Gogo Melone: Creating Beauty Through Sorrow

As Aeonian Sorrow prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary, founder Gogo Melone discusses the band's origins, songwriting process, artistic influences, visual design career, and plans for a new album and European tour.

INTRODUCTION

Few artists manage to balance music and visual art as successfully as Gogo Melone. Best known as the founder, vocalist, keyboardist, and creative force behind Aeonian Sorrow, she has spent the last decade shaping one of the most distinctive names in the modern doom metal scene while simultaneously building a respected career as a graphic designer for bands, festivals, and record labels.

With two acclaimed albums, two EPs, and a third full-length currently in development, Aeonian Sorrow continues to explore the emotional depths of doom and gothic metal. Senem Semiz, on behalf of Black Metal Chronicles spoke with Gogo Melone about her musical beginnings, artistic inspirations, songwriting philosophy, and the future of the band.

Band Profile

Aeonian Sorrow is a Finnish-Greek doom metal band founded in 2015 by vocalist and keyboardist Gogo Melone. Combining elements of doom metal, gothic metal, and atmospheric melancholy, the band has released two full-length albums and two EPs, establishing a strong presence within the European doom metal scene.

https://www.instagram.com/aeoniansorrow/

Interview with Gogo Melone by Senem Semiz

Black Metal Chronicles: Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. To begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Gogo Melone and I'm the founder member/singer of the Finnish - Greek Doom Metal band Aeonian Sorrow. Some people know me from my other job in graphic design as I work for the music industry, other artists and labels.

Black Metal Chronicles: How did your journey with music first begin? What was that process like?

Well, you know I was the typical kid who was going to school and accidentally ended up singing for the school's choir because of natural talent. Then I went through that phase to where all the kids of my school were listening to pop music and I was the only one listening to Metal and being different so I guess that intrigued my interest to explore music even more and practice my artistic side through singing. This was the first experience but of course the most serious experimentation came after high school when I joined my first band and I started to record songs with other people, play concerts across the country and share nice memories.

"Sometimes sorrow leads to catharsis, reflection, and even inner peace."

Aeonian Sorrow - Harbinger of Ruin (Official Video)

Black Metal Chronicles: Alongside clean vocals, we’ve also seen you perform harsh and scream vocals. When and how did you learn this vocal style?

I initially learned harsh vocals through self-practice and experimentation. Later, I took professional lessons to refine my technique and ensure I could perform them properly both in the studio and on stage.

Black Metal Chronicles: Which bands or artists have inspired you the most?

Bands such as Theatre of Tragedy, Anathema, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, and Type O Negative have all influenced me in different ways. Beyond metal, artists like Dead Can Dance, Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, Portishead, and The Gathering have also had a significant impact on my musical perspective.

Black Metal Chronicles: Beyond music, you also have a strong background in graphic design. How did that creative path begin?

It is not just a hobby or interest, this is my job for the last 18 years. I do CD and Vinyl artwork, layouts, T-shirt designs, logos and everything a band needs to release an album or go on a tour. I finished college and then I started to work with small underground bands and through the years, I got customers such as Kamelot, Wolfheart, Xandria, Before The Dawn, Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum and more. Today I continue to provide the same services to artists, labels, festivals, and even a booking agency now called Dark Moon Events.

Black Metal Chronicles: Can you tell us about the origins of Aeonian Sorrow?

The band was formed by me in 2015 when I was still living in Greece. I've been a fan of Doom Metal and Gothic Metal music since years so it was somehow a personal preference to create a project that follows this line. At first it was more like a solo band to where I was writing songs and exploring the sound that I wanted to create and then some of my Finnish friends heard about this project and they offered to help me record it in the studio. We ended up recording an entire album together named "Into The Eternity A Moment We Are" which it was so good that there was no way we could let the band stay as a studio project only. So later on we found extra musicians to complete the line up and we started travelling across Europe, playing shows and having a couple of tours and festivals. 10 years later we are counting two albums, two EPs and now we are working on the 3rd album and the next tour production for 2026. Our current line up is Joel Notkonen (vocals), Taneli Jämsä (guitars), Jukka Jauhiainen (guitars), Achilles Papagrigoriou (drums), Jani Mikkänen (session bass) and me in vocals and keyboards.

Black Metal Chronicles: How does your songwriting process work?

I'm not sure if there is anything interesting or mysterious about the songwriting process. We mainly write individually in our houses through our computers and then we share demo tracks with each other. Once the main peace is done and the lyrics are done, we meet at the studio and we start recording everything. I think the recordings is one the most challenging things to do and the most exciting process at the same time. You have to keep a creative line, to change things if needed and make choices while you are trying to put all the pieces together. It's a difficult process but also very enlightening in an artistic level as you're always learning something new from it. But to be able to do all that, you need a motivation or to create a goal and in most cases ours is to sit down and compose something new that it won't take many years to complete. If you are in a semi-professional band or in a full professional band then targets and goals are vital for your continuation so  we are trying to keep a balance with all that.

Black Metal Chronicles: We love your band’s name. What does 'Aeonian Sorrow' mean to you?

Our name is highly influenced from the Greek word "Aionios" which means Eternal. Of course this has a connection to my place of origin but with the word "Sorrow" next to it, it also describes a state of mind which is linked to grief and pain. The topics might be sad and depressing but it's also an experience to go through. Sometimes they provide you a catharsis or an inner peace so it doesn't always end badly.

Black Metal Chronicles: Finally, what can fans expect from Aeonian Sorrow in the near future?

Thank you for the invitation and this interview. This autumn, the band will be celebrating its 10th years anniversary so we are preparing something special for the occasion. The songwriting for our 3rd album has started too but it is at a very early stages yet. For sure the fans should expect more shows and another EU tour in 2026.

Closing Words

Beyond her work with Aeonian Sorrow, Gogo Melone has also recently collaborated with Turkish gothic doom/death metal band The Choir of Agony. She appears as a guest musician on the band's single, Forsaken Lament, a song that further strengthens the artistic bridge between the European and Turkish doom metal scenes.

The collaboration brings together musicians who share a passion for atmosphere, melancholy, and emotional depth, demonstrating how the contemporary underground metal community continues to transcend geographical borders through creative partnerships.

Listeners familiar with Aeonian Sorrow's mournful soundscapes will undoubtedly recognize a similar emotional resonance within Forsaken Lament, making the collaboration a natural artistic meeting point between the two bands.

The Choir of Agony's Forsaken Lament lyric video 

featuring guest vocals by Gogo Melone of Aeonian Sorrow

https://www.instagram.com/thechoirofagony/

INTERVIEW CREDITS

Special thanks to Gogo Melone for her time, insights, and continued support of the international doom metal community.

Aeonian Sorrow Official Website

Aeonian Sorrow Spotify

Aeonian Sorrow YouTube Channel

Gogo Melone Official Website

THE FOREVER PEOPLE II

Turkish gothic death/doom metal act The Choir of Agony has unveiled the official video for its new single “The Forever People II”, featuring legendary My Dying Bride vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe alongside Eduardo P. "Harbinger of Doom" Mota (The Cross) and Daniel Fauaze (The Cross).

Turkish Death/Gothic Doom Metal band The Choir of Agony has officially released its new international collaborative single and video, “The Forever People II”, now available on YouTube and digital streaming platforms.

Bringing together musicians from Türkiye, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, the release further strengthens the band's growing international presence within the gothic and death doom metal scene while continuing its collaborative artistic vision.

The song features legendary guest vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, widely known as the iconic voice of My Dying Bride and current frontman of High Parasite. As one of the most influential figures in gothic doom metal history, Stainthorpe's unmistakable vocal style and lyrical legacy have helped shape the genre for more than three decades. His participation marks one of the most significant collaborations in The Choir of Agony's career to date.

Joining him is Eduardo P. of Brazilian gothic doom metal band The Cross. Known for his dark, melancholic approach and powerful vocal presence, Eduardo adds another layer of emotional depth to the composition. The track also includes contributions from Daniel Fauaze, further emphasizing the project's international character.

Founded in İzmir, Türkiye, The Choir of Agony has steadily gained attention through its combination of death doom heaviness, gothic atmosphere, and ritualistic songwriting. The band's music is characterized by cinematic arrangements, oppressive emotional weight, and an evolving network of collaborations with respected musicians from across the global doom metal community.

At the center of the band's identity stands vocalist Senem Semiz, whose deep and commanding extreme vocals have become one of The Choir of Agony's defining trademarks. Her performance on “The Forever People II” creates a powerful contrast against the song's melancholic atmosphere, reinforcing the band's distinctive interpretation of gothic doom metal.

Accompanied by an official video, “The Forever People II” presents a dark and emotionally charged meeting between established figures of the classic doom metal scene and a new generation of international gothic death doom musicians. The result is a work that bridges the heritage of traditional doom metal with The Choir of Agony's contemporary and collaborative vision.

Listen to "The Forever People II" on streaming platforms and watch the official video on YouTube.

Connect with The Choir of Agony:

Instagram:
@thechoirofagony

Senem Semiz:
@senemsemiz

Spotify:
The Choir of Agony

YouTube:
The Choir of Agony

THE FOREVER PEOPLE II

The Choir of Agony Announces International Collaboration Single “The Forever People II” Featuring Aaron Stainthorpe 

Official Teaser

Turkish Death/Gothic Doom Metal band The Choir of Agony is preparing to release its new collaborative single, “The Forever People II”, on May 22 across all digital platforms.

The release brings together musicians from Türkiye, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, further strengthening the band’s international gothic doom metal identity and collaborative artistic vision.

The single features legendary guest vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, best known as the iconic voice of My Dying Bride and current member of High Parasite. Considered one of the defining figures of gothic doom metal, Stainthorpe’s poetic and mournful vocal approach has shaped the genre for decades. His appearance on “The Forever People II” marks a significant milestone for the band.

The song also includes contributions from Eduardo P. of the Brazilian gothic/doom metal band The Cross. Eduardo is recognized for combining gothic melancholy with heavy doom-oriented songwriting, making The Cross an important name within the South American dark metal underground.

Another guest musician appearing on the release is Daniel Fauaze, whose participation further expands the song’s international character.

Founded in İzmir, Türkiye, The Choir of Agony has been attracting attention with its ritualistic atmosphere, emotionally oppressive structures, and dark cinematic aesthetic. Blending gothic doom, death doom, and atmospheric metal influences, the band continues to build a distinctive identity through international collaborations and multilayered compositions.

One of the most striking elements of The Choir of Agony is the vocal performance of frontwoman Senem Semiz, whose deep brutal vocals stand at the center of the band’s sound. Semiz draws attention with a vocal style that merges the darkness of death doom with the emotional intensity of gothic metal, while also representing the growing presence of female extreme vocalists within the global metal scene. Her harsh vocal delivery creates a powerful contrast against the melancholic and atmospheric structures of the band’s compositions. 

With “The Forever People II”, the band is expected to deliver a deeply melancholic and emotionally intense work that unites veteran figures of the doom metal scene with modern gothic extremity.

 IMPURE WILHELMINA / Le sanglot

Country: Switzerland

Genre: Post Rock / Alternative Rock

Album Title: Le sanglot

Release Date: May 22, 2026

Label: Season of Mist

Manifesto Sentence: A restrained sob that turns melancholy into resonance.

Context Note:
With Le sanglot, IMPURE WILHELMINA steps into a new phase. Writing entirely in French gives the album a different accent and melodic contour; it genuinely opens a new side of the band. There are moments of chaotic undercurrents, yet the overall movement feels smooth and deliberate. The darkness does not erupt; it flows.

Michael Schindl’s voice is unquestionably the emotional core. It carries a deep, inward suffering that never turns theatrical. At times, it reminded me of the Swedish band Kent, that same restrained intensity, that same quiet ache beneath clarity.

Midway through the record, “Train mort” emerges like something leaking through a dark crack. Its post-black edge casts a shadow over the album, almost like a black glance interrupting the flow. The echoing transitions and trembling vocal tension are striking, unsettling, but powerful.

Artwork & Conceptual Frame:
Le sanglot does not dramatize pain; it contains it. The title itself suggests not a scream, but a held sob. The aesthetic direction reflects this inner compression, which is controlled, melancholic, and lucid.

Thematic Axis:
Modern melancholy, restrained emotional intensity, internal fracture, quiet existential unrest.

More info:

Bandcamp: https://impurewilhelmina.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impurewilhelmina/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29luUtCyre5DdAujrV8Pob

ERDVE/Epigrama

ERDVEEpigrama

Country: Lithuania
Genre: Experimental Sludge Metal / Metalcore
Album Title: Epigrama
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Label: Season of Mist

Manifesto Sentence: 

A suffocating meditation on modern decay where sludge density meets existential fracture.

Context Note:

With Epigrama, ERDVE move beyond the abrasive volatility of Savigaila into a more deliberate and structurally unified territory. Self-produced and entirely shaped by core members Vaidotas Darulis and Adomas Varnelis, the album emphasizes cohesion between composition, lyrical content and sonic architecture. Rather than amplifying chaos, the band refines it — channeling their experimental sludge foundations into a darker, more introspective and disciplined framework.

Epigrama carries the melancholy of the contemporary condition. The vocal delivery — emotionally strained and reminiscent of post-black metal’s expressive intensity — creates a painful yet deliberate bridge between lyric and sound. On “Skepsis,” especially, the sharp structural transitions showcase ERDVE’s originality: tension fractures and reforms without resolution.

This is sludge in its most experimental and abyssal form — dense, suffocating, and intellectually aware. The darkness here is not theatrical. It is internal. ERDVE do not explode outward; they implode inward, crafting a controlled descent into modern disquiet.

Artwork & Conceptual Frame:

The visual presentation mirrors the album’s internal collapse — minimal yet unsettling. The photography and design choices reinforce a sense of psychological erosion rather than external aggression. Conceptually, Epigrama functions as a reflective rupture: a confrontation with personal guilt, fragmentation and modern disintegration. The Lithuanian lyrics deepen this introspection, preserving cultural identity while amplifying universality.

Thematic Axis:

Existential self-disintegration, guilt-consciousness, modern alienation, entropic decay, and psychological implosion. Bandcamp

DRUDKH: A Music That Belongs to the Night

 From Shadow to Thaw – Music, Philosophy, and a Glass Raised to the Night

I want to begin this piece like a letter of confession. This is the quiet confession of having never written, perhaps even never quite managed to write, about this music until now, even though for a long time I have been stepping blindly into every song they compose and, each time, setting off on my own psychedelic journey. 

The 2025 album Shadow Play, the April 2026 EP Thaw, and my visit to Çal at the end of March finally brought this article into being, one centered on Drudkh’s music, lyrics, and a particular wine that accompanies them.

This article is about Drudkh, the Ukrainian atmospheric black metal band. Drudkh is a dark musical mirror of suffering, pain, and social decay. There are no live performances and no masks in this universe; what you encounter instead is a series of albums in which the notes cry out and the music is transferred from one body to another. Entering the realm of Drudkh is like holding a one-way ticket; after that, you begin to desire getting lost yourself. Especially if you are among those atmospheric black metal listeners whose veins have long been claimed by melancholy.

In DRUDKH’s music, melody flows without ever hurrying, while repetition becomes more than repetition, creating a hypnotic state that pulls the listener inward. The transitions do not arrive through harsh ruptures, but by slowly dissolving into one another; the music does not erupt, it expands inward. The mid-tempo passages, at times leaning toward doom, deepen this darkness even further. The long, echoing, and controlled screams never turn into spectacle; it is as though a narrator speaks from afar, telling his story without shouting, yet without surrendering. The sense of nature does not emerge through flutes or folk instruments either, but from the very texture of the melody itself, as if mist were rising on its own from between the notes.

The album I still place in a category of its own within their discography is Blood in Our Wells (2005). I can say that the epic intensity of this record reveals the spirit of the band in its most unguarded form. However, Furrows of Gods (Blood in Our Wells), Glare of Autumn (Autumn Aurora), Only the Wild Remembers My Name (Estrangement), and The Nocturnal One (All Belong to the Night) are essential milestones for tracing Drudkh’s footsteps.

The inclusion of texts by Ukrainian poets in their lyrics is one of the cornerstones of DRUDKH’s aesthetic line. The melodies of Drudkh carry the poetry of major figures of 1920s and 1930s Ukrainian modernism, such as Volodymyr Svidzinsky, Bohdan Ihor Antonych, Maik (Mykhailo) Yohansen, and Yevhen Pluzhnyk. The album A Few Lines in Archaic Ukrainian (2019), in particular, places these poets’ archaic Ukrainian verse at the center of its musical vision, forging a powerful connection between language, history, and cultural memory. Shadow Play (2025), meanwhile, moves this line onto a more inward and meditative plane.

2025 – Shadow Play

Released under Underground Activists, the underground-focused sub-imprint of Season of Mist, Shadow Play carries DRUDKH’s timeless aesthetic into a more refined darkness. The album creates a field of tension between the oppositions of existence: light and shadow, silence and storm, memory and oblivion.

While the band’s characteristic atmospheric and pagan black metal language remains intact, themes of exile, roots, and the cycle of life and death are strongly felt in the album’s narrative backbone. Tremolo-laden melodies, hypnotic repetitions, and a melancholic ambience place the listener in a world suspended between past and present.

DRUDKH embraces anonymity not as an aesthetic gesture, but as an ontological position. It refuses to surrender to the culture of visibility. Only the music speaks. Historical memory is felt not only on the lyrical level, but within the structure of the composition itself. In the lyrics, the legacy of poets such as Yakiv Savchenko resonates through this music. DRUDKH, in fact, produces timelessness. It speaks not through trends, but through historical consciousness.

Drudkh - "The Eve" 

The sorrowful grandeur of The Eve, the defiant grief of The Exile, and the destructive beauty of The Thirst shape the album’s inner tension. This is not merely an act of listening, but an experience of turning inward.”

2026 – Thaw EP

Set for release in 24th April 2026, the Thaw EP was recorded during the same creative period as Shadow Play and stands as a direct extension of that album. It is not an independent change of direction, but a concentrated continuation.

The opening track, Memory, points not so much to nostalgia as to permanence. With a structure that stretches beyond seven minutes, it moves forward slowly, expanding its layers and carrying those familiar, epic Drudkh tones I find impossible to give up. It reflects the fragile dissolution of a frozen state of mind.

This three-track EP explores a state of lingering on the threshold, inner exile, and the quiet instability of change. Thaw is, in essence, a transitional work. Neither entirely new nor entirely old. A dissolution, but a controlled one.

Drudkh - Memory

As one falls asleep, as one emerges from sleep, the screams gradually spread and lengthen. Its atmospheric black metal structure leans toward doom. A dark spirit that seeps into us. This is precisely where DRUDKH’s black pearls are hidden.

Wine Pairing – Çal Karası (Lermonos)

While listening to the 2025 album Shadow Play, with its strong sense of local emphasis, I chose a local character from these lands: Çal Karası. The pride of the Çal region of Denizli.

Çal Karası is mostly used in the production of rosé. Yet the Denizli-based producer Lermonos has let the blood of this distinctive grape run, transforming it into a true red. Its pale red, brilliant color appears elegant, yet its structure is deeper than one might expect.

This is a grape that speaks in many tongues. It opens with red fruits: sour cherry, pomegranate, red plum. Then it brushes against fine spices, touches of clove. With a sudden turn, it leaves greenish reflections at certain angles. On the palate, it moves from reds that steadily intensify toward faint green tones, and with a bitter finish, it throws the truth in your face.

Its acidity is pronounced, sharp, and vivid. Being a child of a continental climate, it knows hardship well. The temperature difference within the day reveals itself in that piercing acidity. With its slender body, it carries shrill screams, yet it also possesses aromas deep and lingering enough to carry the melodies alongside them.

This is the wine of the night. Red enough for the full moon to want to fill its goblet with it. It is built to be drunk in the silence of the night, accompanied by heavy melodies. With the purple flowers it keeps trapped inside, it makes one final gesture and, as the night goes on, draws melancholy over itself. Like DRUDKH’s music, Çal Karası first leaves behind an intense shadow; it hardens with its pointed tongue, then curls inward with an unexpected elegance. Like silenced Renaissance poets, it bears pain in an aesthetic form. It is a refined yet sharp reply from Anatolia to the memory of Ukraine.

I raise my glass to a night paced out on the ground by His Twenty-Fourth Spring, and to Drudkh’s musical epic tale. 

Lermonos Carovino Çal Karası 2024

DRUDKH listens not only to the poetry of the past, but to the tremor of a land still shaking beneath the present. The connection it draws between historical memory and present-day fragility makes their music not only timeless, but painfully relevant and unmistakably black metal.

"The equinox is behind us.

A cold spring night.
In every sound,
In every breath,
In every gust of wind,
April."

Квітень (April)

Гра тіней (Shadow Play)

 

More Info:

Music:

https://drudkh.bandcamp.com/

Spotify

Youtube

https://www.season-of-mist.com/bands/drudkh/

&

Wine

https://www.lermonos.com/en/