Originating from Buenos Aires in 1994, Juan Andres Celasco, Maximiliano Schneider and Lucio Moschella broke out in the underground music scene with an industrial/techno hybrid under the name NYX until late 2000 when the band decided they needed a change.
The first step in their metamorphosis was a new name. Hailing from Greek mythology, Lamia was once a Libyan queen who fell in love with Zeus and eventually bore his children. This enraged Zeus' wife Hera, causing her to murder their children and turn Lamia into a hideous monster who could not close her eyes. Years of sleeplessness and the sickening image of her dead children bred a jealousy inside of Lamia that drove her to insanity. She could not stand to watch other mothers with their children, so she became a vampiric creature who stole these children and ate them. Thus, the name Lamia set the tone for the band's new morbid musical ventures.
Using the myth behind the name Lamia as a means of new experimentation, the band began sampling antique and sacred music on top of electronic beats. This created an exciting new sound for the band -- medieval (with organs and pianos) and electronic at the same time. Even though their material for their first release Dark Angel was completed in 2002, they realized that something was missing from the album: a female voice.
After auditioning several sopranos, the band chose Claudia Rolando ("Cali"), someone they had known previously, because of her beautiful and almost haunting voice. This addition to Lamia definitely enhanced their already unique style and has enlivened the underground electro scene. Shortly after Cali's addition to the line-up, Maximiliano and Lucio left the band.
In 2004, Metropolis Records released Lamia's debut, Dark Angel.