Sede Vacante is a female fronted symphonic gothic metal band from Finland and Greece, founded in 2015 by the talented composer Michael Tiko. With a renewed inspiration and a refreshed line-up (including the extraordinary lead vocalist Stephanie Mazor), the band completed a heavier and faster second album. ‘Conium’ showcases a truly brilliant song writing, with easy and memorable choruses for each song and featuring a rich, powerful and yet pristine sound.
The Sede Vacante passionate display will guide the listeners through the most hidden paths of the human soul, among dark feelings of disenchantment, melancholy and resentment…
Furia is an intro with a symphonic touch.
Mistaken is the first real song and hits hard: clearly member of the female fronted symphonic metal family. The vocals sound clean and don’t have an operatic touch.
Dead New World had a good symphonic/melodic sound, a good drive and should be a hit on stage!
Conium mixes symphonic metal with a slice of electronics. I also hear some male vocals.
Painted Black (Rolling Stones cover): it’s not the first cover I hear but it’s one of the best ones! The song starts with a very dramatic feel, focusses on the vocals and the emotions. The song has been changed and in a good way (their own way)!
Melancholy Bled sounds nice, with good and very powerful vocals (mixing the symphonic metal sound with slices of electronics). I can feel the pathos (in a good way).
Walk On A Lie sounds a bit cold, has a long guitar solo and a rambling bass. For me the song takes a bit too much time to grow.
The Bride has a soft side and a side where the vocals yell and scream. Towards the end the tempo also goes up.
Wheel of Misfortune creates a certain tension with the vocals: whispering, screaming … going high and low with a spooky background.
Tattoo is the obliged ballad on this album. It’s a very fragile song lead by a piano and angelic vocals. The song becomes slowly stronger but doesn’t break the sound barrier.
It was fun listening to this album and discovering this band. It will be hard to get on top with this album but I feel they are on the right way. Finding enough variety within their sound is the next challenge as for the rest everything is set for the right direction! The potential is here! So far the album is also part of my playlist and keeps on spinning: the more I listen to it, the more I love it and the love is still growing!
Last note: the artwork is also excellent!
SEDE VACANTE is:
Stephanie Mazor - vocals
Michael Tiko - guitar, vocals, synths
Nick Gkogkomitros - bass
Jannis K - drums
