Ides of Apollo
With Old World New Wave, they've changed direction. They still do a bit of the dream doom ("White Hart" or "May 22, 1453"), but new influences have taken a prominent place. Opener "Black Door" is a bold statement of the change, with an uptempo riff and big chorus that--other than the vocals--sound like a completely different band. Indeed, it could be a Dawnbringer cover. But that's not indicative of everything else on the new album.
In fact, other than a little throatiness reminiscent of the great 80's chick-rockers in "Valediction," the opening track is a bit of a feint. It's not more heavy metal at all. "The Chalice & the Blade" could be a SubRosa song, sans violin, with a drum beat that could be a simplified Kylesa bit. Which works well, because Sera Timm's vocals aren't too much different from the SubRosa vocals. In other places, they've taken on a strong resemblance to witchy, occult rock a la The Devil's Blood ("Fememorde" especially).
I'm not sure whether there's a particular reason the only bands I'm mentioning have female vocalists, but there is something of a thread running through them--other than the obvious.
The evolution is welcome. Compared to the other bands I've mentioned here, Ides of Gemini don't quite hold up, but they're also quite a bit ahead of many of their peers in female-fronted doom--and their sound is unique among the lot. It's worth taking a listen.
The Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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