Saturnus
For The Loveless Lonely Nights

Long rides of disheartened emotions. Solitary souls lose themselves on misty paths, dancing among snowflakes in timeless forests, ensnared by thoughts laden with uncertainty, sadness, pain. And again, romantic wounds of yearning hearts abandoned to storms of dusty solitude, of grim commiseration. All soaked in emptiness and desires suppressed in the name of the princess of the mocked, the captivating Frustration.

These, and other emotions, will envelop you in this diamond of gothic beauty that the Danes Saturnus released in 1998 as a gift to their fans (two marvelous "live" pieces are included). Five highly inspired tracks closed by a gloomy outro of over seven minutes compose this small masterpiece of shadowy yet delicately light harmonies.
"Starres" highlights songwriting inspired by "Brave Murder Day" of the gods Katatonia and "Gothic" of the British Paradise Lost, reworked through a process of nostalgic melancholy. Sober guitar lines, vocals now narrated now spat by a vehement growl, acoustic sweetness and painful leads. "For your demons" and "Thou art free" are gothic ballads permeated by marvelous harmonies, a whispered and fragile male singing, "damned" violins and slow, disconsolate tempos. Of such piercing romanticism as to make them "unbearable."

Excellent "live" versions of "Christ Goodbye" and "Rise of Nakkiel" presented here in a very faithful, professional, technically impeccable manner and enriched by choirs with an operatic flavor, truly grandiose. It closes with an oppressive outro ("Consecration") long seven minutes of pure oblivion with clear dark ambient influence. A total masterpiece, and I emphasize, for a band who authored two other jewels named "Paradise belongs to you" and "Martyre" that however did not receive the rightful acclaim and admiration they deserved.

Now disbanded for several years, Saturnus wrote pages of pure beauty within a monotonous and over-saturated genre. Without distorting its patterns.

Truly applause-worthy.