Title: At the End of the Sea
Artist: The Beauty of Gemina
Genre: Dark Wave, Rock, Electro
Release Date: 26th March 2010
Label: Danse Macabre
Album Review
Swiss formation THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA combines electro sounds with elements of rock music diluting all this mixture with some subtle symphonic inclusions. The band is still young but already released two successful albums, played numerous concerts in Europe and even shared the stage with THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. The new work of the musicians entitled ‘At the End of the Sea’ contains 13 vigorous diverse tracks in which the atmosphere of dark romance interlaces with heavy energy and creates an intricate cocoon where you can just relax and dream.
The songs on the album strike with their depth although the guitars and drums sound rather calm, measured and sometimes even a bit lazy it doesn’t spoil the whole impression which is even intensified by some instrumental passages. Already the melodic yet gloomy riffs in the first track create a feeling of drizzling rain that walls you up while the vocals penetrate with unruffled calm into the most distant corners of your soul. And the next song is a match for its predecessor: despondency and illusory hope of salvation captivate a listener immediately. At the beginning it seems that the music comes from a distance and doesn’t affect you much but in some time there disappears everything except these quiet, even, doleful sounds.
But it would be a mistake to decide that all songs on the CD are just melancholic and leisurely, because THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA made many danceable pieces like ‘Counting Tears’ and ‘Black Cat Nights’. Speed and energetic ‘Rumours’ despite somewhat sadness and apathy of the lyrics sounds rather cheerful and slightly positive that conflicts with the general mood of the other material. But anyway the track finishes abruptly and the feeling of pleasant melancholy returns with the next song. ‘Sacrificed to the Gods’ attracts your attention with its beautiful lyrics and produced an impression of something enigmatic but at the same you can’t help feeling anguish and lost.
The rest of the material is even more heartfelt and expressive when every song is like a revelation but placid ‘Endless Sleep’ and the last instrumental track make you feel drowsy and it’s almost impossible to listen to end of the album without falling asleep. Thus, ‘At the End of the Sea’ turned out to be very interesting and rich and it can interest lovers of different styles. Despite the simplicity of the music and accessibility of the lyrics, it’s really hard to notice everything and you need to listen to the album several times to understand and appreciate it.
Tracklist
01. Dark Rain – 3:59
02. Obscura – 4:52
03. Rumours – 3:57
04. Kings Men Come – 4:06
05. Sacrificed to the Gods – 4:19
06. End of All – 4:22
07. Counting Tears – 4:03
08. In Silence – 4:15
09. A Fortuneteller’s Dream – 5:51
10. Black Cat Nights – 4:59
11. Narcotica – 5:09
12. Endless Sleep – 8:11
13. Bonus Track – 7:18
Line-up
Michael Sele – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Mac Vinzens – Drums
David Vetsch – Bass
Website
http://www.thebeautyofgemina.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/thebeautyofgemina
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: 7.5 (Bonus Track)
Total: 8.7 / 10
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