Like parallel lines
We’ll never meet on my side
You’re sleeping in that ground
My heart, forever bound
Italian darkwave trio Ash Code (Alessandro Belluccio; Claudia Nottebella; Adriano Belluccio) conjures raw emotional alchemy in their latest single, Angel Oscuro, an elegiac invocation of loss and spectral yearning. Claudia Nottebella, whose voice powers through gothic rock elegance and icy synth urgency, describes the song as an intimate séance with a cherished departed soul; an ethereal communion forever hauntingly incomplete.
Ash Code delivers an achingly human hymn to those who remain with us, even after they have slipped beyond the veil; an immortal elegy, whispered tenderly to eternal shadows. The track pulses with celestial symbolism, threading together imagery of trembling vibrations, flames, and an infinite twilight of absence. Nottebella’s low, haunting vocals glide above synth lines deftly polished by Doruk Ozturkan of She Past Away. The Turkish darkwave stalwart’s mixing and mastering lend the track a sleek, cinematic clarity, underpinning Ash Code’s meticulous fusion of shadow-laden electronics and gothic drama.
Choosing Spanish lyrics for the chorus – both homage to their fervently supportive Latin American fanbase and a calculated stylistic maneuver – heightens the emotional resonance. The linguistic shift intensifies the track’s ritualistic atmosphere, sharpening the spiritual immediacy of grief into a visceral ache.
“Angel Oscuro” is one of the most personal and painful songs I’ve ever written,” explains Nottebella. “It’s dedicated to someone who is no longer here, someone who left behind an enormous void. The lyrics are a dialogue with this presence I still feel beside me, even though I know that, like parallel lines, we’ll never meet again in this life. There’s a sense of unresolved grief, but also a deep, almost mystical connection. I still feel a vibration inside me, as if that person were living through my skin, through the pain that remains.”
This profound sense of loss finds visual form in the song’s accompanying video, filmed amid the gravestones and hushed reverence of a cemetery. Cultural echoes permeate this somber tableau, intertwining traditions of Día de los Muertos and Italy’s Ognissanti and Giorno dei Morti, celebrations where grief blooms gently into communal remembrance.
Ash Code harnesses this universal resonance, articulating the profound duality of pain and love, of absence and continued presence. Alessandro and Adriano, clad solemnly in gothic mourning attire, gather among candles, flowers, and silent marble sentinels. Nottebella herself, dramatically veiled, embodies the song’s lyrical heartbeat: anguished yet reverent, bound to the departed by invisible threads of memory and sorrow.
“We wanted a very simple video that could capture all the sadness of the track,” says director Elio De Filippo. “We decided to shoot with an old VHS camera and set up a cemetery scene inspired by horror B-movies. The result is highly effective and blends perfectly with the mood of the music.”
Watch Angel Oscuro below:
“It took time. Eight years since Perspektive.”
During that span of time, the world changed—and so did Ash Code. When lockdown shuttered clubs, the trio kept the music alive via Gothicat’s virtual stages, proving that a scattered crowd could still feel. A run of EPs followed, plus a standout collaboration with techno luminary Ellen Allien and an exhausting world tour. Yet fissures spread beneath the surface: “2024 was the year of the crack.”
Personal turmoil, physical separation, and the sudden death of a loved one pushed the project to the brink. After six months of near-total silence, the band was jolted by new life—literally—and in that dizzy rush, “SYNTHOME was born.”
Borrowing Lacan’s sinthome (“the symptom turned symbol”) and splicing it with synth, the title underlines their mantra that “music is what holds us together.” The record charts a post-pandemic passage from shadow to glimmer, pairing cathedral hush with floor-rattling pulse. Every song—“Tear You Down,” “Nostalgia,” “Angel Oscuro,” “Living for the Sound,” and more—forms a shard in the mosaic of grief, distance, and survival, while closer “Synthome” lands as declaration, rebirth, and revelation.
Mixed and mastered by Doruk Ozturkan (She Past Away) and wrapped in Sandra Roczeń’s stark artwork, the LP welds dark-wave, synth-pop, EBM, and future nostalgia with cinematic bite.
Pre-orders for SYNTHOME are now live via Swiss Dark Nights and Ash Code’s Bandcamp ahead of the September 5th, 2025 release. Polish artist Sandra Roczeń—the striking face of 2018’s Perspektive sleeve—returns to grace the cover of SYNTHOME, giving Ash Code’s new era a haunting sense of continuity.
Formed in Napoli, Italy, in January 2014, Ash Code emerged when singer/programmer Alessandro Belluccio and keyboardist/backing vocalist Claudia Nottebella completed two demo tracks, Dry Your Eyes and Unnecessary Songs, initially started by Alessandro’s previous project. Shortly after releasing these tracks online, Alessandro’s twin brother Adriano Belluccio joined the lineup on bass.
Ash Code have performed extensively across 27 countries, spanning Europe, the Americas, Russia, and beyond, supporting acclaimed bands like Lebanon Hanover, IAMX, Clan Of Xymox, Cold Cave, She Past Away, Drab Majesty, and The Soft Moon. Their festival appearances include multiple editions of Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Amphi Festival, Castle Party, Cold Waves, and Nocturnal Culture Night. Demonstrating community spirit during the early COVID lockdowns, they spearheaded the “Gothicat” livestream festivals to raise funds for healthcare initiatives.
Catch Ash Code live in Europe!
- Sep 5: Kulturpark Deutzen, Deutzen, Germany
- Oct 18: Parterre One Music, Basel, Switzerland
- Oct 30: Hootananny Brixton, Brixton, UK
- Oct 31: Whitby Pavilion Theatre, Whitby, UK
- Nov 28: ASTRA Kulturhaus, Berlin, Germany
- Nov 29: Event Center Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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