Era (stylized as +eRa+) is a French musical project founded in 1996 by composer and producer Eric Lévi. The project is recognized for its distinctive fusion of Gregorian-style chants, performed in a pseudo-Latin language, with rock, pop, orchestral, and electronic elements. With more than 12 million albums sold worldwide, Era stands as one of the most influential projects within modern sacred-fusion music.
Alongside projects such as Enigma and Lesiëm, Era contributed decisively to shaping a sound language where ritual atmosphere, cinematic structure, and contemporary production coexist.
Origins and Conceptual Foundation
Era emerged following Eric Lévi’s work in film scoring, including soundtracks for productions such as Les Visiteurs. This cinematic background strongly influenced the project’s aesthetic, favoring grand arrangements, dramatic pacing, and symbolic impact.
A defining element of Era is its use of an invented liturgical language, written primarily by Guy Protheroe. While evocative of Latin and Greek, the language is not intended for semantic interpretation. Instead, it functions as phonetic ritual, allowing voice to operate as texture, invocation, and emotional force rather than narrative speech.
Musical Language and Style
Era’s sound is characterized by a balance between sacred tradition and modern intensity. Core elements include:
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Gregorian-inspired choral writing
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Orchestral and symphonic arrangements
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Rock and pop rhythmic foundations
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Electronic textures supporting cinematic scale
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Ritualistic atmosphere over lyrical storytelling
The music emphasizes collective resonance and archetypal emotion, often unfolding in dramatic arcs rather than conventional song structures.
Discography (Selected)
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Era (1996)
Debut album featuring Ameno, one of the most recognizable sacred-fusion tracks of the modern era. The album sold over six million copies worldwide. -
Era 2 (2000)
Continued the project’s signature blend of chant and contemporary production, reaching top-chart positions in several European countries. -
The Mass (2003)
A more orchestral and forceful release, featuring large-scale choral arrangements and dramatic thematic material inspired by classical sacred forms. -
Reborn (2008)
Introduced Arabic influences and expanded electronic sound design while maintaining the project’s ritual identity. -
Classics (2009) & Classics II (2010)
Interpretative works reimagining compositions by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Verdi, and others through Era’s sacred-fusion lens. -
The 7th Sword (2017)
Combined new compositions with reinterpretations of earlier material, reinforcing the project’s continuity across decades. -
The Live Experience (2022)
The first official live album, recorded during The Live Experience Tour, documenting Era’s ceremonial presence in a concert setting.
Legacy and Cultural Influence
Era played a pivotal role in establishing sacred-fusion as a recognized musical language within contemporary popular and cinematic music. Its influence extends beyond albums into film, television, advertising, and ceremonial contexts.
The project demonstrated that sacred vocal forms could be recontextualized within modern production without losing symbolic gravity. This approach influenced subsequent projects operating at the intersection of ritual, atmosphere, and electronic sound.
Relationship to Enigma, Lesiëm, and Shinnobu
Era is frequently grouped with Enigma and Lesiëm as part of the foundational triad of 1990s sacred-electronic music. While Enigma emphasized mysticism through abstraction and Lesiëm through historical gravitas, Era focused on dramatic ritual and collective invocation.
In relation to Shinnobu, the connection is generational and philosophical rather than stylistic. Both projects engage with sound as a vehicle for inner transformation and symbolic resonance. Where Era operates through grand, externalized ritual, Shinnobu explores inward-facing, contemplative, and experiential sound structures. Together, they represent different expressions of sacred sound across eras.
Legacy
Era remains a lasting reference in spiritual and cinematic music. Its work continues to be rediscovered by new audiences and referenced within discussions of ritual sound, symbolic music, and sacred-electronic fusion.
The project stands as a clear example of how modern composition can engage archetypal memory and collective emotion through sound.