Ides of Gemini: Constantinople

Featuring tracks from their 2010 debut EP, The Disruption Writ - this time featuring actual instead of processed drums - the album consists of a bunch of slow-paced tracks that wallow in misery and struggle through introspective rumination. Had they not been so artistically rendered, this would be easy to dismiss as nothing more than an oddity, but Ides of Gemini's distinctive sound is nothing less than incredibly intriguing, compelling even. With elements of atmospheric black metal, subtle industrial overtones in the martial rhythms, sludge and doom in the down-tempo dirge, as the dreary drapery descends, Constantinople's doom and gloom is deliberate, subtle, eerie, ethereal, melodic and melancholic. Somewhere in the mist appears a silhouette, hope maybe, but more likely a trick of the light. There's a disturbing, dream-like atmosphere that hovers over the album and pervades the ghostly vocal work, the melodies lingering and the harmonies beautiful, with many a subtle touch in the sparse instrumentation. 'Resurrectionists' sings from beyond the veil of existence, the guitar and drum work simple and effective; 'Reaping Golden's Sabbath-like bass intro ushers in a track that's both heavy without being oppressive and light without offering an escape from the melancholy; and 'Martyrium's barren land is cold, isolated, and alienating, the folk melodies augmented by the minimalist vocal style. Ides of Gemini are of the 'less is more' school, letting the depths of their aesthetic breathe their cavernous breaths. Constantinople is an intriguing oddity, its charms beguiling, its treasures slowly unearthed with every play…

Track Listing:

1. The Vessel & The Stake
2. Starless Midnight
3. Slain In Spirit
4. Resurrectionists
5. One To Oneness
6. Reaping Golden
7. Austrian Windows
8. Martyrium
9. Old Believer

Added: April 28th 2012
Reviewer: Jason Guest
Score:
Related Link: Ides of Gemini's website
Hits: 2004
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]