AINA — Days of Rising Doom (review)

AINA — Days of Rising Doom album cover Album · 2003 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
senor_velasco
“Rock opera" doesn't do it justice.

Aina: Days of Rising Doom is so much more than a concept-based supergroup. Its story is sweeping, its orchestration is rich, its instrumentality is impeccable, its vocals are expressive and its composition is totally solid.

While I’m not terribly familiar with many of the bands associated with the illustrious cast of players, I recognize quite a few voices from other projects, such as Ayreon.

As with any project involving many contributors, it's hard to pin the album down to a couple descriptors. The album is rife with riffs that grab hold and don’t let go. The sonic atmosphere ranges from heavy, hard and driving (Flight of Torek, Son of Sorvahr, Rebellion) to ethereal and emotive (Silver Maiden, Rape of Oria, Serendipity), each section an effective complement to the story being told.

The music is quite straightforward. There’s nothing very eclectic about any of these songs. Indeed, Aina can be called progressive rock only in its scope and in its use of orchestra and extended solos. That certainly doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, however, and many of the arrangements are complex enough to keep the mind entertained on subsequent listens.

I’ve found that what most rock operas lack are great lyrics - and Aina is no exception. Tim Rice this is not. The words aren’t doggerel, but they serve little purpose other than to tell the story and give a framework for the music.

For those who enjoy an easy listen, a rocking escape and an emotion-laden performance, Aina delivers. It’s well worth the time spent getting to know it.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Oud Zeer Atmospheric Sludge Metal
ONTAARD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Oud Zeer Sludge Metal
THROWING BRICKS
Buy this album from MMA partners
War. Metal Related
WHORES.
Buy this album from MMA partners
The First Breath Is The Beginning Of Death Sludge Metal
IDIOT CHILD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Morbid Curiosities Sludge Metal
LUURCH
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 2 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 2 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed