DAEONIA - CRESCENDO (Candlelight Recs. - 2001): Daeonia´s follow up to their acclaimed debut album "Craven" is a symphony of darkness. This guys have big influences from gothic bands from the eighties but they have a more modern sound. The influence that comes to my mind while listening to "Crescendo" is the Sisters of Mercy. But I think that despite this similarity, Daeonia is reaching a different part of the gothic specter. What I like most from this album is the combination of the keyboards and guitars ( the former playing dark backgrounds and the later doing repetitive phrases in order to create the climate for the vocalist to do his job). The only thing that I would have changed is the mix of the second guitar that i could have mixed higher to give more power to the music (the way Paradise Lost did with "Draconian Times"). Songs like "Drowned" or "Meridian (12311999)" have solid hooks and strong melodies. I think the mood of the songs is deeper for example in "The Bridge and The Ashes" where the atmosphere is more oppressive with more presence from the keyboards or "Within The Blink of An Eye" with the piano and vocals intro. My favorite tracks: "Thoughtograph", "Within The Blink of An Eye" and "In Cimmerian Dreams". Contact: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
