Gothtober- Black Math Horseman : "s/t"

 

Sera Timms of Ides of Gemini is back with this project that features Chelsea Wolfe's live guitarist Bryan Tulao. Marginally less goth than Ides, they occupy a more metallic space that succeeds in brewing up tension that is dark enough to feel heavy. They occupy a shadowy sonic space that blends elements of many genres. They waste little time building the tension, like clouds gathering over the ocean. Her voice cries out in a melancholy moan. The guitars carry a buzz that is not metal enough to be black metal but is more aggressive than post-rock. In many ways the often-droning tension reminds me of the Swans in how they attack your ears with the pounding they bring. 

I enjoy the mood wrought from their tortured instruments, though they tend to use similar colors to paint these songs with. "Boar Domane" lingers a little more in post-rockish atmosphere, before the attack. Her vocals are allowed more space to simmer in. Like Siouxsie her coo provides a juxtaposition to the darkness when at it's less urgent plead. It took a couple listens for this song to full grow on me an distinguish itself from the previous song. They do not attack your ears with the more explosive shift of dynamics until well within the four-minute mark of the song, so more than halfway into it. Then they do not smack you with the guitars like they do on the first song. It is what post-punk sounds like with a metal drummer. 

There is a gloomier more plodding feel to "the Bough".  A song that does not work off the same tension of the first two songs and makes it apparent her singing style on this album is less focused on melody and works off of a series of atmospheric chants that accent where the music is hitting. Compared to the other 7-minute songs on this album the three minute closer, feels more like an outro. It is dreamy, though works off similar dynamics just less amplified.  This album works for what it sets out to do, I will give it a 9.  

Black Mare : "Death Magick Mother"

Despite the p/r around this project trying to give it a political slant, this is ethereal goth with an organic band behind it. This project is the work of Ides of Gemini member Sera Timms. It is less inclined towards metal than her other band.  Imagine Switchblade Symphony with a dark indie rock band behind them rather than synths and drum machines. I am not sure that drum machines are not involved as it sounds like they certainly could be. The first two songs have a very similar feel. While they get some good sounds out of what is going on it is fairly limited in terms of dynamic range from one song to the next. The guitar at the beginning of " Death By Desire" sounds like "Hells Bells". The rest of the song is more Cocteau Twins like to some extent but darker. I was fully prepared for this to be a Chelsea Wolfe knock off , but aside from being female singers with a ghostly approach to dark atmospheric music there is not much common ground.

This will be a good soundtrack heading into the Halloween season it has a very fall feel to me. It is easy to get lost in the hypnotic haze the album creates , the only downside of this being the songs become background music and all begin to sound the same. I was on the third song then the next thing I  knew I was on the six song meaning all three songs in between sounded like one big song. When you try to break it down then "Coral Fields" works of a tension that never goes anywhere. So are we to hope this gets resolution in the following song. So if you are wondering if darkness alone can win me over the answer is not really. The guitars do more interesting things on "Babylon's Fold". The atmosphere makes this song less than tangible. It gets marginally more dynamic though the song still wanders in the gloom a bit.

There is a somewhat more conventional approach in the songwriting of "Kala". The release is not of the magnitude that you expect from metal. The bass line slinks more like death rock though it lacks that dirty edge that death rock has. The last song is even more of a conventional feel, though it slinks with an almost apocalyptic creep in it's step. The vocals follow a straighter path. I can hear a slight Velvet Underground influence if we are thinking "Venus and Furs". The darkness is more of a journey , the climax is more sonic and not as intense as their her more metal projects. I will round this up to a 9 on sheer strength of it's darkness and find this album to be really easy to listen to.

Ides of Gemini : "Women"

Bands change. Not all are fortunate to change into something that I might call the perfect blend of goth rock and metal. This band from Los Angeles who are not strangers to this blog have done just that. Now putting down her bass to focusing on singing  Sera Timms, finds her voice even more colorful and energetic. While the Siouxsie influence is there is not just limited to that and has a reasonable sense of who she is.  Lyrically this album is thematic as all the songs are about women both rel and fictional. The guitar tone is less metallic and more death rock for "the Rose". The more doomy direction they used to dwell in has evolved into something with more of a NWOBHM feel to it. The chorus however have a more sinewy energy to them rather than being big anthems.

"Heroines Descent" almost feels more like an interlude until the vocals come at the mid way point. "Swan Diver" finds them getting way more in your face metal with a killer riff for the verse.  The drums are more brooding and powerful for the grungy "the Last Siren" . Emma Ruth Rundle lends her voice to "She Has a Secret". It's not a duet more of textured layering.  The guitar that plays around the vocals works really well. Tara Connelly of Clay Rendering joins them to layer some more vocals. This time it doesn't work as well as the song before it. There is more of a narcotic drone to this song. I do like how it gets darker and more sonic rather than heavy in the metal sense.

Overall this album is a good direction for this band. I'll round it up to a 9 and see how it sits on me. The only challenge is some of the songs on the second half of the album that lay off of the more explosive energy kinda drone and I almost fell asleep to this album, but I am pretty tired.

Ides Of Gemini : Constantinople

This one has gotten tons of hype to live up to, so the minimal percussive element caught me by surprise in the initial songs which opens the album, it's minimal in the Ancient VVisdom sense. it took four songs until any movement simmers up on this album. this might be a stylistic choice as some like Earth adapts a similar approach with minimalism of orchestration. Where is picks up on "Ressurectionists" it feels like a P.j Harvey song or maybe a less haunting Chelsea Wolfe, though the singer's voice was hailed as being a national treasure she can't touch Wolfe not to say her voice isn't pleasant.

Of all the current flock of dark retro tinged female pseudo metal band cropping up , ides is the least heavy by far, I would even be more prone to call sleigh bells cheer leading metal than this.

More often than not the songs never build while this could be part nd partial to the minimal nature of what they do this leaves the songs naked as a collection of unfinished ideas they never fully realized. The guitar playing upon initial listens isn't particularly wowing me , it could use some effects or something to create more ambiance which something that is going for creating a mood tater than rocking needs to do and is where some one like Chelsea Wolfe excels, or even some one like the Cocteau twins, who early keeps things simple but truth be told I think the Cocteau twins first album feels heavier that this with out even trying to.

I don't think the vocals or guitar are deft enough to stand alone with out the benefit of a more prominent rhythm section, to hold this up. I have always held to the fact guitar is what makes it metal and bass and drums make it heavy, vocals are the icing on the cake that seals the deal.the singer could very easily be fronting some sort of neo folk act.

A 3 out of ten is as high as I can rate this, though if this is your thing add a point or two as there are rough gems of talent hidden some where in the vocalist waiting to be brought to the surface.