Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira’s New EP: KIANIS – Homage to Carmilla Releasing on October 31st
Out on All Digital Platforms on October 31st
A FIERY, CINEMATIC, AND UNCOMPROMISING INSTRUMENTAL HEAVY METAL EXPERIENCE THAT PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF THE VIOLIN
Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira, is known for her Celtic and Nordic albums and orchestral compositions for RPG players, and for performing medieval and Renaissance melodies on historical instruments with her ensemble The Wandering Bard, while reaching thousands of listeners every month. She has also shared the stage with Fernando Ribeiro, (vocalist and lyricist of MOONSPELL) and will make her debut on the heavy metal scene with an EP.
Released by the label CordaSonora, KIANIS – Homage to Carmilla is a five-part, 12-minute EP set to be released on all digital platforms on October 31st, Samhain/Halloween. The first single, a strong and intense segment from the heart of the story, “Part II: …Twelve years ago, I saw your face in a dream” will be available to listeners on October 3rd.
Photo: Ricardo Alves Pereira
Graphic Design: Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira
The EP pays homage to Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s gothic classic Carmilla. Esin gives voice to the lesbian vampire Carmilla, who has historically remained in Dracula’s shadow, through her violin. The EP builds on the book’s gothic atmosphere, evoking determined, powerful and contradictory female figures and the darkest shades of red. Its 12-minute progressive and intense form mirrors the short but striking structure of the novel, delivering a dramatic impact.
Drums are performed by Xi, from the black metal band, GAEREA. Xi’s drumming emphasizes the dark and threatening nature of the EP. Esin considers having drums recorded by a musician of this caliber a great honor and source of pride for the project. On guitars and bass, Ricardo Alves Pereira, who has shared life, stage, and studio with Esin for years, strengthens the EP’s old-school backbone with riffs that support the orchestral texture without overshadowing the violin.
Having achieved her desired dynamics and intensity with real string instruments since The Songbook of Tchinar releases, Esin recorded all orchestral parts herself. During production, the orchestral mix was handled by Esin, while Metehan Köktürk, (whom Esin has long called her “personal Jedi”), mixed and mastered the EP, bringing Carmilla’s ferocious tone to life.
The EP speaks to listeners who appreciate timeless music, independent of today’s fast-consumption trends. Esin’s audience includes those who have passionately listened to the same albums for ten, forty, or fifty years, as well as those in the heavy metal world looking to experience a new energy with the violin. KIANIS – Homage to Carmilla proves that violin and orchestral elements can take center stage in heavy metal.
Who is Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira?
Esin is a musician, composer, and producer whose work revolves around the violin and its relatives, producing across a wide musical spectrum. She has performed classical, rock, jazz, medieval, and Renaissance music for almost twenty years.
Focused on historically informed performance practices and yet innovative, The Wandering Bard has also brought to stage a selection of the Iberian Peninsula’s +-800-year-old scorn and mockery songs (cantigas de escarnio e maldizer) with MOONSPELL’s vocalist and songwriter, Fernando Ribeiro.
In 2017, Esin turned toward production and sound engineering and co-founded the label CordaSonora, with
Ricardo Alves Pereira. She has been involved in the sound engineering and design of 17 album releases. In 2024–2025, she becomes co-director of the Ciclo de Música Medieval de Leiria and Dias de Música Medieval da Batalha festivals in Portugal.
From Esin about KIANIS – Homage to Carmilla:
“This EP matured in my dreams for a long time; it emerged when I felt I could convey my emotions fully while maintaining my own identity. I have played in rock and underground metal bands across various countries. In the early days, there weren’t even smartphones or digital cameras to capture a memento or two, and unfortunately, no band I joined since then lasted. I am tired of saying, ‘You know, I used to play metal,’ and with
this EP, I no longer need to. I look forward to collaborating with other musicians who will draw inspiration from this EP and imagine my violin in their music. I played all string parts myself, translating the misty, eerie orchestral sounds in my head directly into the recording.
The conceptual framework of the EP is based on the idea that beauty can also be frightening. Carmilla is not alone; in literature, folk tales, and mythology, many powerful female figures are ultimately portrayed as ‘monsters’ or ‘threats’, yet the flame of love for them never dies. The violin, capable of being both seductive and aggressive, is one of the best instruments to convey this theme.
Each section’s title is taken directly from the Carmilla book, at most serving as a guide, while the EP’s instrumental form frees the listener’s imagination. Simple and strong rhythmic structures communicate directly to the listener’s pulse and my harmonic and melodic choices aim to convey the intended emotions as clearly as possible.”
“My influences within the genre include members of Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Septicflesh, Moonspell and
Symphony X. Outside the genre: Jeremy Soule, Marcin Przybyłowicz, Paweł Błaszczak, Adam Skorupa, Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz, Dario Marianelli and Sean Callery. Outside of music: Zdzisław Beksiński, John Howe, Richard Taylor, Michael Ende, Mary Shelley, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Sheridan Le Fanu. I hope one day to thank them all individually, at least those still alive.”
More information: https://cordasonora.com/
Social media: https://www.instagram.com/_kianis/
Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira on music platforms:
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCgyuqKiLT8-GvNtXPvCqDlw
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.ca/artists/B091NBQ85Z/esin-yardimli-alves-pereira
Source: Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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