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.