Aion [Re-Mastered]

Dead Can Dance has only two core members, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. Gerrard is the lead singer on most of the songs, which is a good thing, since she is a very talented one. Perry does fine providing harmony, but he when he is the main singer (such as on "Black Sun," the only song here I really dislike) he sounds like he can't sing. There are never more than two or three vocalists, but through studio editing they can sound like a whole choir. The guests that appear on some tracks, such as bagpiper Robert Perry on track 6 or the quartet of viols on track 10, never seem out of place and are always good musicians.

This is an interesting album. It brings a different perspective to early music, and the performers are skilled. I also like the way that Lisa Gerrard uses nonsense words as lyrics on many of the songs. For some vocal music compositions, it is hard to find a suitable text. You hear wordless singing from time to time, but why settle for a few vowel sounds when the entire phonology to choose from? It could also make this CD useful if you want to add an auditory component to a roleplaying game, since your players won't wonder "Why are the (imaginary place)ites singing in French (or German, Latin, etc.)?" The main drawback is that the album is only 36 minutes long.

If you like this music, there are numerous CDs of early music that you mmight like as well. Two that come to mind are The Way of the Pilgrim: Medieval Songs of Travel (ASIN: B000056KNB), which is performed by the Toronto Consort, and a collection of Hildegard von Bingen's music called Canticles of Ecstasy (ASIN: B000001TYF), but there are many others, only a few of which I have.


Haunting, timeless, beautiful,   October 17, 2005
Bachelier (Ile de France)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Aion is the most accessible and widely enjoyed album by non-hard core Dead Can Dance fans. Although short, it merits an immediate repeat listening. Of all DCD records, this is the first one to try.

Fans of a cappela choral music will enjoy this work, as well as post-punk fans of Cocteau Twins, shoegazer, and progressive rock. While this selection does offer a complex instrumental arrangements, those whose first introduction to polyphonic chant from the wildly popular "Chant" album of The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos will not be disappointed with this bridge between two worlds.

The song "Black Sun" is notable for Brendan Perry's haunting baritone vocals over repetitive droning strings and reed instruments, with driving nested percussion the reminds one of David Byrne and Brian Eno's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts."

Other selections feature Lisa Gerrard's haunting controlo soprano solos and harmonies that immediately invoke and make modern compositions from Hildegard von Bingen.

4AD is a label known for seeking and promoting music that invokes a sense of timelessness. Dead Can Dance's "Aion" is an exemplary instance of that goal, you will not be disappointed.


medievalism in full flower   March 1, 2000
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

during their recorded lifespan, DCD possessed an uncanny ability to take almost any kind of music and make it their own. this CD is no exception, as brendan and lisa take on the renaissance. (what other band would even have the temerity to tackle a 14th-century saltarello?)

everything about the music suggests it's been around for centuries, and that's the genius of DCD on this release...from the mesmerizing bagpipe lines and lisa's trademark chanting in "as the bell rings the maypole spins" (track 6) to what could possibly be brendan's best and most ominous vocal outing yet, the jaw-dropping "black sun" (track 8). in an album of highlights, these two are easily the standouts.

from tasteful restraint to being downright playful, DCD succeeds in taking us all back to the future on "aion." among their best!


Music Of The Gods. Classic Music Sonitas Eternus   December 7, 2004
Wes (World Citizen, Earth)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

A masterwork that transcends time itself, DCD channel musical history as much as dazzle with their own contemporary genius. Listening to this is to be transported in such profound and mesmerizing ways I can't even begin to fully describe. It elicits incredibly powerful emotion just listening to it. Real, organic instrumentation coupled with passionate singing. It may shake you to the core, it is that good, that transcendent and powerful.


Classic, Short, Good intro to Heavenly Voices Genre   July 16, 2005
M. Mierzwa (Davis, CA USA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Many Dead Can Dance fans point to Aion as a good introduction to Dead Can Dance (and ethereal or heavenly voices styled music), and with good reason. Though the 40-minutes of music on Aion goes by quickly, my impression by the end of the album has always been, "Why did it end so soon!" Although I certainly have a few favorite tracks, this is the type of album that I'll listen through completely several times in one sitting.

Both Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard are talented musicians, but it is their vocals that are fairly unique. As a fan of Brendan's vox, my two favorite tracks are "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book" and "Black Sun". Though they are two of the longer tracks, the majority of the tracks on Aion feature Lisa's lead vocals, and of these tracks, I happen to like "As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins".

If you like Brendan's vocals, I'd also recommend that you consider looking at Dead Can Dance's album Into the Labyrinth, which feature more of his vocals. Finally, if you already are a Dead Can Dance fine, I highly recommend hunting for the German band Impressions of Winter's "End of a Summer" and "Iuturna".