I fucked up, I’m sorry. I got really drunk at the Mayhem/Watain/Revenge show and didn’t queue up my post for this week and since I was drunk in another city, it didn’t occur to me at the time to remedy that situation. I apologize. Please forgive me, as I am not well. However, prior to basking in the blackest of glories that is Mayhem, I did crank out this little gem for you and if you haven’t heard Ides of Gemini yet, here’s what you need to do:
1. Flagellate yourself.
2. Go to their bandcamp page and buy their music.
3. Listen to said music, and become better for it.
Up until I saw them open for Ghost in 2013, I’d never heard of Ides of Gemini. I was somewhat nervous when I read in article that their music was like “if Burzum scored a spaghetti Western”, but I checked out what little music I could online and was pleasantly surprised. There was no howling screeching overtop of blast beats, just this lush dark wall of sound that sank me into a wonderful auditory experience. Seeing this band live, opening for one of my favourites, was an experience I will not forget – Sera Timms came out wearing this red dress that looked like it belonged on some fiery goddess of war and once she opened her mouth, she and the whole of the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver came alive with her passion. Backed by Jason Bennet (from Noisey, and who also makes an appearance in Metal Cats, a photo book of metal dudes and their.. cat friends..), and Kelly Johnston, the trio made some of the most intense and emotional music I’ve heard at a live show, and all the songs ooze this primordial witchy melancholy, which may not seem like it went with Ghost, but it did. I purchased their CD at the show and have been totally impressed with them ever since. This past year their second full length album, Old World New Wave dropped and solidified even more that this band is one for those dark eyed dreamers, the witchy girls, and anyone looking for dense doomy melodies. The track I chose for this week’s Trash/Thrash Tuesday is from their first album, Constantinople, and it’s one of my favourites: Starless Midnight.
Take me tonight to the old war
You know I’ll fight
My Way through the twin doors
Of you two world order
You shine bright dancing in blood
Between knives a bleeding dove
Why should I save your life?
Why should I save your life?
Tell me a lie drown it in white
My desire has been baptized
Inside a wild Westernized mind
Something died in the last flood
The demise of your selfhood
Why should I save your life?
Why should I save your life?
Take up the flight under his dome
Starless Midnight is all that you will know
Also, I took the time to type these lyrics up as they appear on the liner notes to Constantinople. Looking them up online does not yield the correct results.
Enjoy!