Nic Nassuet ‘Eleutherios’ Review: Gothic Poetry

If Edgar Allen Poe was in a band, he’d be in one with Nic Nassuet.

Combining poetic lyrics and solid and deep musicianship thanks to a slew of solid musicians behind him, Nassuet is able to put a definable face on the Gothic Rock genre for anyone who either had no idea what it was or had prior predispositions.

Eerily charming, soft and silky, yet powerful and dark, Nassuet’s work would fit in perfectly in a video game the likes of “Castlevania” or “Silent Hill.”

While many tracks feel and sound like lullabies, there’s a power before his vocals at times that add an extra element as well. However, it’s the softer stuff that will resonate with non-fans of the genre the most. Tracks like “The Giver” and “Good Night, Goodbye,” make great use of violin and guitar and thanks to the imagery provided by Nassuet’s voice, it’s almost like a look at something living and breathing. In the case of “The Giver,” it’s almost like a track that Jack Skellington would sing to his child (if he had one) in “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” It makes sense considering Nassuet’s background in theatre, but to those who have never seen him before, it’ll just be an interesting song that makes you think.

With an almost Jim Croce/Shawn Mullins start from Nassuet on the guitar, “Good Night, Goodbye” is also a beautiful, softer piece that is surprisingly dark and Poe-esque. After a few listens, you’ll sing along, wondering when you, indeed, went goth. But have no fear, it’s just a catchy track, powered by solid lyrics. In the end, his music can easily be labeled, but shouldn’t. It’s just well-polished and dark.

“Black Dress” showcases a more gruff side of Nassuet, an angry folk-ballad where he sounds a bit like Neil Diamond. Add in more violin from Edward Hong and a catchy hook and it’s very easy to become a fan of Nassuet’s work. On “Immune,” Nassuet is able to add another element in Catrina Grimm on backup vocals, adding more goth to formula. With a nice amount of layers already, Grimm’s equally as sexy and taut voice puts the song over the top.

Solid on the guitar and chilling on vocals, he’s definitely something different. Although his stuff isn’t the most radio-friendly, it’s deep, thought-provoking and without a doubt polished.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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