Aesma Daeva (band)

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Aesma Daeva is a darkwave/symphonic metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

1 Early history
2 Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written In Water (1999)
3 The Eros of Frigid Beauty (2002)
4 The New Athens Ethos (2003)
5 Discography
6 External links

[edit] Early history

Aesma Daeva formed out of the early collaboration of Nick Copernicus (production) and John Prassas (guitars, composition) in La Crosse, Wisconsin circa 1998. Their original projects, Copernicus' "0dark:30" and Prassas' "162" saw them working together on a remix of the 162 song "Darkness" for COP International compilation disc Diva-X-Machina II. As their project began taking a new shape, classically trained guitarist John Prassas and Nick Copernicus then enlisted the help of another classically trained artists, Rebecca Cords. Along with a second new track "Stay," Aesma Daeva caught the eye of Accession records of Germany, who published their first full length album "Here Lies One Whose Name Is Written In Water." At this point, Aesma Daeva, the operatic, symphonic, darkwave, metal band, took official shape. The original female operatic vocals were performed by Rebecca Cords, all composition and guitar was performed by John Prassas, with production and other work done by Nick Copernicus.

After the release of their first album, Rebecca Cords departed from the band and Melissa Ferlaak (along with two other temporary vocalists) began recording with Aesma Daeva for their second album "The Eros of Frigid Beauty." After the release of Aesma Daeva's second album "The Eros of Frigid Beauty" in 2002, demand for live music soon drove John Prassas to find musicians capable of portraying the complex music best on a stage.

In January of 2002, John Prassas asked Earl Root to play guitar at his side, Craig Ohren to offer drum assistance (while also tweaking some older songs' drum pieces), and Melissa Ferlaak to sing for live performances. The band started off playing a small venue: June 2002 saw them debuting at a small St. Paul, Minnesota club, but things quickly increased Aesma Daeva's prestige as they played Metalfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Such popular metal magazines such as Unrestrained!, Terrorizer, and Metal Maniacs deemed Aesma Daeva "One of the Highlights of Metalfest 2002." Later, in August of 2002, Aesma Daeva journeyed to Mexico for Festival Obscuro IV (presented by Dilemma Entertainment) to play along such acts as Tristania, Maldorar, and HIM.

In the Autumn of 2005, Root of All Evil records put out Ex Libris, a collection of outtakes from the past few years, as a stop gap release to satiate fans' enthusiasm for the band's next album. It is limited to 200 copies and features several videos of live performances taken from a March 2005 show in addition to a unique polariod taken by each band member.

On October 11, 2005, it was announced [1] that singer Melissa Ferlaak was leaving to join the Austrian band Visions of Atlantis. Her final show with Aesma Daeva was in December 2005 at the Star Central club in Minnesota. The concert was filmed for the DVD, Last Rites, which is currently set for 2006 release. Lori Lewis is the new lead vocalist.

Currently, recording on the 4th album is proceeding with the drums being reported as the only parts finished. Neil Kernon has been enlisted as producer.

[edit] Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written In Water (1999)

Aesma Daeva's first released recording "Here Lies One, Whose Name Was Written In Water" is, for all intents and purposes, an experimental darkwave/symphonic metal album released from the original three collaborators. The recording itself is separated into three parts.

Part One "A Quiet Chamber Kept for Thee" is anything but quiet, these are Aesma Daeva's hardest four songs on the CD, melding together grinding guitars, staccato bass drums, and otherworldly vocals into some of the most original metal/darkwave music available at the time. Rebecca Cords' ultimately serene operatic vocals share the fore with driving electronica and heavy guitar/drum segments.

Part Two "Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written In Water" represents an experimental diversion from Part One. Chanting, acoustic guitar work, and subdued melodies - a large jump from the adrenaline pumped first section. "When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be" is the musical interpretation of lyrics originally penned by the long dead, and long revered poet John Keats (as are the lyrics in "Sanctus").

Part Three really includes two bonus tracks which are re-arrangements of the song "Downvain," more industrial dance bits.

[edit] The Eros of Frigid Beauty (2002)

An impressive sophomore release, "The Eros of Frigid Beauty" displays an important change of style for the darkwave/symphonic metal band Aesma Daeva. Replacing Rebecca Cords' vocals are none other than three new vocalists; Melissa Ferlaak contributing to tracks three and four; Adena Brumer singing for tracks two, three, four, and seven; Sara Williamson taking the rest with tracks one and six. While their styles vary, the effect continues the tradition of haunting vocals woven into the broad instrumentation, providing powerful harmonies and entrancing melodies.

Opening the album with powerful trumpets and deadly guitar riffs "Lysander" continues with the rhythmic ups and downs which fans of their first release will be familiar with. "Devotion" perpetuates the intense mood of the CD with driving guitars and piercing vocals, which leads into the much quieter "In My Holy Time" a constantly shifting meld of guitars, drums, and voice. "The Eros of Frigid Beauty" and "Overture" range in style between fast and hard, slow and soft, and the balance achieved in between. "The Minstrell Song" is much more darkwave with its pulsing keyboard opening and their persistence in the background. "Lysander II" is fast, jarring, melodic, and closes the album out with a quiet solo from Adena Brumer.

"The Eros of Frigid Beauty" is a much more refined album than "Here Lies One, Whose Name Is Written In Water," with the first album containing many more synthesized sounds and a more consistent vocal performance. "The Eros of Frigid Beauty" is overall very solid musically, great sounding and well played, offering a much deeper sound and higher production values than Aesma Daeva's first album.

[edit] The New Athens Ethos (2003)

With Ferlaak as the lead vocalist, Aesma Daeva released their third effort, "The New Athens Ethos" - with a grecian theme added to the existing darkwave/symphonic element. A much quieter, slower album, the level of production on "New Athens" far exceeds the previous Aesma Daeva albums. Specifically, the channel differentiation between left and right channels is vastly improved. The atmosphere of the album is further enhanced by the echo and reverb effects combined with ethereal vocals.

[edit] Discography

Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written In Water (1999, Accession. Re-released in 2000, Root Of All Evil)
The Eros Of Frigid Beauty (2002, Irond Records and Root Of All Evil)
The New Athens Ethos (2003, Root Of All Evil, Scarecrow, Irond Records)