A nice  bit of coverage for Aria Flame from SMASH Magazine.

http://smashmags.com/aria-flame/

Interview in German, English Version at the bottom of the Article page.

Full Article Here

"Aria Flame will be making a trek across the world to the Netherlands"

Link to Story

"Wow is all i can say"
By Scotty-D

Full Review

"We all love female metal, but our favorites are different. In fact, with ten staffers submitting lists, we have nine different #1 albums!"

Aria Flame grabs top honors on Doctor T's best releases list.

Full Article

" “A World of Silence” really took me by surprise. Aria Flame has a style that will surely appeal to fans who like their music with a little flare and an epic style."
Review by Tony Cannella

Full Review

Original Interview

INTERVIEWS
Nov 23, 2014
Aziza Poggi – Aria Flame

Interview by Jack Williams

Aria Flame was created in the spring of 2011 by dramatic mezzo soprano singer and composer, Aziza Poggi and percussionist, Erik Sales. Before putting a live unit together, Aziza started composing melodies and writing lyrics on her piano. Guitarist Dan Cruzan and bassist & producer Greg Cloon and later joined in as full time members. They are described as a neo classical dark hard rock outfit with a circus like flare, which was created out of the ashes of progressive Egyptian themed metal band Dendura. Whom which was heard on Comedy Central Network, featured in national magazines such as Metal Hammer and Vocals, and also opening for several international acts such as Epica, Unexpect, Scar Symmetry, Edguy, Doro Pesch and The Agonist. They disbanded in late 2010. Their music is inspired from movie soundtrack composers Danny Elfman and John Williams, classical and baroque composers, Beethoven and Handel, and metal bands such as Korn, Nevermore, Revamp. On occasion, Aria Flame will perform Dendura music as well.

Aria Flame’s music features classical and haunting rock style female vocals with classical and symphonic keyboards, electric guitar and intricate bass and drums.They use eerie diminished chords and lyrics describing one’s journey from being taken into the darkness using the myth of the phoenix as a metaphor. The music is written in a concept album fashion. The word Aria comes from the classical word meaning “song” and the word “flame” representing the phoenix. Morphing the two words together reflects the combination of styles in their music. Aria Flame’s debut EP “A World of Silence” was released on October 11, 2014 and was produced by bassist Greg Cloon of Underground Studios and mixed and mastered by Grammy Award Winning producer Neil Kernon (Nevermore, Nile, Judas Priest). Their first single, “Divine World” was released on September 3, 2013 to the public.

Then at midnight of Halloween in 2013, Aria Flame released their first music video for it. The video had received rave reviews and attention worldwide landing them international press and a growing fan base. Aria Flame performed a trilogy of female fronted metal shows, starting with opening for international acts, Xandria and Delain on September 15, 2014, then performing at Sirens of Metal Festival and Milwaukee Meowsic Festival in early October, before making their way to the Metal Female Voices Festival on October 17th-19th in Belgium, where they will be performing alongside international act such as, Therion, Draconian and Diabulus in Musica. Today I am joined by the lovely and multi-talented Aziza Poggi, singer and mastermind behind Aria Flame.

Hello Aziza, welcome to Female Metal Webzine, how are you?
I’m wonderful! Thank you.

It’s been my pleasure to see you perform three times this month, the last being MFVF. How was it performing at the festival?
Amazing! It was more than I expected, a complete rush of adrenaline and more than I could hope for. The fans are so warm and friendly and the festival was so well organized. MFVF had an excellent reputation but I was not expecting it to be so grand.

It was a real treat to see your show and see so many guest appearances from Grace Meridan, Kassandra Novell and Sabrina Cruz. Along with Joop on keyboards. It really broadened and deepened the show, and I felt the crowd really appreciated it. How did that all come about?
I thought the crowd appreciated it too. I’m glad to hear that. When I became a part of Eve’s Apple, I wanted to make a difference and be an influential performer. I thought, what better way to support and strengthen this genre than collaborate together on a song or two like the Eve’s Apple concerts have done in the past! When you pick up a mic with another singer, and the chemistry works, everyone is happy and it shows with the audience. I believe it to be a healthy way to join forces with other musicians and female singers. So when we were accepted in MFVF, I thought of adding on guest singers and spoke to Grace first about it. Grace, Kassy and I already were doing a few shows together prior to MFVF, and I really had faith it would add to the show. Grace suggested also Sabrina for MFVF and I took a listen to her band Seven Kingdoms and was impressed so we added her on. Joop emailed me and discussed guest keyboards and once I heard his playing in Magion, I couldn’t say no. The girls and Joop did an amazing job and I’m so glad it worked out and we are all closer friends from it too.

Most of us I’m sure know you from your time with the great band Dendura, of course, when you started to conceive of Aria Flame what idea or concept were you trying to achieve?
When I was wheelchair bound from a foot surgery in 2011, I had a lot of time on my hands and a lot of thoughts in my head. Thoughts of survival, evolution, growing, strengthening, and becoming a better person. I started writing lyrics and melodies for Aria Flame before the band was put together. Once the band was formed, the name, imagery and representation of the phoenix came into play because the lyrics are about growing and evolution and the music portrays that in the sound with the circus elements and eerie melodies. I wanted something different than Dendura, and a band more written for the voice. I studied classical voice and learned many new techniques so the music was formed around my voice. And I wanted to combine classical singing with rock belting while showcasing the talent in the musicianship as well.

As everyone knows, the music business has definitely gotten a lot tougher these days, what are your feelings about this and what do you see as the best way to overcome those obstacles?
It is a hard business. I seen a lot in this field. I think many people just want to be famous. And so they pick up an instrument and some worry about the fame over their musicianship or singing. I see this a lot. And I think the radio plays what they think the world will like instead of what the world wants to hear. It’s also filled with greed. Who can bring in the most people at a venue, earn the most money for the club owner, despite what fits best for the audience at hand. Sometimes, I see bands fighting over gigs and stepping on each other’s toes and I dont want to deal with bands like that. Sometimes, I don’t like the industry at all. But I love making music, singing and I love the feeling I get on stage performing for others. Inspiring Others and influencing them in some degree. When the fans show their love, it makes it worthwhile. I had a fan once say our song “My Own Little Hell” helped them get through depression. That melted my heart. I felt so happy to hear that I touched someone’s life that way. It makes all the bad , go away. I think knowing who you are, and what you want is half the battle. We will win some and lose some. What keeps me going daily, is my heart feels music, I can’t stop singing melodies, and I have a healthy and well balanced life.

What do you see in the future for AF, touring, new material, collaborations?
I see all three of these things. Collaborations, new material, a future new album, and touring. We want to go back to Europe once a year or every two years. Europe was a blessing. The inspiration I was craving for. We also plan on making two music videos this winter. We also will be working with Joop on our next album.

Many of us feel the audience for this genre of music is international, that in the US it is hard to garner support. What are your views on this?
I absolutely agree with that. Our largest show, aside from MFVF, was opening for Delain and Xandria. That was a great show, but it is very hard to push to the masses unless were on a bill with Nightwish or Lacuna Coil. It’s very hard to break out, but we keep trying in the USA and we always get involved with the other female fronted metal festivals in our area to try and make the genre stronger. We have some very devoted fans who travel to see us perform so the numbers are growing for us, and also for others in this genre.

Incredible as it sounds, in today’s world, there still seems to be many who don’t feel Female Metal is a genuine force, that it will always be male dominated. What are your views on this and how can we change the perception so many seem to have?
The world is changing and the female metal scene is growing strong. I think people who say this are just afraid their music might get shoved aside or their feeling the male race should still be the center point and woman should be in the kitchen. LOL. I’m not sure, but I’ve heard this kind of comment before and it’s silly. Music shifts, and the music world is shifting to this women in metal and its growing and becoming more popular but it still has a long way to go.

One of the things I really enjoy about your show is your presence on stage, confidence. Is there any ritual or routine you go through to prepare yourself to go onstage?
I do have a ritual. If I can, I exercise and walk a bit before the show. Meditate in silence for about 20 minutes and also warm up my voice for about twenty minutes to a half an hour. I just think warm positive thoughts and allow myself to get in a zone of “no fear”. Not fearing who will like my voice, or who will not. Just focusing on what I know I can do and doing my best. It took a long time to get in that “no fear zone” but it is worth it in the end. I use to get stage fright and choke during phrases when I was nervous, but my self esteem is better and I have a well balanced life, which also helps. My fiance is very supportive of my music career and helps us often when he is at shows and I am not surrounded by negative people and only positive ones. So all this comes into play with my confidence.

Who are some of your influences?
Floor Jansen from Nightwish and ReVamp, Tarja, Warrel Dane, Johnthan Davis from Korn, Matt Bellamy of Muse, 80’s and 90’s Geoff Tate, and I also love Danny Elfman’s music. His music inspires some of my songwriting ideas.

When you are not involved in music, what are some of you interests and pursuits?
I run a perfume and body shop called Aziza World Fragrances. I have a lab in my basement dedicated to my product making. I make eco-friendly, vegan, perfumes, colognes, Whipped and Organic Shea body butter, facial hydrosols, and all natural soy wax candles. I do this part time on top of my regular job in real estate as an administrative assistant. Aside from that, I do recordings with other bands; Amarna Sky, Scarab’s Empire and my fiance is also a musician and we will be working on some music together, I also work out a lot and I spend time with my fiance, my family and my pets at home during off dates from my band. We often have cook outs and people over for dinner and we go to concerts too when we can.

I like to close this out by saying thank you so much for your time, it was an honor and pleasure to talk to you. Do you have anything in closing you’d like to say to our readers?
Thank you, Jack. I appreciate the interview and glad you support Aria Flame. I would like to also thank the readers for reading and ask you to keep supporting the music you love. If you love us, talk about us to social media chains by sharing our website and please check out my fragrance site as well and other music at www.azizaworld.com . And for those who have a dream, go for it. Never let someone tear you down.

Thank you so much Aziza, best wishes to you always!
And thank you all.

"highly theatrical music tinged with progressive structures, rich compositions is felt on stage, the musicians showing beautiful instrumental skills"
by Stéphan Levesque

Full Article (French)

Translation:
If the first festival of the morning was brilliant, we must believe that the groups would start the final day took notes! Indeed, we have once again got off to a good start. Aria Flame, Grand Rapids, Michigan, was first brought to present his freshly released mini-album, "A World of Silence". With a highly theatrical music tinged with progressive structures, rich compositions is felt on stage, the musicians showing beautiful instrumental skills while singer Aziza Poggi was shown a mesmerizing charisma, armed with a voice of stronger. The group had also booked some nice surprises, with three invited singers.

"The music of ARIA FLAME is magic!"
by Katarzyna Zakolska

Full Review

"With her ​​mezzo-soprano she rocks so the fun begins - classic rock with symphonic elements - and impressed with her ​​stage show."

Full Review (German)

Tranlated:
For a long time I was only in contact with via Facebook Aziza A. Poggi, the singer Aria Flame. At the festival, it was not only with her ​​band on stage but also had its own stand, where not only not the first EP and various items of merchandise changed hands but also their cosmetic products such as shea butter and eau de colognes and scented candles. Like most singers of this festival also excels at Aziza with her ​​class voice. With her ​​mezzo-soprano she rocks so the fun begins - classic rock with symphonic elements - and impressed with her ​​stage show. The band of Joop de Rooj is supported on the keyboard. She returned with three friends who support them with some titles at the microphone: Sabrina Cruz (Seven Kingdoms), Grace Meridian and Kassandra Novell.

"In a word, this is killer material, maybe the best American production I’ve ever heard. And on a par with the best material in the genre anywhere in the world. Yea, it’s a 10/10, no problem."
Written by Doctor T.

Full Article

"This EP has really caught me by surprise and full. I hope we do not have to wait too long for an album."
by Marion Ney

Original Review

Translated Review:

The American Quartet Aria Flame published on 10.11.2014 her debut in the form of an EP which is titled A World Of Silence. The six songs have been recorded in the studios Underground and recorded by Greg Cloon and produced. Mixed and mastered the Grammy was decorated Neil Kernon responsible. The band was active in-house production, the physical version can you at Aria Flame Shop order.

Singer Aziza Poggi, guitarist / keyboardist Daniel Cruzan, bassist Greg Cloon and drummer Erik Sales impress with their debut album from the first moment. The cover is eye-catching - a perfect matching motif in great colors, designed by Val Helcanen. Come on over Shirts optimal and would not to be despised as a poster.

Eagerly I clicked on "Play" - I had admittedly high expectations for the music, I thanks to this Divine World video clip already knew and hoped that Aria Flame would build on this level. I was not disappointed - the numbers are very creative with their structure and extensive run-length high score. There is no dull moment, the six tracks offer plenty of variety, amazing, fascinating, convincing. Aria Flame are not your typical female-fronted metal band, do not follow trends, copy no. They have their own music-cooked soup, of rock, metal, classical elements, something exotic and a lot of feeling. This recipe goes up and it all together makes them so special.

Many small highlights were interspersed with music, such as even a slightly oriental touch, sometimes I feel briefly kidnapped in a circus ring, the guitar shines again and the keyboard is special accents. In three of the songs Alicia Menninga was at the keys in use, it can also be seen in the video clip, but not now belongs to the band line up.

Aziza Poggi plays her vocal range from complete, it switches between the pitch back and forth, making the songs miss a special kick. If it all goes up, it sounds pleasant and caused me no bristling neck hair. However, I confess like that I like her voice deeper variant best and her singing can touch me deeply, especially by what the numbers convey meaningful technical.

A World Of Silence is a concept album, the lyrics were written by Aziza Poggi, based on experiences from their lives, from personally experienced before. These texts have a certain depth and the great advantage that at least I can understand the majority, since I have lived through some of the feelings and situations even described. This creates a special bond with the songs and this is right up my alley.

What I lack is a ballad - Aziza's voice with piano accompaniment, that would be the high-flyer. Hopefully something will be scheduled in this direction for an upcoming album.

Playing tips:

My Own Little Hell - a slower song with something faster intermediate part for which I can fascinate the super strong inserts of piano and bass. Sung to melt, very emotional, very touching.

A World Of Silence - changes several times the speed vocally great implemented, the slow middle section terrific good, great guitar solo, about six minutes delight.

Aria Flame give very soon their debut on European stages - they play a gig at MFVF (Metal Femal Voices Fest) in Belgium. Learn more about Aria Flame can be found in our Sarko Talk interview with Aziza Poggi, where she also tells a lot about their second band Scarab's Empire and its shop "Aziza World".

This EP has really caught me by surprise and full. I hope we do not have to wait too long for an album. For A World Of Silence I give

Review:
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6 of 7 Ankhs

Marion Ney / sarcophagus Rocks
09/10/2014

Original Interview

ARIA FLAME

It would be awesome to do a tour with Epica or Nightwish! But First: The Metal Female Voices fest!

08/08/2014, Filip VAN MUYLEM
photos: © Erik Sales and Terry Cruzan
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Aria Flame is one of the bands that will play at the Metal Female Voices Festival and a good reason to ask Azziza Poggi more about the band and their ideals…
My logic start of an interview: why this name, what does it mean, is there a philosophy behind it?
Aziza: I often find names that represent what our music is about or what it entails. Aria, means solo voice for classical music. The word flame, represents the phoenix: always evolving and progressing. That is how I want our music to be. My former band Dendura, (Egyptian themed progressive metal) was taken from the temple of Dendera in Luxor, Egypt which is the temple of music, poetry and dance. When I put Aria Flame together, I wanted to have a name that entailed rebirth. The phoenix represents that.
How did it all start for you?
Aziza: My mother said I started singing at birth. But I didn’t get out of the basement with music, until after high school. I actually was an actress until 2005, and then I stopped acting to focus solely on being a good singer. Some people can do both, but I really needed to choose which one to put my time into and focus that way. I chose singing and never looked back! Aria Flame was formed in 2011. During the time it was formed, I was out of work and recovering from a foot surgery. I had a lot of down time and the lyrics starting coming to me. Some literally came to me in my dreams, and later I started seeking musicians to make the music a reality.
You are from the US, Michigan, can you tell us something about the scene over there?
Aziza: Michigan is not known for female fronted metal by any means. The scene in West Michigan (Grand Rapids) is more screammo, blues oriented, hardcore, and only has a few bands that have a melodic metal sound. There are a few of them in town that treat us with the utmost respect and we try to help the other. FledFive and Ars Nova are Grand Rapids based bands we play with often. Great musicians and very supportive. I think our scene doesn’t quite grasp our sound because we stick out like a sore thumb with our music, but we network and have more friends in bands that are in other states and countries. But, we do well in Detroit, Michigan which is about two and a half hours East of us. Detroit is a better city for us because most national female fronted metal bands perform in that area.
I saw on your Facebook that you invited the fans to interview you, what is the most popular question and what did you reply to it?

Aziza: The biggest questions I get are when are we touring and when is our album going to be done. We are looking into tours for 2015 and also finalizing a date for our EP release. Right now, we are planning on a release for early October. Our EP is titled after one of our songs called “A World of Silence”. It is mixed and mastered by award winning Grammy producer Neil Kernon who has worked with Judas Priest, Nevermore and many others. Our bass player, Greg Cloon recorded and produced the EP in his studio.

What was the strangest question or most appealing?

Aziza: hahaha, honestly, it is so crazy, I should not repeat it. But the most appealing is being told I am a great singer and or hearing that we inspired someone. I like hearing that.

You will be performing at the Metal Female Voices Festival this October, in Belgium. I know you are looking forward to it. Is it right that you will perform twice?

Aziza: We are performing on Sunday, October 19th!! We are not performing twice. We are actually opening that Sunday and kicking off the last day of the festival! We are extremely excited to meet all the people we have been talking to in Europe. Everyone at the festival, all the bands, fans, supporters, and friends we have made. It will be an amazing time!

This festival has a very good reputation, how much of these kind of good festivals did you play in the US? Do you have some nice stories to tell?

Aziza : We have nothing like Metal Female Voices Festival events in the USA but we do have similar female fronted festivals called “Siren’s of Metal” in Detroit, MI and “Flight of the Valkryies” in St Paul, MN. We are also performing at Sirens of Metal on October 4th. These are great festivals and are ran by extremely supportive people. So I am happy they exist.

It’s the first time you will play there, right?

Aziza: It is the first time we will play at Metal Female Voices. My former band Dendura, was invited in 2008 but some of my members were unable to attend, so we couldn't perform. I have desperately been desiring to get in again, and Aria Flame gets that chance. We are also having three guest vocalists joining us on stage at the festival from Eve’s Apple of which I also became a member in 2013. Eve’s Apple was a professional community of female metal singers from all around the world. The three singers are Sabrina Cruz from Seven Kingdoms, Kassandra Novell and Grace Meridan! Kassy and Grace are in between bands right now.

I can imagine that it would be great to ask a few other people from that weekend to join you or ask them to do something special together in a more near future?

Aziza: Most definitely! We wanted to do something different at this festival and support the women of metal by having the three chosen singers join us on stage! I am looking forward to the entire event. We love meeting other supportive female fronted metal bands that we can perform with and having these ladies on stage with us is going to make the experience that much more rewarding!

Imagine that you would only have to ask for it? Who and what would it be?

Aziza: I would love a lot of things and one has already happened for us. That is to perform at Metal Female Voices Festival, but if it is just one chosen thing in future, it would be to have strong support on our upcoming EP release and sales. Then after MFVF, it would be awesome to do a tour with Epica or Nightwish. That would be amazing! There are many other bands I would love to tour with. And many things I desire, but that is what I would choose for the now.

Will you play some other gigs in the rest of Europe around that date or is it just a one shot weekend trip?

Aziza: It is only that weekend. We are planning on coming back to Europe in 2015 and doing a more extensive tour then.
You make your own Eco-friendly perfumes, colognes, Organic whipped Shea butter, Rose Water Hydrosol and all natural soy candles... Is that something you do as main profession? How did you end up doing this?

Aziza: I always had a love for perfumes and body products. I made candles and perfumes when I was young but I did not get serious about it until four years ago. I also have always battled with allergies. I suffer from eczema and I am very allergic to the alcohol in most perfumes. Therefore, I don't use alcohol. Instead I use unrefined (not bleached like store brands) Raw Certified Organic, Shea butter to make my products. I realized I had a good “nose” and I was at home recovering from a foot surgery, allowing me the time to get my product line and recipes together. I started taking it seriously and studied how to make Eco-friendly perfumes and products. My Shea butter is a big seller too. It helps people who have eczema, skin rashes, helps shine tattoos back up, and you can customize your products with any scent I have in stock! It started as a hobby, that became a small business and I love it! I have another part time job, so it isn't fully running by itself yet, but that is a goal of mine. I’d love to be in control of my own schedule and work for myself! I work 30 hours at my other job.

I noticed that you want to add that they have not been tested on animals (a good thing), can you say something more about it?

Aziza: I am an animal lover and have three pets, so it is important to me to buy non animal tested products and to run my business the same way. I also don't use any animal by-products either. I use synthetic musk and nothing is derived from any animal.

Another nice thing is that you are very proud that your fellow former Eve's Apple sister Karolina Pacan from Skeptical Minds; is the model for the Metal Female Voices Festival's own fragrance you designed, called "Siren's Song". That is a big achievement, how did it all happen?

Aziza: I am very proud of Karolina! I can tell you the full story! I became an Eve’s Apple member in 2013 and started talking to Karolina whom was also an Eve’s Apple. Plus, I have known Val for a while from Metal Female Voices Festival. It was actually Val’s brilliant idea to have Karolina be the first featured model. When she brought it up, I was all for it. She is not only beautiful, a professional model, great singer and woman, but her personality shines through too. I haven't even met her face to face yet, but I can’t wait to meet her! She is also supportive for other female singers. That is an important thing to me. All the models for my perfume line, are also female singers and big supporters. So far, All of them are Eve’s Apple sisters too. I’m trying to give back to this genre by featuring these ladies because so many people in it have given to us, and were happy to have that. When I look for more models for my perfume line, I specifically see if they are supportive of other female metal bands.

I received 3 tracks from you. First one is ‘Divine World’, it gave me a cabaret vibe (whilst you describe it more like a circus). How do we have to see this track visually?

Aziza: Visually, that song is a wild ride. It starts out soft then builds and builds and builds... The song is about realizing the new strengths one may have when letting go of the past, forgetting former memories and feelings, and looking only into the now and future. It is also about realizing what you can and cannot do mentally in life. Hence; the phoenix. It looks like a circus show because it is reflecting the ups and downs in life. Looking at what once was, to what is now. We have a music video that reflects the story line of this on Youtube. You can watch it right here at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r8D9PkMkFQ

Second one is ‘My Muse’, so what or who is your muse?

Aziza: Well, many people can be my muse. It depends on if they spark creativity within me. But that specific song is a love song about dealing with reflections of the past and moving on. It was written three years ago during some hard times I had with an old flame, and then most recently, worlds collided and we reunited. My other muse would be Alicia. My former keyboardist in this band. She and I just click when we write music together. She opened up a retail store recently called Flashlight Alley (she sells my products there too) and so she had to go on hiatus. Music life can be hard on your schedule. And it wasn't possible for her anymore with her shop. We are tossing around other ideas for recording music, so we’ll always do music together when we can.

‘My own little Hell’ tells me that you have lived some of it, how close is it to reality? What is your worst nightmare?

Aziza: Oh yes I have lived in hell. We all can put ourselves in our own “hell”. I wrote the lyrics to that song after I felt the world “stabbing at my wounds”, which I sing in the chorus line of the song. I felt that way after so many people either died or were gone from me all at once. So it definitely is a personal song to me. My worst fear is having something bad happen to anyone in my family. That is most people's fear I believe.

Do you have more tracks recorded, how will they sound like?

Aziza: We do. We have three more songs coming out that will be on our EP titled “A World of Silence”. Those songs are, (you only can hear them on Youtube at this moment) the title track; “A World of Silence”, “Realm of Hate” and “The Lonely Phoenix”. “A World of Silence” is very fast paced, a crowd favorite. It has two bridges, a very powerful chorus and a crazy circus section. I spent a long time arranging that beast. I call it, the beast because it is insane and it is about the mental break down in a person. It is my personal favorite right now. The next song “Realm of Hate” is a fan favorite too. It is not formatted in the circus fashion though. It has a more consistent flow to the rhythm. I love singing it. It has a lot of ghostly vocal effects and it is very eerie. It is inspired from the horrific survival story of the three girls who were held captive in Cleveland, Oh who escaped in 2013. The last song, “The Lonely Phoenix” is about being the phoenix - rising out of the ashes of your life as an evolved person. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses is a blessing in life. There are negative things that make positive out-comes and vice versa, so I like to draw upon that in my lyrics. Therefore, this album is a concept album.

Have you found a record company, yet?

Aziza: We are looking and talking to a few companies for distribution but nothing is confirmed yet.

I noticed you also tour with Delain and Xandria (Napalm Records), maybe that could be sign?

Aziza: We are opening their show in Detroit, Michigan on September 15th! So, were not on the whole tour package, but that would be awesome! Grace Meridan, one of the fellow Eve’s Apple singers, is joining us on that show too. She will be hosting the show and singing with Aria Flame too.

Further future plans? Or future dreams that you want to realize?

Aziza: I have a lot of dreams but I would love my life to have a nice balance. Right now, it does. I have a personal life, my music, and home based body shop! For the band, my future plans would be to keep growing as musicians, become stronger than we were last year and put out the best music we can together. I’d love to collaborate with other bands and do more guest vocals. I would also love to get a cd out on my other music project called “Scarab’s Empire”. I just love making music. I want to give back to our fans by giving them awesome package deals on our merchandise whenever we can and being able to thank them at our shows. I’d also love for us to tour Europe once a year or more, put out more albums, do some film recording, music videos and make great albums. My perfume goals are to run it fully without worrying about another job and make great products at great prices. I want to make unique gifts, not carbon copy manufactured items. I also want to see the world, love animals and cherish all my good days.

As this is the first time we get in touch: is there something I forgot to ask about, otherwise: feel free to shout it out and talk about it.

Aziza: We are excited for this interview. If you’re going to Metal Female Voices Festival, we open the last day of the festival: Sunday, October 19th!! Thank you for your support! Keep spreading the word and be sure to like us on facebook and twitter. If you are strongly supportive of us, our music, my product line, or anything else, then please share our posts, status, and help spread the word. Word of mouth is still strong and always will be!
Visit us at www.ariaflame.com

They will play in Belgium, click here for more info.

"It can take years to get noticed and sometimes never, so this is one amazing year for Aria Flame."
- Local Spins

Full Article

“Think Trans Siberian Orchestra, but with more teeth”
Revue Magazine:

Full Article

Original Interview Article

Interview with Aziza A. Poggy (songstress of Aria Flame) by Metal Female Voices Community
Veröffentlicht am 4. April 2014 von rkerber57

The Metal Female Voices Community on Facebook has taken an interview with Aziza A. Poggy, songstress of the Grand Rapids (Michigan) based melodic metal band Aria Flame. Hope I can meet Aziza at Metal Female Voices Fest on October this year!

1. How would you describe your music in your own words?
Dark melodic progressive circus music.

2. Do you have favorite singer which could influence in your music…?
I can not single this answer to just one. So, I will have to choose Floor Janssen and Warrel Dane. Their vocal techniques are unparallel.

3. Which musical instrument do you like playing?
Mainly my voice. Although I dabble on the piano through the composing process.

4. Do you have plans about create new album and tour in Europe?
Absolutely! We are in recording our first album right now; it should be out by summer or fall this year. Europe is definitely on the to do list.

5. Aziza your voice is brilliant. Do you use vocal exercises to ensure that your voice is in adequate shape?
Well thank you and most definitely! Since I have taken voice lessons, vocal exercises have become something of a ritual. I am constantly learning and evolving. I do not want to stop because that would mean I hit a plateau as a singer and I always want to become better. I like to constantly evolve and become more than what I once was.

6. I think a lot girls interesting about your style clothes ))) Do you have own style for dressing or are you choose favorite brand?
I don’t have a favorite brand. I just mix and match pieces and form my own costume out of it. I do really enjoy wearing bustle skirts for this band. I would love to find the right clothing endorsement deal.

7. Do you often find time to see live performances from other bands?
Whenever I can, yes. I love going to other concerts, it inspires me watching other people jamming out. I love hearing music as much as possible.

8. Which country do you like?
Well, I have only been to Canada and within my own country the USA thus far, but Greece, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, etc all of Europe seems really intriguing to live and visit.

9. Which cuisine do you like?
I love Middle Eastern food the most, then Mexican food. Last but not least, I would have to say Italian food.

10. Is it possible to see you somewhere in the city?
Hopefully, who knows where the world may take me.

11. What is your favorite quote of life.
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy -Ludwig Van Beethoven.

12 And your wish for fans ))
I wish for my fans to know I will always do my best as a singer and composer to keep our music interesting. That they mean more than words can describe. I appreciate their support. So when you buy our merchandise and music, you not only support us but also the rest of the female fronted metal community as well. I also make my own soy candles, organic whipped Shea body butter, eco-friendly perfumes and custom scents. I do this aside from music.

Thank you so much for interview!!

Link to Original Article:

Ankh-grau-mm Aziza, at first I would like to say thank you very much for this interview! Here we go:

Ankh-grau-mm You are the singer of the American band Aria Flame. Could you please introduce the members, describe each of them in two-three words and tell us a bit about the history of the band?

Musiknote Of course! The band came into formation in 2011. I had the idea of creating a concept album or EP, about evolving as a human and about the positive and negative in life. I knew I was going to ask Erik Sales to be on board for this project, then guitarist Paul Stein from my former band, Dendura, and Greg Cloon as the bassist, so I asked them to come on board and they did. Then, when I wanted to put a live unit together, Paul wasn’t available. So we found Dan Cruzan, and later Alicia Menninga, whom played with Dendura in the beginning, then we started to make some music.

Musiknote Well I’ll start with our drummer Erik Sales, peaceful and generous, also a very dynamic drummer. Our bassist Greg Cloon, technical and organized and an innovative bass player. Alicia Menninga, our keyboardist, she is sweet and crafty. She is intuitive in her keyboard playing. Dan Cruzan, the guitarist, is hard working and driven. He is very creative on the guitar.

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Ankh-grau-mm You released a few songs via iTunes and you shot a very creative video clip for Divine World. How was the feedback from the press, the fans, the labels?

Musiknote Really warm and supportive. Most people commented on the video. Videos are nice, because you can just watch it while listening and get a better understanding on what the song maybe about, much like a short film. We had a small budget available, but wanted to show the world what you can do with a little creativity. That alone was wonderful because most people thought we had a lot more money invested into the video than what we did. Justin Lee Dixon, whom was in Dendura as the last drummer, directed the video. He had some amazing ideas on the fly that really impressed me with his work. As for our actual recordings go, Grammy Award winning producer Neil Kernon (Nevermore, Judas Priest, Tapping The Vein) mixed and mastered those and they sound amazing to us. We couldn’t be happier with them.

Ankh-grau-mm What's coming up next? Are you working on an EP or an album?

Musiknote We are working on an EP. We’re getting closer to it being complete. And then we have a lot of awesome national shows coming up here in the state with Riot in Progress in Detroit in April, my former fellow Eve’s Apple member Mary Zimmer of White Empress will be headlining the 4th of October 2014. Grace Meridan and Kassandra Novell will both be joining me during Aria Flame ’s set as guest singers at Sirens of Metal in Detroit, we’ll be doing a few festivals, I’ll be at Metal Female Voices Fest this year selling my fragrance line and hopefully some music, I have a new project in the works called Scarab’s Empire which is going to show case some of my middle eastern roots a bit. Not like Dendura, but you’ll see.

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Ankh-grau-mm Who writes the songs for Aria Flame?

Musiknote I am the main composer but everyone adds their own creativity to the songs. Let it be a guitar solo, a keyboard melody, a drum solo or even a distinct bass riff. Originally, guitarist Paul Stein co-wrote My Muse, Lonely Phoenix and My Own Little Hell and I had vocal melodies he based guitar parts on. We had a very different way of writing for this band than we did with Dendura. In Dendura, it was more guitar driven and had been written first, then my voice was added later. In Aria Flame, all the music is based off the voice and keyboard first. The songs Divine World, Realm Of Hate and World Of Silence which I arranged and composed, will be on the new album

Ankh-grau-mm How would you describe your music in your own words?

Musiknote All the songs written are based off a concept theme of the rising phoenix. I started writing the music when I was going through a lot of stress, my mind was flooding with lyrics, so I had to write them down. I was evolving as a person. I would say that the music for Aria Flame is both positive and negative. It has a gothic circus symphony feel to me.

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Ankh-grau-mm In which age did the music catch you and when did you start your career as professional singer?

Musiknote I was told by my mother when I was little, that I sing all the time. But it wasn’t about until I was about 8 or 9 that I noticed I had actual melodies going in my head I felt that needed to get out. I started actually singing later. I started taking voice lessons and taking it more seriously.

Ankh-grau-mm Which bands/musicians/singers would you name as your greatest influences?

Musiknote There are a lot. Warrel Dane from Sanctuary and Nevermore, Nine Inch Nails, Duran Duran, Ozzy Osbourne, Sarah Brightman, Mike Patton, Floor Jansen of After Forever and Nightwish, Simone Simmons of Epica, Tarja Turunen, Danny Elfman, Maria Callas, Renee Fleming, Korn, Melissa Ferlaak, Type O Negative, and I could go on and on.

Ankh-grau-mm If you would have the free choice to select a duet partner, female or male, across all music styles – which singer would you choose?

Musiknote That wish has already been granted, I sang with many former Eve’s Apple members at Dame Nation in Chicago, Illinois. If I had to choose another singer to duet with it would have to be Warrel Dane. His voice is just so powerfully controlled and smooth.

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Ankh-grau-mm You were a member from Eve's Apple, a worldwide community of professional female singers, which call it quits in the end of 2013. Could you please tell me: what were the most important experiences and impressions with/via Eve's Apple for you?

Musiknote Most definitely! I have to say, this was the most joyous part of my career as a musician. These ladies really introduced me into a new amazing world of strong support and growth taught to another. I was one of the last members to be a part of it, and I feel blessed to have been a part of it. The friendships remain and we still talk, collaborate, and do what we did before and support one another, some even have modelled for my fragrance line as well. There is a lot of love in that community.

Ankh-grau-mm What are your personal Top 3 CDs at the moment?

Musiknote 1. Tarja Turunen - What Lies Beneath / 2. Korn - The Path Of Totality / 3. Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black

Ankh-grau-mm The music isn't your only passion. You run a business named Aziza World Fragrances and you are offering very interesting items. Could you please tell us more about it?

Musiknote Absolutely. I hand make perfumes, colognes and perfume oils with eco-friendly ingredients. All natural soy wax candles and Organic Whipped Shea body butter along with my latest invention, Bulgarian Rose Water Hydrosol that acts as a facial toner. All my products are made here in the United States. My products are all eco-friendly, no alcohol nor preservatives, no animal testing, by me! I always loved scents and perfumes. It has become a strong passion and a business that I strive to keep pushing forward. Many former Eve’s Apple sisters are also models for my product line such as Karolina Pacan, Vk Lynne, Grace Meridan, Melissa Ferlaak, Kassandra Novell and more in the coming months.

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Designs made by Val Helcanen

Ankh-grau-mm What is on your plan for the future - short term and long term?

Musiknote To get this EP out for Aria Flame, to record an EP also for Scarab’s Empire, to put on amazing shows and to collaborate with many artists, to make another music video, go to Europe, sell lots of perfume and Shea butter and keep evolving and growing as a person. I also want to grow more as a singer and step out of my boundaries. To see what else I am capable of doing as an artist.

Ankh-grau-mm Is there anything you would like to add to this interview?

Musiknote Definitely, if you like our sound, please help us and support by sharing our online videos, liking us on Facebook, speak to the masses and request us at your local radio station, underground stations, any help would be awesome! Also, if you want to have quality soy candles, perfumes, colognes, Shea body butter, then shop at my store because nothing leaves my shop that isn’t highest of quality. Corporate places mass produce their products, small businesses hand make them with quality. The same goes for music. Great music comes from the heart. Shop underground, shop local. Shop AzizaWorld! Like me on Facebook.

Ankh-grau-mm Thanks for your time. We wish you and the band all the best and much success!

Musiknote Thank you for this interview!