Band:	Aesma Daeva
Album:	The Eros Of Frigid Beauty
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	2002
Guest review by:	Ernis

01. Lysander
02. Devotion
03. In My Holy Time
04. The Eros Of Frigid Beauty
05. Overature
06. The Minstrel Song
07. Lysander II

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.