Band:	Aesma Daeva
Album:	Dawn Of The New Athens
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	March 2007
Guest review by:	Ernis

01. Tisza's Child
02. The Bluish Shade
03. Artemis
04. Hymn To The Sun
05. D'Oreste
06. The Camp Of Souls
07. Ancient Verses
08. Since The Machine
09. The Loon

Aesma Daeva's latest album continues the style influenced by the culture of Ancient Greece. The band also introduces their new singer Lori Lewis with this album since the previous lead vocalist, Melissa Ferlaak, left to join the rows of Visions of Atlantis. As Lori is also working with the crew of Therion it appears in this album that these two bands have started to approach each other both musically and professionally.

One of the key words for this album is certainly "joy of recognition". Tracklist includes brand new versions of two key songs from the previous release "The New Athens Ethos". The main tunes and sequences of "The Eros Of Frigid Beauty" are also recognisable in the new song "Ancient Verses". Good old songs are shown light upon from slightly different angles and rosen to another level. Lori Lewis doesn't make any disappointment at all and proves to have vocal powers and singing style entirely comparable to Melissa's.

The crème de la crème of this album is without any doubt "D'Oreste", the aria of Elettra from the opera "Idomeneo" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There is no point to start glorifying nor praising Lori's voice with any elaborate words since only one word will sum it all up. "Technique". The aria requires a strong voice and profound training in operatic style and this is the particular place where Lori proves to be equally good compared to Melissa who sang the same song during band's live performances. By far one of the best and most successful attempts to combine metal with classical music.

The rest of the album doesn't surprise nor disappoint with anything particular. The haunting female vocals, the echoes and misty atmosphere, hard and deep instrumental side in certain places, all of it is present. A minus is that there should perhaps be more new songs instead of just cover versions of tracks from the older albums. On the other hand, the tracks "The Bluish Shade" and "Since the Machine" unveil the possible future trails of the band. Already familiar acoustic tracks of Ancient Greek and medieval music have lost their dominance and now show green light to sombre metal accompaniment which never leaves us. Slight similarity with Therion's musical atmopsphere is emerging. The lyrical themes also introduce a brand new topic of futuristic world inspired by the dystopian novel "1984" by George Orwell.

All in all, Aesma Daeva proves that they have come to stay. "Dawn of the New Athens" is a promising album which proves that the band has some new and interesting plans and that we may expect something new from them soon. There will be definitely more surprises from Aesma Daeva one day.