https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Ides of Gemini Post “Heroine’s Descent” Video; New Album out Now

Posted in Bootleg Theater on May 2nd, 2017 by JJ Koczan

ides of gemini

Directed by vocalist Sera Timms, who also takes on the role of ‘Mother Death’ — you’ll know her when you see her — the new Ides of Gemini video for “Heroine’s Descent” follows suit from the song itself in providing and impressionistic and ritualized sensibility. The song comes from the band’s newly-released third album, Women (discussed here), and has an almost unfinished vibe. Led by guitarist J. Bennett‘s riff and punctuated by Timms‘ vocal repetitions, it rolls atop the fluid rhythm from bassist Adam Murray and drummer Scott Batiste into this chanting progression and then, well, it’s over.

This notion of something being incomplete — in the case of the video, it looks like it’s a life — speaks to the challenge that the record as a whole poses to its listeners in shaking expectations for what songs are and what they can and should do. Atmospherics are central to this and of course “Heroine’s Descent” has plenty to offer on that level as well, aurally as well as visually. In the clip, we see a death ritual playing out — Timms is both ‘Mother Death’ and in the coffin itself, and if you’re wondering who the fourth pallbearer is alongside BennettMurray and Batiste, it’s producer Sanford Parker, who helmed the recording of Women — and the ambience is no less resonant, but the truth is the track is just a piece of the whole impression the album makes.

That is to say, it’s a hard record for choosing what one usually thinks of as “singles” from, since a lot of the material feeds into each other, as “Heroine’s Descent” does in leading to the sharp-cuts of “Swan Diver,” which follows. Still, short of making a 43-minute video for the entirety of WomenIdes of Gemini do well in representing the feel and scope of the outing here and that seems like all one could reasonably ask.

Women came out at the end of last week on Rise Above Records. More info on the clip follows, courtesy of the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Ides of Gemini, “Heroine’s Descent” official video

Taken from the album, Women, released worldwide April 28th 2017.

Directed by Sera Timms
Director of Photography: Brian Sowell
Makeup by Cristina Waltz

Where would heavy music be without singular visions and the lure of the willfully perverse? Formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2010, Ides Of Gemini have built a formidable and enigmatic reputation by stoutly refusing to conform to anyone else’s idea of what lurks in the shadows-with a sound that elegantly salutes the greats of the post-punk and proto-goth eras while simultaneously harnessing the oomph and clangor of underground metal. The ornate sparkle of something else, something irresistibly alien has long ensured that Ides Of Gemini have stood proudly alone, and yet their stately invective has clearly connected with the discerning masses.

Ides of Gemini website

Ides of Gemini on Thee Facebooks

Ides of Gemini on Twitter

Rise Above Records on Thee Facebooks

Rise Above Records website

Tags: , , , , ,

Six Dumb Questions with Ides of Gemini

Posted in Six Dumb Questions on April 5th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

ides of gemini

The arrival of Women, the third full-length from Los Angeles ethereal heavy rockers Ides of Gemini, has been a gradual process. True, their prior outing, Old World New Wave (review here), came out in 2014 and three years is hardly an egregious stretch between albums, but in the case of Ides of Gemini, the last year-plus has involved not only the usual playing out and writing time, but also the switching of labels from Neurot Recordings to Rise Above Records — substantial endorsement, in either case — and the reconstruction of the group itself, which went from a trio to a four-piece in adding the rhythm section of bassist Adam Murray and drummer Scott Batiste (the latter also of Saviours) to the founding duo of guitarist J. Bennett and vocalist Sera Timms (also ZunBlack Mare and formerly Black Math Horseman), the latter of whom gave up her dual role as bassist for the 10-track/43-minute, Sanford Parker-recorded offering.

One might think that with a degree of tumult surrounding its making, Women would be confused or uneven in some way, yet it’s arguable that Ides of Gemini have never sounded so clearheaded. From the early semi-metallized urgings in “The Dancer” to the vast soundscaping in “Heroine’s Descent,” which nods to goth dramas and black metal in like proportion, on through the lumber of “She Has a Secret” and ritualized-feeling closer “Queen of New Orleans,” Women basks in its diverse purposes and unites them through a foundation of performance. Timms, as ever, adds to the atmosphere on vocals, but her melodic command is unmistakable, and whether it’s the sway of “The Rose” or the more straightforward push of “Swan Diver,” Bennett‘s riffing is varied and crisp as backed by Murray‘s bass and Batiste‘s drums; the whole affair only given further reach by Parker‘s production work. In some ways, it is very much a “third album,” as it could easily be seen as a new level of maturity in the band’s approach and benefiting from the lessons of Old World New Wave and 2012’s Constantinople before it.

Women is out April 28 via Rise Above Records and the band have tour plans in the works for later this year. Bennett was kind enough to take part in a short interview about making the album and to discuss the development of Ides of Gemini from their beginnings to this point.

Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:

ides of gemini women

Six Dumb Questions with Ides of Gemini

Tell me about writing Women. It’s been three years since Old World New Wave but the band has been through a lot in that time. When did these songs start to come together?

J. Bennett: I started writing songs for the album that would become Women not long after we recorded Old World New Wave. I usually have the title, concept and many of the songs ready for our next album before the most recent one is even available. At that time, our original drummer Kelly was still in the band and the album had a different working title. After Scott and Adam joined, I ended up abandoning most of the material I had and started writing new stuff that I felt was more suited to the new lineup — and was partly inspired by it. And I changed the title to Women. So almost everything you hear on the new album ended up being written after Adam and Scott joined.

Has bringing new members in changed the dynamic between you and Sera at all? You’re the founders of the band. How involved in making the album were Scott and Adam?

It’s changed the dynamic in the practical sense that she’s not playing bass anymore, which has freed up her vocals considerably. And she doesn’t have any gear to haul around anymore, which I know she loves. I think she and I are also more open to arrangement suggestions than we were in the past.

These songs absolutely would not be what they are without Scott and Adam. Sera and I can build a basic Frankenstein monster on our own, but those guys are the electricity that brings it to life. Scott in particular made some excellent arrangement suggestions that greatly improved the dynamics of the songs.

How was your time in the studio with Sanford Parker? Was there anything specific you wanted to get out of the experience of recording with him?

Our experience with Sanford was fantastic. A few years ago, we had talked with him about the possibility of recording Old World New Wave, but he was still living in Chicago at that time, and the logistics, timing and budget just didn’t work out. When we talked to him about doing Women, it just so happened that he was planning to move to Los Angeles right around the time we wanted to record. I think he had only been living here for two weeks or so when we went into the studio.

In addition to him being a hugely talented producer and engineer, the appeal of working with Sanford came largely from some of those pre-Old World New Wave conversations we’d had with him — he “gets” Ides of Gemini in a way that many people do not. The references he made when talking about our music were to the post-punk, gothic rock, and black metal records that we feel the most affinity with, rather than the doom or “stoner rock” references that most folks seem to make. So I guess you could say he told us what we wanted to hear.

What’s your relationship to heavy metal at this point? Women is definitely heavy, but where is the line for you between something being heavy and it being metal? Is “The Dancer” metal?

Great question. I’ve loved heavy metal since I was a little kid and will do so until the day I die. But as much as I enjoy heavy metal, I have no desire to play genre music in Ides of Gemini. Besides, there are so many bands out there that play straight-up metal better than I’ll ever be capable of. Why try to compete in such a crowded field when you can at least attempt to stand out by doing something different?

Then again, there are obviously elements of heavy metal in what we do. As far as the new album, songs like “Swan Diver” and “Raft of Medusa” are even predominantly metal. Is “The Dancer” metal?  I don’t know. I can see how it could be perceived that way, but in the end it’s not up to me. This question gets to the heart of the weird conundrum we’ve been in since the band’s beginning. I get the sense that we’re often perceived as not heavy enough to play with the metal bands that we’re usually lumped in with, but then we’re considered way too heavy to play with the gothic rock bands that we might feel more affinity with. That can be frustrating at times, but ultimately I think it means we’re doing something right.

Three full albums in, how do you feel the band has grown and how conscious has that growth been? How much of the direction of Women just happened, as opposed to being a purposeful goal of songwriting?

I feel like the band has grown immensely over three albums. Constantinople to Old World New Wave felt like a pretty big improvement, and Old World New Wave to Women feels like a massive one.  Like any band, we’re always striving to get better, but this time we did so in ways that we could never have anticipated because of the lineup changes. The second part of your question is a little tougher to answer. The songs always start with a riff—some of those riffs are written very purposefully, but many definitely just “happen.” So the initial inspiration — that first riff — could go either way. But the direction each song takes after that first spark happens with much more purpose.

Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?

We’re playing a record release show here in Los Angeles on May 6 with our friends Zig Zags and Taarkus. After that, world domination? A girl can dream.

Ides of Gemini, Live in Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2017

Ides of Gemini website

Ides of Gemini on Thee Facebooks

Ides of Gemini on Twitter

Rise Above Records on Thee Facebooks

Rise Above Records website

Tags: , , , , ,

Ides of Gemini Set April 28 Release for Women

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 3rd, 2017 by JJ Koczan

ides of gemini

West Coast purveyors of heavy atmospheric rock Ides of Gemini have unveiled the cover art and release details for their awaited next album. Titled Women and set to arrive April 28 through Rise Above Records, the new outing follows some three years behind 2014’s Old World New Wave (review here) and sees the core duo of vocalist Sera Timms and guitarist J. Bennett working with a new rhythm section in drummer Scott Batiste (also of Saviours) and bassist Adam Murray, as first announced last Spring.

The album’s been in the making more or less since then, and with the added intrigue of being recorded by the esteemed Sanford Parker, it for sure remains among my most anticipated for 2017. Of course the art and tracks and background is all an important step heading into the actual release, but we’ve still got a ways to go before April 28 gets here, so no audio yet. It’ll come, no worries.

Till then, get informed:

ides of gemini women

Ides of Gemini to Release Women April 28th via Rise Above Records

Artwork and Track Listing Revealed

Where would heavy music be without singular visions and the lure of the willfully perverse? Formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2010, Ides Of Gemini have built a formidable and enigmatic reputation by stoutly refusing to conform to anyone else’s idea of what lurks in the shadows-with a sound that elegantly salutes the greats of the post-punk and proto-goth eras while simultaneously harnessing the oomph and clangor of underground metal. The ornate sparkle of something else, something irresistibly alien has long ensured that Ides Of Gemini have stood proudly alone, and yet their stately invective has clearly connected with the discerning masses.

“We get lumped in with a lot of metal bands, I guess for obvious reasons,” says guitarist and songwriter Jason Bennett. “There are some metal songs on the new album, but it’s really not a metal record. And we’re not exactly a goth band, either. So I don’t know what to call what we do. Is it heavy? Yes. Is it metal? Not exactly. I guess you could say it’s a mystery…”

Even the haziest of musical entities undergo some process of regeneration between records. Ides Of Gemini are no different, but their journey from their stunning 2012 debut, Constantinople, and its formidable follow-up Old World New Wave-both released via post-metal mavens Neurosis’ Neurot Recordings-to brand new studio album Women, the band’s first for Rise Above Records, has been a turbulent and challenging one. Original drummer Kelly Johnston-Gibson incurred a career-threatening injury while on tour in the US in 2015, causing Bennett and vocalist (and then-bassist) Sera Timms to reassess their next move. After enlisting Scott Batiste of Saviours as a stand-in drummer for a short West Coast tour, a new alliance was formed and Scott soon became a permanent member. The band then expanded to a quartet for the first time, as Sera relinquished her bass-playing duties to newcomer Adam Murray.

“Having Sera make that change ended up being the best thing we ever did,” Bennett recalls. “It’s freed her up to do so much more vocally. She was somewhat confined by also playing bass, and now she doesn’t have to do that anymore-the sky’s the limit. Scott and Adam are awesome. It’s almost a new band. I think that the new record would’ve been pretty similar if we’d stayed a three-piece, but it wouldn’t have been this good. There’s a totally different dynamic now. We’re new and improved.

Still recognizable as the work of the band behind those early triumphs, the new Ides Of Gemini album is both a dramatic leap forward for these idiosyncratic spirit guides and their most direct and impactful collection of songs to date.

Produced by the inimitable Sanford Parker, Women also features guest appearances from Tara Connelly of Clay Rendering (on “Queen Of New Orleans”) and bewitching singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle (on “She Has A Secret”). As ever, Ides Of Gemini’s new songs uniformly fizz and crackle with a storyteller’s verve, as Timms’ emotionally devastating delivery and Bennett’s scabrous riffs paint vivid images of womanhood’s multifarious routes to the gates of Hell and beyond. As a result, the new album’s title was a no-brainer.

“Why Women? The short answer is that all the songs are about women!” Bennett laughs. “The way we work is that I title all the songs and Sera writes all the lyrics, and I give her an idea of what inspired each title for me. She can either take my idea and use it or totally discard it and come up with her own concept for it. Some of these women are mythological figures, some are historical figures, some are obscure actresses, and some are people we just made up. But every song is about a woman, so the title seemed obvious.”
Determined to make up for the time lost during recent upheavals, Ides Of Gemini hope to use Women as a springboard to re-launch their assault on the consciousness of the world’s outcasts and eccentrics. Revitalized and armed with their finest album to date, these inveterate square pegs may yet prove to be unstoppable.

“We want to tour as much as possible,” Bennett avows. “There are a lot of places we haven’t been yet and a lot of places we haven’t been to in a while. We never finished the tour when Kelly got injured, so we haven’t done a full national tour since 2013 when we went out with Ghost. And we haven’t been to Europe since 2012, so it’s been a while. We can’t wait to get started.”

Women Track Listing:
1. Mother Kiev
2. The Rose
3. The Dancer
4. Raft of Medusa
5. Heroine’s Descent
6. Swan Diver
7. The Last Siren
8. Zohra
9. She Has a Secret
10. Queen of New Orleans

http://idesofgemini.com
https://www.facebook.com/IdesofgeminI
https://twitter.com/IdesofgeminI
https://www.facebook.com/riseaboverecords/
www.riseaboverecords.com

Ides of Gemini, Old World New Wave (2014)

Tags: , , , , ,