Aonia is a smooth distortion of mythic metal. Powerful and driving, melodic and soaring with fantasy-esque lyrics, 'City of Shadows' draws from a range of influences.
Current live artists' influences are listed below, followed by excerpts from various press items.
Melissa -- Floor Jansen, Tarja Turunen, Sharon den Adel, Simone Simons, Sarah Brightman, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Bach, Bizet, Delibis, Mozart, Handel, Sullivan.
James (guitar) -- Ghaal, Kirk Hammett, Corey Beaulieu, Nobuo Uematsu, Mikael Akerfeldt, Euronymous, Varg Vikerness
Paul (guitar) -- Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell, Jimmy Page, Tommi Iommi
Tony -- Nicko McBrain, Clive Burr, Uli Kusch, André Borgman, Jukka Nevalainen, Nicholas Barker, Charlie Benante, Ingo Schwichtenberg, Dave Mackintosh, Frankie Banali, Stet Howland
"Aonia have thrown a thunderbolt to earth in the form of their EP of power-charged operatic metal... the soaring vocals of frontwoman Mel makes the band’s peaks seem as high as Zeus’ mountain. " - The Independent Voice
Who needs Anette Olzen when you’ve got these guys picking up where Nightwish left off?...Their sound is reminiscent of early Nightwish and Tarja’s influence on singer Mel is apparent throughout, thats not to say she’s a clone, and her influences range from classical to metal and even include Judy Garland...Definitely a band for more broadminded metalheads who appreciate style over substance." - Rock Enterprize Productions
"Traditional operatic power metal that pounds along quite nicely. Although Melissa can be described as operatic, I am also reminded at times of Siouxsie Sioux, more so on the title track and 'Gift of the Curse', and this adds a nice and slightly different feel to the vocals. 'Prophecy of the Fallen Kingdom' has a Tarja feel...or fans of Tarja era Nightwish and the like." - Ravenheart Music
"The music is melodic, the vocals clean and crisp...a dark and heavy journey...using drums to set a rolling pace throughout. Powerful, elegant and to the point." - Loud-stuff.com
"It would be a mistake to describe Aonia as a band similar to Nightwish, as Aonia clearly have their own defined sound...with masterfully composed riffs and powerful vocals...for any fan of female-fronted metal. 5/5" - Valkyrian Music
"Taking their name from that endless creative juicer of Ancient Greece, Midlands gang Aonia meld the crooning vocals of frontwoman Melissa with riffs that recall the likes of Priest, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden and Nightwish. Not a bad combo, really." - Terrorizer magazine
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