Aesma Daeva - The Eros Of Frigid Beauty - guest review

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Aesma Daeva - The Eros Of Frigid Beauty - guest review

Cover image of the reviewed item
Band
Aesma Daeva
Album
The Eros Of Frigid Beauty
Style
Symphonic metal
Release date
2002
Reviewer
8.9
7.3
Tracklist
01. Lysander
02. Devotion
03. In My Holy Time
04. The Eros Of Frigid Beauty
05. Overature
06. The Minstrel Song
07. Lysander II
Guest review by
Ernis
October 04, 2007
Aesma Daeva has been among my personal favourites for several years already. This review will describe an album that lead me to the music of this band. "The Eros Of Frigid Beauty" is the second studio album by the American symphonic metal group. This album isn't easy to handle. I admit here that when listening to it for the first time I was filled with admiration speaking of some tracks and also disappointment and even disdain for the music was too strange for me at first. Not only for me but for other people as well who listened to this album and found it too difficult and couldn't understand this music.

Now that I have been listening to the other works of this band as well and been deep in their style for years I think I have the means to give an analysis of this work. "The Eros..." is a vibrant piece of art. Sinister, powerful and a great step in the evolution of the band. When the first album had the tender voice of Rebecca Cords, "The Eros..." features a whole charming ensemble of three lead singers Adena Brumer, Sara Williamson and beautiful Melissa Ferlaak who later became the face of the band until her departure in 2005. The three muses of John Prassas make the album most graceful.

The album continues the Medieval, ancient style of the first album. A medieval introduction bursts into a harsh and violent operatic storm of sounds and the voice of Sara Williamson will sound as a call of a siren tempting the ignorant seamen. The female supporting vocals do create the atmosphere of a wild hunt where no man can hide from the fury of crazy valkyrs. You find yourself in a chamber of a medieval building listening to the calming solo of the lute when all of a sudden you'll be torn into a hellish environment where the dark sounds of synthesizers and the most haunting female vocals govern the world of gloom.

The album features two main tracks in its core. "In My Holy Time" and the title track. Both having the length of around fifteen minutes. These are the first ones where Melissa Ferlaak sings the lead vocals with her tender and dark voice. A sad and thoughtful journey in a forest, a death and once again the haunting choirs.

"The Eros..." is a strong album with symphonic structures and use of modern, dark electronic music in some parts. This release is an important step for the band since you meet its influences on all the later albums. The band determines their style and the dark medieval path of the first album continues to future through this album. Fans of symphonic and atmospheric music should try this one.
Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 9
Production: 8
Written by Ernis | October 04, 2007
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.

Comments

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Comments: 2 Visited by 18 users

Posts: 1
Permalink
03.09.2010 - 10:41

Posts: 1
For my first listen, I was immediately struck by the title track, "Lysander." I felt then, and I feel more strongly now, that it is perhaps the most perfect fusion between Metal and (Baroque) Classical music that I have ever heard. The song leads with trumpets, then electrical guitars, then a ripping double bass combined with flutes and other woodwinds, and some of the gnarliest Harpsichord that I've ever heard. Lysander is a masterpiece of progressive fusion.

I found the album to go on a little long after that -- although I couldn't tell if it was due to "Lysander" just being such an amazing song, or whether the music became so overwhelmingly dense that my head could not take 60+ minutes of such intricately combined musical choreography. All of the songs are undeniably well-done, although not all catch attention.

Overall, this is a must-have album for any fans of metal-classical fusion.
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Posts: 697
Permalink
04.09.2010 - 18:47
Rating: 9

Posts: 697


This is my favorite AD album (listening to their Dawn Of The New Athens release right now).
Very proud they are a local band for me, but with the passing of guitarist and label owner, Earl Root, I wonder what lies ahead for the band.
----
Old enough to be your Daddy... speaking of which... you look familiar... do I know your mother???
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