Interview withNino Sable (vocals, music) from Melanculia
We are thrilled to introduce you to MELANCULIA and their highly anticipated new album, ‘Post Mortem’. The album, described as “resurrection music,” brings a raw and intimate exploration of sound and emotion. Created by the talented Nino Sable, MELANCULIA’s unique blend of minimalistic acoustic guitar, haunting synths, and deeply personal lyrics takes listeners on a journey into the unknown spaces between silence and intensity.
‘Post Mortem’ is not just an album - it is a transformation, a resurrection of memories, shadows, and emotions that have been waiting to break through. Nino Sable’s vision, free from compromise, creates a space for vulnerability, fragility, and beauty that speaks directly to those who have ever felt out of place or alone. With a sound rooted in both the sunlit warmth of Portugal and the industrial gravity of the Ruhr region, this album is an exploration of contrasts - light and dark, past and present, silence and sound.
In this interview, we dive deep into the making of ‘Post Mortem’, its emotional and symbolic layers, and the philosophy behind MELANCULIA’s music. We’re excited to bring this intimate journey to you and are proud to introduce you to the world of MELANCULIA. So, sit back, dive into the music, and discover the dark, poetic beauty of their new work.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: ‘Post Mortem’ is described as “resurrection music.” What exactly is being brought back to life here - a past version of yourself, a sound, or something even deeper?
Nino:I would say it is all of that, and perhaps something beyond it. ‘Post Mortem’ brings back fragments of memory, emotional residue, old shadows, and a way of feeling that never fully disappeared. It is less about resurrecting a single past version of myself than about giving form to what has remained alive beneath the surface all along.
RoD: MELANCULIA has always been your most intimate project. What makes this project different from everything else you’ve created, especially compared to AEON SABLE?
Nino:MELANCULIA is more direct, more exposed, and in some ways more vulnerable. With AEON SABLE there is a certain collective force and a broader sonic architecture, while MELANCULIA feels like a solitary chamber where I can work with silence, fragility, and symbolic detail in a much more personal way. It is where I can speak in my own voice without having to translate it for anyone else.
RoD: You return to MELANCULIA after years of silence - but you say this is not nostalgia. What does this return feel like from the inside?
Nino:It does not feel like looking backward. It feels more like opening a sealed room that has been waiting for the right moment. The silence was not empty; it was a period of gestation. So, the return feels less like nostalgia and more like continuation through transformation.
RoD: Your music feels rooted in contrast - Portugal’s sunlight and the industrial Ruhr darkness. How do these two worlds still live inside your sound today?
Nino:They both live there very naturally. Portugal gave me heat, light, mystery, and a certain emotional openness, while the Ruhr region gave me a heavier sense of atmosphere, structure, and gravity. In MELANCULIA, those worlds do not cancel each other out - they sharpen each other.
RoD: The album sounds minimal - acoustic guitar, haunting synths, fragile arrangements. Was this stripped-down approach a conscious artistic decision or something that happened naturally?
Nino:Both. I think the songs themselves demanded space, so I did not want to surround them with too much decoration. At the same time, I was very conscious of leaving air in the arrangements, because fragility can often say more than density. The silence between the notes is part of the composition.
RoD: You do everything yourself - writing, recording, producing, even artwork. Does this total control feel like freedom… or pressure?
Nino:It is both, depending on the moment. Freedom, because I can follow the instinct of the work without compromise. Pressure, because every decision rests on my shoulders alone. But I have grown to appreciate that responsibility, because it keeps the work honest.
RoD: The title ‘Post Mortem’ suggests reflection after something has ended. Is this album about closure, transformation, or something unresolved?
Nino:Probably the last one. Closure is rarely complete, and transformation often begins before we even recognize that something has ended. ‘Post Mortem’ lives in that in-between space - after an ending, but before any final answer arrives.
RoD: Tracks like ‘Emptiness,’ ‘Confessions,’ and ‘We Are Only Human’ sound deeply personal. How much of your own life is hidden inside these songs?
Nino:More than I would probably explain in plain words, but not in a literal way. The songs are not diary entries; they are emotional translations. They contain traces of lived experience, but they also belong to the listener once they are released.
RoD: Your lyrics are often described as “cutting to the bone.” Do you write to heal - or to expose?
Nino:I think I write to understand, and that can sometimes look like healing or exposure from the outside. I do not try to wound for the sake of it, but I also do not try to hide behind comfort. If something cuts deeply, it is often because it is close to the truth.
RoD: MELANCULIA has been called “the soundtrack for outsiders.” Do you still feel like you’re speaking to those who don’t quite belong anywhere?
Nino:Yes, absolutely. I think many of us spend parts of our lives feeling slightly out of place, and music can become a quiet meeting ground for that feeling. If MELANCULIA gives anyone the sense that they are not entirely alone in that space, then that matters to me.
RoD: Your sound blends Alternative Rock with Gothic undertones. Do you think in genres - or is MELANCULIA something beyond categorization?
Nino:I do not really start with genres. I start with atmosphere, emotion, and the shape the song wants to take. Labels can be useful later, but MELANCULIA is first and foremost a world of its own.
RoD: There’s a strong visual identity in your work - dark, poetic, almost ritualistic. How important is imagery in telling the full story of MELANCULIA?
Nino:Very important. For me, sound and image are not separate languages. The visual layer is another way of extending the emotional and symbolic world of the songs, and sometimes it reveals things that the music alone cannot say.
RoD: The closing track ‘Imago’ is only available on CD and Bandcamp. Why keep something exclusive in an era of full digital access?
Nino:Because not everything needs to be everywhere at once. I like the idea that some parts of an album remain slightly more intimate, more tactile, more deliberate. Physical or limited access can create a different kind of relationship with the music.
RoD: Your music often lives between silence and intensity. What role does silence play in your creative process?
Nino:Silence is not a void to me. It is a presence, a frame, a kind of listener. Without silence, intensity loses its contour. It is often in the gaps that the emotional weight becomes fully visible.
RoD: When MELANCULIA steps onto a stage - what should the audience expect: a concert, a confession, or a ritual?
Nino:Perhaps a little of all three. I think a good performance can be a concert in form, a confession in spirit, and a ritual in atmosphere. If those elements meet, then something memorable can happen.
RoD: Finally, what comes after ‘Post Mortem’? Is this a rebirth… or just the beginning of something darker?
Nino:I would say it is a threshold rather than an answer. Maybe rebirth, maybe descent - depending on the mood of the beholder. What matters most is that the movement has not stopped.
All photos by Ruth Herberhold
