Now that I've exhausted the present pile of genre-qualified physical releases to review (I seem to get sent a lot of punk, hardcore, metal,
alt country and other stuff we don't review here on Chain D.L.K., likely because some promo outfits don't pay attention to where they're sending product) I'm delving into our huge backlog of digital-only releases. More than any other platform, Bandcamp has made it possible for artists who either can't afford to, or don't want to release their music by CD, vinyl or tape. Can't say I blame them with the rising costs of production and manufacturing these days. Also, you need an incredible promo machine behind you in order to sell anything, and you not only have to be really good, but also have a fanbase and music industry connections to get your foot in the door.

For my fist selection from the Chain D.L.K. digipile I've chosen Saturnalia999, from Valparaiso, Chile, and what appears to be her debut release, 'Why To Live For A Dream.' I haven't come across anything purely Gothic in a while, and this lady looks goth to the max. Looks aren't everything in music, but in the age of YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram, they go a long way to get you noticed. Let's look at the substance behind 'Why To Live For A Dream ?' is an album of 13 tracks of various lengths, song titles in English, released fittingly on October 31st, 2023. It took a little digging but I found that her real name is Saturnalia Mendez, but there is little else to go on, so I can only assume this is a solo project and she did all the music herself. While most of it is keyboard/synth based with drum programming, there is also a good amount of violin playing, and she seems fairly adept at it. As for the vocals, it's not so much that Saturnalia sings the songs as wallows in them. Sometimes her voice sounds like more like a meting candle, and at others, hoarse death metal screaming, most notably on Tracks 11: "Perish And Decay," and 12: "Vultures Block My Sight Staring At The Sky." Proportionately, this style is in the minority on the album.

Saturnalia's Chilean accent doesn't make lyric comprehension easy, but it does make her vocals interesting. On the opening track, "My Eyes" the vocals seem more atmospheric than anything else, swathed in a stew of synths. "Young Blood" which follows is a lot more
musically organized into an actual song, and here Saturnalia's voice crystalizes into an identity that has hints of Alastrelle (Dead Souls Rising), Lene Lovich, Nico, and even a bit of Marlene Dietrich. Next track, "A.M." is a better song, more comprehensible and interesting
in spite of the talk radio broadcast samples. "Necrosis" is plenty weird and perhaps the track that spawned my melting candle comment. A male voice creeps into this in duet form and the melody is really out there, sounding improvised for the most part. "Mechanical Angel" is a strange mess that never seems to quite come together, but it's the first significant appearance of the violin. "Tell Me What To Tell You" has plenty of emotion and more rhythmic motion but the melody is so abstract that it's really hard to follow. "Paradise Lost" has an effective rhythm track and spooky, gothy atmospherics, but again the vocal seems lost in the sauce. What could have been the best track on the album - "The Abandonment Tree" with a great arrangement and a lot of violin, is marred by the underplayed/under-recorded vocal which is a real shame because the lyrics are quite amazing.

The violin continues to be a factor in "Crime Scene" with its neo-baroque musical ambience leaning into darkwave. Once again the vocal is overridden by the music, so the song lyrics are not done justice. As it turns out, "Dead Leaves" seems to be a musical nod to the '80s,
and it's nice to hear one where the beat is pumped up. 'Why To Live For A Dream ?' is not a bad album, just one that fails to love up to its potential. What Saturnalia999 needs to do is: 1. Make the vocal more prominent in the mix. 2. Make the melodies less abstract and more concise (A plethora of memorable hooks would help); 3. Incorporate stronger beats on at least several album tracks, because that's what's going to get you noticed (and get 'em on the dancefloor in clubs). I don't see any of these things detracting, only enhancing. A competent, professional producer would go a long way to resolving these issues. Still, this is worth checking out.