Ides Of Gemini

Ides Of Gemini probably seem to have come out nowhere to most. Looking at their members there isn't a long ex members of list or any long time battling it out with a ton of releases either. The band seemingly came from nowhere last year by self releasing an EP or demo. Said EP The Disruption Writ was a brief but clear introduction to this band. Combining shoegaze and almost a fixation with gothic touches within their songs. While the band may have slight touches of metal and a clear relationship to the metal scene there is little that is obvious about their style to make them fit there.

Opener "The Vessel & The Stake" works as a great introduction to the band for the unfamiliar. Militaristic drums and slow moving, somewhat melodic riff pound down before giving way to the vocals. The vocals will be what stick out to most. The vocals of Sara Timms tend to recall early PJ Harvey in the sense that they moan and undulate to help display the emotion necessary. This is carried throughout the album to great effect. While most band that try this style are willing to rely on either caterwauling or a weak voiced dude rock singer the use of a "pretty" voice helps to carry these songs to a higher level of resonance with the listener.

The Production is clean and clear without ever feeling compressed. The main things in the mix are the guitar and vocals. While at times, one may miss the power that drums can provide within the context of this album it almost feels unnecessary. The guitars and vocals carry so much heft emotionally that the drums almost seem to be put there to work as an anchor to earth. The drums are very strong and well played regardless of what was just mentioned they just feel pushed to the back of the mix to make the listener focus on the vocals.

Overall this is a very beautiful record. While the band does have bits of metal contained in their basic framework it is never the focus of the song. Whatever brutality that could be gleaned here is of the emotional variety. Each song carries a certain heft with it. The band deserves your notice as they are standing on their own doing something strong and beautiful.

8.6 / 10 — Jon E.