Aenima is a Portuguese dark wave, rock band formed in Almada in 1997. The name of the band is a play on the Latin word anima, meaning "soul".[1] The band is notable for its guitar-based ambient sound and clear female vocals.

Aenima
OriginAlmada, Portugal
GenresGothic rock, ethereal wave
Years active1997–present
MembersSusana
Rune Eriksen
Paulo
Rui
Past membersCarmen Susana Simões
Pedro
Lito
Hugo
Nor
João
Rui
Miguel
Vasco
Mário
Websitewww.aenima.org

Critics quite often compare the band to Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance.[2][3][4]

Aenima was founded by guitarist and producer Rune Eriksen (previously with Millennium) and vocalist Carmen Susana Simões (previously with Poetry of Shadows and Isiphilon). They soon added bassist Paulo, guitarist Nor and drummer Hugo to their line-up.[5] Carmen was the band's main lyricist during her years with Aenima.

Aenima's debut LP album, Revolutions, was released in 1999 by the Symbiose label. Originally the band was signed for a two-album deal, but their record label soon went out of business, so Aenima had to look for another publisher.[5]

The follow-up record, Never Fragile, was released by Equilibrium Music in 2002. With its 6 tracks, Never Fragile is considered to be an EP or maxi-single. It was highly praised by critics.[6][7]

In 2003, Aenima released their second full-length album, Sentient, via the US-based Middle Pillar Presents label, becoming the first European act to be signed by the label.[8][9]

Carmen left the band after Sentient was released. She was soon replaced with a new singer, Susana, a graduate of Lisbon Conservatory. As of 2007, the band was working on recording their new, yet-unnamed album.[3]

Discography

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  • 1999 - Revolutions (Symbiose)
  • 2002 - Never Fragile (Equilibrium Music, EQM00002)
  • 2003 - Sentient (Middle Pillar Presents, MPP00984)
  • 2004 - Puppet Circus (Picture Disc)

References

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  1. ^ Official biography
  2. ^ "Twilight Zone Review of "Never Fragile:". Archived from the original on 2010-04-22. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  3. ^ a b Interview with Aenima Archived May 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Russian Gothic Project Review of "Revolutions"
  5. ^ a b "Flux Europa Review of "Revolutions"". Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  6. ^ Projekt: darkwave Review of "Never Fragile" Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Flux Europa Review of "Never Fragile"". Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  8. ^ Projekt: darkwave Review of "Sentient" Archived October 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Flux Europa Review of "Sentient"". Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
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