Aina (band)


Aina was a German progressive metal project produced by Sascha Paeth with a number of guest appearances including Glenn Hughes, Michael Kiske and Candice Night. It resulted in the metal opera Days of Rising Doom, which was released in 2003 by Transmission/The End Records. The concept was created by Amanda Somerville who also wrote the lyrics. The music was composed by Robert Hunecke-Rizzo. Ten years after its release, Paeth indicated that there were no plans to revisit the project.

Story

The album tells the story of a fictional country, Aina, ruled by King Taetius. It begins with a warning delivered to King Taetius from The Prophets. The story involves a love triangle between Oria Allyahan and the two sons of King Taetius: Talon and Torek. After the death of Taetius, Torek becomes the king of Aina. However, he flees the kingdom in rage and humiliation when Talon is the one that gains lady Oria's hand in marriage.
Torek befriends a gruesome race known as the Krakhon, to whom he becomes a mix of king and deity; he also takes on the name of their deity, Sorvahr. Quickly, Sorvahr gathers the army of the Krakhon and leads them into a war against the whole world. Eventually he sieges and takes over Aina, casting out his brother, Talon, as well as Talon's wife, Oria, and daughter, Oriana. In an effort to preserve his kingdom, Talon sends Oriana away from him where she can be safe. Meanwhile, Sorvahr rapes Oria, who eventually gives birth to Syrius.
Unknowing of their relation to each other, Oriana and Syrius meet one another and fall in love. As the couple reaches adulthood, Talon returns to the kingdom with a new army to retake the throne of Aina. Talon takes Oriana with him to help lead the army; on the other side, Sorvahr takes Syrius with him to lead the opposing army. As Oriana and Syrius meet in battle, they declare a tentative peace on the battlefield. The peace is shattered when Sorvahr, disgusted with his son for making peace rather than war, kills Syrius. Horrified and enraged, Oriana then takes the fight back to Sorvahr and defeats him on the battlefield. She then takes the throne of the newly reinstated Kingdom of Aina.

Track listing

Disc 1: Days of Rising Doom

  1. "Aina Overture" - 2:01
  2. "Revelations" - 5:29
  3. "Silver Maiden" - 5:00
  4. "Flight of Torek" - 5:21
  5. "Naschtok is Born" - 4:39
  6. "The Beast Within" - 3:17
  7. "The Siege of Aina" - 6:50
  8. "Talon's Last Hope" - 6:10
  9. "Rape of Oria" - 3:05
  10. "Son of Sorvahr" - 2:58
  11. "Serendipity" - 4:04
  12. "Lalae Amer" - 4:13
  13. "Rebellion" - 4:01
  14. "Oriana's Wrath" - 6:13
  15. "Restoration" - 4:55

Disc 2: The Story of Aina

  1. "The Story Of Aina " - 15:08
  2. "The Beast Within " - 3:43
  3. "Ve Toura Sol-Rape Of Oria " - 3:05
  4. "Flight Of Torek " - 3:33
  5. "Silver Maiden " - 4:59
  6. "Talon's Last Hope " - 5:46
  7. "The Siege Of Aina " - 3:55
  8. "The Story Of Aina" - 15:08
  9. "Oriana's Wrath " - 6:11

Personnel

Credits for Days of Rising Doom adapted from liner notes.
Aina
Additional personnel
Additional musicians
  • Olaf Reitmeier – acoustic guitars on "Revelations" and "Serendipity", engineering
  • Derek Sherinian – keyboard solo on "The Siege of Aina"
  • Jens Johansson – keyboard solo on "Revelations"
  • T.M. Stevens – bass on "Son of Sorvahr"
  • Axel Naschke – organ on "Son of Sorvahr"
  • Emppu Vuorinen – guitar solo on "Rebellion"
  • Thomas Youngblood – guitar solo on "Lalae Amêr"
  • Erik Norlander – keyboard solo on "Rebellion"
  • Andreas Pfaff, Gregor Dierck, Thomas Glöckner – violins
  • David Schlage, Stefanie Priess – violas
  • Jörn Kellermann, Lauri Angervo – cellos
Production
  • Sascha Paeth – additional arrangements, mixing, engineering
  • Peter van 't Riet – mastering
  • Adam Briggs – artwork
  • Carsten Drescher – layout
  • Marc Klinnert – cover concept, artwork, logo
  • Hans van Vuuren – executive producer