Aesma Daeva - Dawn of the New Athens

The first song opens with a voice as beautiful as a Tolkien Elf, then heavy guitar riffs follow that makes you want to headbang out in an open glade, with a mood and atmosphere that makes you feel like you're living in Ancient Greece. And the first song on Aesma Daeva's Dawn of the New Athens, "Tisza's Child," is only the beginning. There are only nine songs, but with each one running an average of five to six minutes, you still get your money's worth. I will warn you however, you may be left wanting more.




Lisa Lewis's soprano vocals fit perfectly with the meaningful lyrics ("Artemis" is a song about struggling with living a spiritual and artistic life in a material world, and "Since The Machine" is Orwellian in its warnings of where today's society is heading) and musicial stylings of the electrical, percussion, and wind instruments. Easily the best CD I've listened to this year, Aesma Daeva, is a band to watch for. Like Epica and Nightwish, Aesma Davea's music will not only please Metalheads like me who also appreciate a little Classical but also please anyone who appreciates brilliant music regardless of personal musical preferences.



Coolest Part: Hands down the first two lines in "Ancient Verse" (right along with the rest of the song). And no, I'm Not telling you what they are. You'll just have to get the CD and find out for yourself. Yes I'm being evil again. What did you expect? Okay fine, I'll entice you with the first line: "Once there was myth and mystery...."



Gripe: I want more, dammit! MORE!!! A double-CD set with DVD concert footage might satisfy my hunger. Might.



Best to Listen to While Reading: 1984 - seriously. Or any heroic, epic Fantasy/SF. Tell you what: break out your dusty copies of Homer's Iliad and Odessy while you listen. And Paul Levinson's The Plot to Save Socrates works fine, too.*

Format: Audio CD

Release Date: 2007

Label: pnevma

Price: $14.99

*I fervently deny any knowledge of Paul Levinson owning a time-machine and dragging Homer and Orwell to the present time-line to help him bribe me with chocolate chip cookies to plug their fiction. Nor do I know anything about so-called "witnesses" getting disintigrated by an anti-matter rifle. Lee S. King's space monkeys did it--they're guilty of all of it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!