Milano
Milano is responsible for the bulk of the music on the album. He has a background in electric guitar, but has since dabbled with many other stringed instruments. Those include the ones featured on the debut album, such as acoustic guitar, Irish bouzouki, bass guitar (on most tracks), mandolin and ukulele. The bouzouki can often be heard on the album when it's layered with acoustic guitar, and in the song Innocent Eyes it even takes center stage as a melody instrument. The mandolin and ukulele are used sparingly, but can be heard prominently in the intro and interludes of Victim Mentality and in the bridge of Invincible.
Beside most instruments, Milano took on all vocals for the debut album, as well. He had to teach himself how to sing properly, which has been a slow, but ultimately rewarding process.
Last, but not least, comes the postproduction phase: mixing and mastering the album. With little to no experience, Milano called in the help of Robin, who taught him how to mix and master properly.
Photo courtesy of by_marielle_photography
Dave
Prior to Aelios Nova, Dave and Milano have worked together for almost 15 years. Dave’s bass parts distinguish themselves by their groove and funk, which was exactly what this album needed.
He has contributed bass guitar on the tracks Innocent Eyes and Eternal Blue Skies. They have been written by Milano specifically for Dave to play, so he could bring his unique style and technique to Aelios Nova. Naturally, the bass guitar in those songs is more elaborate than on the others, and is being featured more prominently.
Next to being a bass player, Dave is an artist. He drew all the artwork by hand, first with traditional mediums, and later on digitally. He has been a big influence in the visuals of both the album Eternal Blue Skies and the band Aelios Nova.
Photo courtesy of by_marielle_photography
Remy
Remy has an extensive background in playing classical and folk music, as well as various other genres. He has participated in many projects and is a well-known face within the Dutch folk community. You’ll notice his work in the tracks Innocent Eyes and Eternal Blue Skies. Milano had written the original melodies with a stringed instrument in mind, which meant that Remy would not be able to breathe while playing the recorder.
Despite this, Remy showed up to the studio and blew us away by playing those melodies anyway, or by improvising new melodies with every take. For example, during the song Eternal Blue Skies you can hear the exact moment where Remy departs from the written melody and shows his own artistic flair.
And while recording Innocent Eyes, Remy heard the bouzouki melody and iterated on a counter-melody on the spot, again showing off his musicality and skills.
Photo courtesy ofAlysha van Limburg
Dennis
You can’t make a song inspired by Irish folk music without including a bodhrán, and we found Dennis willing to lend his amazing skills to Aelios Nova for the song Victim Mentality. In daily life, he sells a variety of Irish goods, including bodhráns and tin whistles.
The sound of his bodhrán is the first sound you’ll hear on our debut album Eternal Blue Skies, where it takes center stage, together with the bouzouki.
The bodhrán is a unique instrument, since you can vary the pitch while playing. This allowed Dennis to provide a full drumbeat with a single drum. The beater can be used on the sides of the drum, as well. That way, he was able to get a unique sound somewhere in between a woodblock and a rim shot. If you listen carefully in the song Fly Away, you hear a “clock” ticking to signify the passing of time.
Before the recording session with Aelios Nova, Dennis had never recorded his instrument before, and only played it in a live setting occasionally. As it turns out, he’s a great session player.
Robin
Robin is a fellow band member of both Milano and Dave, and has recorded, mixed and mastered all of their tracks for almost 15 years. When Milano started mixing for Aelios Nova, he asked Robin to teach him how to mix and master from scratch. It turned out to be no small task, especially for a project as big as Eternal Blue Skies. At its peak, the master project contained over 130 tracks, ranging from drums to a complete choir of backing vocals and a wall of layered guitar tracks.
The process of mixing and mastering took many months and iterations, and several studio sessions where Robin was co-producer to Milano. Both in the studio and at home, he would listen to it on several devices and headsets, always making sure to give in-depth feedback. He has been a huge influence on the sound of Aelios Nova.
Photo courtesy of by_marielle_photography
