Nova Et Vetera – Au Delà (Album – Manic Depression Records)

Genre/Influences: Gothic, dark-wave, dark-rock.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: French formation Nova Et Vetera has been active since 1998. “Au Delà” is the band’s third album, which was released in 2019.

Content: The tracklist is rather diversified although there are only 9 tracks featured. The album takes off a rather typical 80s dark-wave style reminding me a bit of The Virgin Prunes. We next get songs, which are more into dark-rock passages, but always merged with good-old dark-wave elements. Some pieces are dreamy-like while others are filled with a melancholic flavor. Most of the vocals are sung in English, but the female vocals are in French.

+ + + : If you like the dark hours of the 80s dark/cold-wave era, Nova Et Vetera is for sure a band that will catch your attention. The guitar playing empowers this darkness hanging over the songs. I have a preference for the more melancholic sounding “So Sick” and its delicate tune.

– – – : “Au Delà” sounds cool and fully enjoyable, but is missing a total apotheosis. And that’s for sure the real difference with some legendary 80s bands.

Conclusion: “Au Delà” is an easy listening opus, but not exactly what I would call a must have!

Best songs: “So Sick”, “A Pipe Dream”, “Playtime”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www .novaetvetera .net / www .facebook .com /LegroupeNovaEtVetera

Label: www .manicdepressionrecords .com / www .facebook .com /manicdepressionrecords

Since you’re here …

… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The donations are safely powered by Paypal.