In May of 2012, IDES OF GEMINI unveiled their debut full-length, Constantinople. Its mere existence was a triumph for the three band members — Sera Timms (vocals/bass), Kelly Johnston-Gibson (drums/backing vocals), and Jason Bennett (guitar/backing vocals) — but other folks had some nice things to say about it as well.
Following the release of their debut, IDES OF GEMINI spent much time touring. They performed a pair of shows with Old Man Gloom in the autumn of 2012, before embarking upon a European/UK tour that kicked off at Germany’s South Of Mainstream Festival and saw the band play direct support to Saturday night headliners, The Obsessed, and later to a full house at Holland’s Incubate Festival. In January of 2013, IDES OF GEMINI had the honor of opening for their labelmates (and label bosses), Neurosis, at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. A month-long North American tour as sole support for the anonymous Swedes of Ghost B.C. followed in the Spring. This successful journey coincided with two new IDES OF GEMINI songs on Hexagram 45, a special Record Store Day 7-inch released via Magic Bullet Records that had to be repressed before it even came out due to overwhelming record shop demand. Upon their return to Los Angeles, IDES OF GEMINI shared stages with Boris, Deafheaven, and True Widow before hibernating to finish writing and rehearsing new material. That new record is ready to see the light of day.
Old World New Wave was recorded at Valley Recording in Burbank, California, engineered and mixed by Chris Rakestraw, (who did the same for Constantinople and is often noted for his work with Danzig) and mastered by Grammy-winning producer Matt Hyde, renowned for his work with Slayer, among others. The artwork and design, including the striking hand-drawn cover, were executed by drummer Kelly Johnston-Gibson.
“The foundation for Old World New Wave was laid before Constantinople even came out,” Bennett reveals. “We had the title, most of the guitar tracks and basic arrangements in place at that point. We’ve been planning this record for a long time, so it’s incredibly rewarding – and a total relief – to finally have it out.”
Old World New Wave will be released on CD and digitally via Neurot Recordings and on vinyl via SIGE Records on September 16th, 2014.
In the meantime, check out the new teaser video at THIS LOCATION.
In related news, IDES OF GEMINI will perform at Cafe Nela tomorrow night in Los Angeles as well as the Doom In June Festival in Las Vegas next month with further live rituals to be announced in the weeks to come.
IDES OF GEMINI Live:
5/22/2014 Cafe Nela – Los Angeles, CA
6/07/2014 Doom In June Festival @ Cheyenne Saloon – Las Vegas, NV
“..darkly beautiful..” – Pitchfork
“Processional doom, [with] ethereal female harmonies and high-strung riffs [that] incite head-bowing, not – banging.” – Spin
“Their accretion of small musical gestures inverts metal’s normal use of space. They imply terror without ever exposing it. Each song is an accumulation of outlines, a sort of sonic daguerreotype.” – Metalsucks
“IDES OF GEMINI exists in a spiritually distinct realm from everyone, ever. There’s plenty here to immerse oneself in.” – Rock A Rolla
“There is a metallic-filtered kinship here to Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star: this is gorgeous stuff, full of promise, and heading toward true greatness.” – Terrorizer
“Darkthrone-meets-South African space rockers, Tribe After Tribe-meets-Dead Can Dance- meets-Godflesh.” – Metal Hammer
“…a proverbial treasure chest in terms of atmosphere, ideas and contrasting musical textures…original and breathtaking.” – About.Com
“…a cathartic exorcism of demons… an impressionistic interpretation of doom.” – Sleeping Shaman
“A unique piece of work, for connoisseurs of intriguing music.” – Mass Movement
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