapes (as I did with “Nino Sable”), but now, I am certain that my place is right here. Acoustic indie rock that is a bit “gothier” than the average, with lyrics dripping with themes of death and despair…
How has being a multi-instrumentalist shaped your creative process? Tell us about the record of your approaches to different instruments.
Oh, thanks a lot for the compliment. In reality, though, I’m not actually a true multi-instrumentalist. The truth is, I don’t play any single instrument particularly well – just well enough to lay down a solid foundation, over which I can ultimately sing. When I’m writing music, I have a melody in my head, and somehow, I manage to translate it using instruments. Often, it’s that mindset of “surely, there must be some way to make this work” that ultimately fuels the creative process.
Can you explain your songwriting ‘modus operandi’? What does the balance between planning, instinct and chance look like for you?
How does your lyrical content take shape?
Oh, that varies a great deal – depending on the day, my mood, and the weather. Often, I have a melody running through my head. With Melanculia, I usually capture this immediately using an acoustic guitar. While I’m jamming – playing the same chord progression over and over – lyrics for the song often come to mind; I frequently record these fragments right then and there as well. A quick recording on my iPhone usually suffices for this initial capture. After a few months, whenever I feel like producing an album, I go through my raw recordings and select a handful of tracks that could potentially work together on a record. Then comes an exciting – and very lengthy – phase. Working within my DAW, I build a track based on those raw files, and right away, I establish the overall sonic palette for the entire album.
Every single track typically takes shape as follows:
Starting with the original guitar and vocal track, I first re-record the guitar part properly. Then I add the bass, followed by the drums, and finally, I fill in any gaps with synthesizers. Furthermore, I always leave plenty of space for the vocals. Once the instrumental track is complete, I consult the original vocals from the raw files and essentially ask the track: “Who are you? What do you want me to say?”
The lyrics then emerge from that dialogue. Recording the actual vocals is usually a fairly quick process. I typically record about three takes. The first is just to get into the groove; the second is usually perfect; and by the third, you can tell I’m getting bored and messing around way too much. I then splice together the final vocal track from those three takes and… sometimes… I’ll even re-record the entire vocal performance in a single pass… a few weeks later.
In the “Post Mortem” LP, you craft poetic lyrics, an intimate love letter, woven with myth, symbolism, and nature, to evoke the mysterious light and dark nature of man. Please tell us about your writing style and the content of your ideas
Oh, I am not very good at deciphering my own works – that task falls more to the attentive and cultivated listener than to me… but I would go so far as to say that the lyrics are imbued with an unhealthy dose of madness, sorrow, and self-doubt, as well as forgiveness, magic, and three drops of the elixir of life and death.
In your observations and experiences, through the developments of technology, the algorithmically driven social media, and the late AI surge, how has the impact and essence of the underground music culture, for better or for worse, changed from the 90s to the present?
I believe that, from a bird’s-eye view, not much has actually changed within the underground. Underground music culture is subject to the same forces as all other mainstream trends, and in my opinion, unfortunately, not a whole lot has really happened over the last few years. Yes, okay – we have now bundled all of human knowledge (along with all of its ignorance) into AI.
Instead of a few regional editors filtering our opinions and preferences, that task is now performed by social media algorithms, and the influential media moguls of yesteryear now reside in the ***, from where they rule the world. So, essentially, everything remains just as it was – only the colors of the masks have been swapped out.
Your lyrics are scattered with threads of philosophy, esoterism and mythology. What is it that fires your passion for such intriguing subjects?
Since my youth, I have always been in search of both systematic and chaotic currents – forces that are often found precisely within the thematic realms you mentioned. For some reason, the “normal world” always felt a little too boring to me; even though I often struggle to simply tie my shoelaces, I have nevertheless developed a profound fascination for “other subjects.”
It is, in all likelihood, attributable to a misguided redirection of my life energy that I can barely get my act together in my everyday life, yet – on the flip side – am capable of making music that is at least halfway decent.
The vocals on the album invoke a wide range of feelings and emotions, from aching love to haunted angst, despair, and all the way to the seething anger of hate, syncing seamlessly with the lyrical content. Can you tell us about the evolution and refinement of your vocal delivery over the years?
I believe that the fact that I have been doing exactly this for over 20 years inevitably leads to a point where, eventually – even in your sleep – you can write a reasonably decent song. If the track itself then provides the perfect foundation, nothing stands in the way of a perfect vocal take.
You know, fundamentally, I am constantly gathering experiences and impressions in my “normal life”, and because I write so much (practice), the expression of these everyday impressions becomes increasingly fluid. It isn’t easy being a sensitive person, but it certainly helps if you happen to be an artist.
Maybe no more unrefined DIY recordings like in your early days, yet still stripped down in its arrangements. Tell us about the inspirations, the threads, and how the Melanculia material developed and gradually took its final form, please.
With Melanculia, it is absolutely essential that the acoustic guitar – played with all its imperfections – at least physically present in the very same room where the music is being created. This guitar (along with my vocals) is the absolute heart and soul of Melanculia. It is also important that, lyrically, things aren’t “overdone” – it shouldn’t be too complicated, because Melanculia is intended to always serve as an accessible entry point for my Portuguese and German friends. You know, I simply want to make songs that people all over the world can easily play along to themselves, perhaps just with an acoustic guitar around a campfire.
Ultimately, it is also worth mentioning that Melanculia is a very transparent project – one that essentially says: “Listen to my first album, and then listen to my latest one – it is possible to create something truly excellent yourself. Go out there and be an artist. Go DIY.”
Can you elaborate on the cover artwork and its meaning?
Both the photos and the YouTube video for “Sunboat Ascention” were shot – or rather, filmed – a few weeks ago by my friend Ruth Herbehold at “Schöner Hermann” in Essen. Basically, we hauled everything over there that had accumulated in my recording studio during the musical creation of Post Mortem. Sadly, during the production of “Post Mortem,” my good friend Lex Spielmann passed away – an event that has wrapped itself around the album like a golden ribbon.
The album cover is framed by a dark green curtain (hope). Seated in front of it, bare-chested (vulnerability), I hold a golden mirror shaped like a sun (mirror: “you, too”; sun: Icarus). In front of me, resting on the equally green table, lies a human skull (the past / vanitas). I felt that this chosen composition might serve as a fitting visual complement to this album – one that appears lighthearted on the surface, yet is, at its core, quite heavy.
Will you bring the Melanculia album to the stage?
I would absolutely love to put on large-scale shows featuring the new Melanculia material, but I’m not quite sure yet exactly what kind of framework would make that possible. To do so, I need musicians, lighting and sound technicians – and, generally speaking, people who have the time and enthusiasm, and perhaps even a shared mindset… unfortunately, finding such people isn’t all that easy.
Then, of course, I also need a significant amount of funding to develop a worthy stage production, and, as is so often the case with wild, ambitious ideas, bringing them to reality remains impossible until someone with the necessary resources comes along.
We shall see what the future holds…
Besides music, what are your other interests?
I am a media designer specializing in digital and print media. I work creatively almost every day using Adobe and DaVinci Resolve. I also do a lot of sports; I love cycling. I also really enjoy reading books.
Is there a gig, a record, a book, or a movie that pretty much changed or impacted your life?
In a nutshell?
Performance: The Cassandra Complex live at Dark Skies over Witten, 2024. I loved it. Dear Rodney, if you read this… You opened my eyes.
Album: Euroshima – “Matando Sueños” (If you want to know what gothic attitude is all about, definitely give this album a listen.)
Book: Ray Bradbury, “Fahrenheit 451”
Film: Barry Levinson, “Wag the Dog”
Who have you been listening to lately that inspires you?
Unfortunately, I’ve either been working on my own music – since I produce other things as well, after all – and consequently had my ears too full of sound to want to actively listen to other people’s music, or I’ve been working out. When exercising, however, I do enjoy listening to the “We Came to Dance” compilation. I can absolutely recommend it. It features older music from the early days of EBM, but given that it’s a 10-CD compilation, it is so multifaceted and interesting that you rarely ever get tired of it.
Sadly, I haven’t really listened to any new music at all lately… It is often very well-produced, but fundamentally, it just doesn’t speak to me. I often find myself missing the “spirit” in new music.
Thank you for your time and for allowing us to get to know you better. Is there anything else you would like to share?
I would like to thank you. To the youth, I like to say: stay true to yourselves; love whatever and whoever you wish to love; say and think whatever you please; and educate yourselves – preferably reading books – offline. 😉
What’s next for Nino?
Maybe holidays – Porto or Athens…
Melanculia‘s self-produced 14-track studio album, “Post Mortem,” will be released, Digipack CD & Digital, tomorrow, May 15, 2026.
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