The Georgia (USA)‑based gothic rock act GIO will release their new album Semprevive on 15 January via Morella Records. This marks the third full‑length chapter in the project built around Giordano Paulo Orsini, an immortal observer born in 1458 — the narrative heart of GIO’s dark, atmospheric universe.
Named after the Italian word for everlasting grave flowers, Semprevive is a concept album devoted entirely to the women of Edgar Allan Poe. Each of the eight tracks embodies one of Poe’s most haunting figures — Morella, Ligeia, Berenice, Madeline Usher, Eleonora, Trippetta, the Marchesa of The Assignation, and the unnamed wife of The Oval Portrait. Their stories are retold through the eyes of GIO, a character who, within the project’s lore, walked the world at the same time Poe penned these tales.
Musically, Semprevive dives deep into gothic post‑punk: dark, atmospheric, and richly textured. Producer and songwriter Blake Carpenter crafts eight distinct sonic worlds — from bass‑driven descents and droning single‑chord verses to waltz‑time spirals, slow‑burn elegies, and a fierce, driving finale. No two tracks share the same structure or tempo, yet the album remains unified by its emotional weight and the singular voice of its protagonist.
GIO’s earlier albums, The Geometry Of Ruin and Sanctified Hunger, established Orsini as a centuries‑worn witness to collapse, corruption, and human frailty. Semprevive turns inward, exploring grief, obsession, and the devastation of watching beloved women fade, return, and refuse to stay gone.
The album opens with a spoken Prologue and closes with an Epilogue, framing a journey that begins with “Morella” and ends in the vengeance‑driven “Hop‑Frog” — the only Poe tale where the powerless rise and walk free.
Ahead of the full release, four singles — “Madeline”, “Eleonora”, “The Assignation”, and “Morella” — will appear individually. “Madeline” is out now, and you can hear it below. Link
Tracklist:
Prologue
01. Morella
02. Madeline
03. Berenice
04. Ligeia
05. The Oval Portrait
06. Eleonora
07. The Assignation
08. Hop-Frog
Epilogue
Norwegian gothic country outfit Deathbarrel has unveiled "Suffer You", the second single from its forthcoming album, Life Resignation Notice, set for release on 6 November via Soulseller...
Greek dark/gothic/atmospheric metal ensemble Elysion unveil “Dead Loves”, the third single taken from their forthcoming studio album Identity, set for release on 16 October via Massacre...
Polish black metal act Kalt Vindur have premiered "In Silence", the third single lifted from their forthcoming fourth full-length, The Void Of Time, which arrives on 27 November through...
Dark ambient/ritual folk artist Leila Abdul‑Rauf has issued an otherworldly new visual for "Eros Anima", taken from her sixth solo album, Andros Insidium, out in April via 20 Buck Spin.
"When you feel something you need to share, creating songs is the best way to do it. You can reflect on yourself so that you can relax and be relieved of that emotion." - Çağla Güleray
"We're fucking vampires, you know? The desire to stay young forever is always there. But alienation — that definitely comes from being a non‑human person." - Lee Margot
"Within this darkness, where there's no light at all, the golden raven still shines. It's not like a perfectly cut statue of Michelangelo..." - Val Perun
"I'm sort of asking questions - where are the heroes? Where's the defiance? Where are the people who oppose this?" - Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill
