MISTHERIA – Gemini

Virtuoso keyboardist Mistheria accurately describes his 13 song instrumental release as “…a combination of my original songs and classical covers and a blend of them…songs range from Metal and Symphonic-Metal to Prog including some New-Age atmospheres.” What his description doesn’t tell you is the listener will need to enjoy and appreciate keyboard and guitar solos played at every tempo and conceivable style. Mistheria combined an impressive group of musicians and provided masterful mixing creating a clean and spacious space for all components to be heard. While Gemini’s songs vary in tempo and style there is little structure. The songs typically start with a recognizable style and then spiral off into long solos with little effort to tie the songs together into a coherent whole.

From the opening notes of the up tempo lead track “Hands Of Fire”, there’s no mystery about the album’s journey. The virtuosic guitar and keyboard work is the sonic equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet. “Angels In The Shadow” follows at a more leisurely pace with an excellent crunching opening riff that is all but abandoned by the first minute in favor of four minutes of soloing. This frustrating pattern repeats for many of the songs that follow. Perhaps the most listenable track is “Air The Day After” which stands out for its slower pace, heavy church organ intro, and laid back guitar soloing. Another highlight is “Falling Stars” a New-Age influenced song which provides a calming atmospheric respite from frantic noodling.

Gemini overflows with technical brilliance without much in the way of engaging song structure. If a Metal album full of dazzling keyboard and guitar solos interests you, Gemini is highly recommend. If you enjoy Metal that’s more immediately accessible, you should pass on Gemini.

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Gemini features:

Mistheria – music, arrangements, keyboards
Roger Staffelbach – guitar
Leonardo Porcheddu – guitar
Ivan Mihaljevic – guitar
Steve Di Giorgio – bass
Dino Fiorenza – bass
John Macaluso – drums

* Special Guests:

Christopher Caffery – guitar
Roy Z – guitar