DEA VELATA‘s DAEMON

22.05.2025

or the Miniaturization of the Epic

Sometimes the present is simply a decisive trace too present to fully pick up those of us who move in it, so it's no wonder that we humans have managed like no other species on our planet to escape from reality into the world of myths and stories, from our small tangible time period into the future or – as Angela Hicks, Gabby Abularach (ex-CRO-MAGS) and Stefano Losi from DEA VELATA offer – deep into the audiovisual qualities of the mythical past.
And with their latest release, the video single DAEMON, they have succeeded once again – with a little twist. With its intense groove and clear moshability, the track stands out from the album DEA VELATA released at the end of last year, which is rooted entirely in Greco-Roman antiquity and largely carried by Gabby's concert guitar tuned like an ancient lyre and Angela's sacred, classically trained voice, which has been proven in countless opera performances.
In DAEMON, DEA VELATA's neoclassical music meets rich, loping epic doom metal with symphonic moments in a very elegant balancing act between antiquity and modernity. And: The quality of the trio is demonstrated by the fact that, after a first listen, the length of the track makes you want to rub your eyes in amazement: Did all this really take place in less than 5 minutes? It did, and DEA VELATA prove that a genuine epic with intro, outro, and several strong musical twists and turns can indeed be miniaturized.

Link to DAEMON on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/_XsgruEh_Bc?si=s_8Qa7PzTVuZecpk

And if you're wondering why a lowly creature like a demon should be the subject of an epic - no matter how small, you don't have to go straight to Plato; Gabby himself will help you out: “This piece explores the birth, emergence, and transformation of the DAEMON—not to be confused with a ‘demon’ or evil spirit. Rooted in the ancient world, the DAEMON is an eternal, magnificent, and absolute force. A spirit of power and presence, it transcends time, embodying the divine essence of existence itself.”
The modern image of demons as we know it was first established by Christianity, although there is much to suggest that the good spirit being from Greek antiquity, which is born with man, accompanies them throughout their lives and protects them from bad mistakes, helping them into the next world after their demise, has unfortunately become a victim of the desire for a clear allocation of good and evil. It's a good thing that there are still traveling musicians who are bucking what is probably the oldest trend in human history.

DEA VELATA’s neo-classical, metal-infused album DEA VELATA
is available worldwide on all relevant streaming platforms:
https://linktr.ee/deavelataofficial

Tracklist for DEA VELATA

1. OBITVS
2. PHEBEVS FVROR
3. IMBER ARIDVS
4. VVLTVS
5. HIATVS
6. AMO
7. DAEMON (metal version)
8. EVANESCENS VESTALIS (acoustic/orchestral)
9. KORE (acoustic)
10. IMBER (acoustic)
11. DAEMON (acoustic remix)

About DEA VELATA

The longing for the ancient narrative power and the fascination it is capable of arousing in us is resurfacing among critics and fans alike. And in the form of DEA VELATA, it has now reached music – at several different levels. First of all, with the very own instrumental hero's journey of New York guitarist Gabby Abularach, who, as a trained classical and jazz guitarist with metal genes, refined the studio recordings and world tours of NYHC legends CRO-MAGS and later continued the same as a founding member of VOODOOCULT.

In addition to these energetic wrecking balls, Gabby also brought his six-string magic to legendary recordings by the likes of CARLOS SANTANA, EVERLAST, KORN, and JOHN SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION. His secret love, however, lies in the art of antiquity: Gabby, who over the years has increasingly specialized in filigree-sporty flamenco playing, often imagined what the musical underscoring of recited stories might have felt like in ancient times. The explorative guitarist was in the middle of an ongoing phase of researching ancient Greek and Roman music when, in the summer of 2017, he met Stefano Losi, an Italian poet and visual artist also based in New York, who had just published a poetic work in Imperial Latin. Together, they began composing and pouring the many eureka moments of their musical and now also poetic journeys into material for an album unlike any other.

The British soprano Angela Hicks, who is also drawn to ancient music, joined the duo as the angelic voice of the work DEA VELATA, and not just in a figurative sense. Despite her young age, Angela can look back on an eventful career: She made her operatic debut at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano under the direction of Thomas Guthrie and has subsequently appeared at London's Wigmore Hall, the Palace of Versailles, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berliner Philharmonie and the Berlin State Opera, among others. She also made a guest appearance on the big screen alongside Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Oscar winner Olivia Coleman in the 2018 movie "The Favourite". The luscious guitar, which sometimes finely chisels an uplifting flamenco into the steps of a stage of epic breadth, sometimes strives towards the warm elegance of a harp and sometimes unfolds into the full weight of symphonic metal, is combined with an always respectfully discreet metal drumming (performed by Mike Podber) and a voice that resembles God’s rays on a Tuscan painting. And together they create a soundtrack that, behind closed eyes, lets Odysseus' ship sail from a gentle lull into a mystical storm.