Projekt Gemineye returns with What Lies Beyond, an album that is fully contained. The brainchild of Canadian hard-rocker Mark Anthony K, this one-person band started 2022 with the trilogy-concluding In the Year 3073 Book III, which is set for vinyl release soon. This year takes a slight turn with a pile-driving series of epic songs.
“Cyber-Wonderland” finds K with his guitars turned up to 11. He’s continued to hone his craft, with a bass guitar has an unmistakable treble feel which counters the snarling guitars. Mark Anthony K’s vocals are out front in the mix, highlighting his future vision.
This theme has been mined by Projekt Gemineye before, but here the lyrical approach is direct with little room for misinterpretation. The kickoff song from What Lies Beyond is a kick in the pants.
“The Angels Scream,” with a length of more than 14 minutes, contains layers of string synths, multitracked acoustic guitars, and thunderous drums fitting its length. Mark Anthony K makes good use of the format, providing a chorus of guitar leads that accompany the vivid tale of rage and chaos. Add in the mid-song guitar and synth breakdown, and the listener may be tempted to tune out the apocalyptic lyrics – but their story is too vivid to ignore.
If you expect a shift in perspective, you don’t get it with “Seed and Soil.” Factory farming and the claiming of green lands are discussed in this one. Outstanding bass bombs abound, and Dark Monarchy co-conspirator Joe Bailey provides subtle yet effective orchestration, only adding to the message.
At more than 11 minutes, “I’m Free” is a fantastic roller coaster. K starts with a delicate lead vocal accompanied by nuanced finger-picked acoustic guitars. The track develops with Billy Sherwood-like melodic bass and swirling drum paradiddles before the pace picks up, and Mark Anthony K steps forward with a towering lead guitar over a mountain of switching rhythms. At this point, K shifts his vocal approach from delicate to angry.
Perhaps an ode to the post-Covid-19 world, the anger of “I’m Free” is eclipsed by the resignation of the new world we live in, or maybe, the message is more micro about the disillusion in relationships. In any case, it makes for a compelling album closer.
Mark Anthony K does offer “Brutal World” as a compact-disc bonus track, and it’s also available as a CD extra track if you purchase the vinyl edition. The song is hardly an afterthought, with its chorus of screaming guitars and snarling bass passages. Again, K’s vocals are direct, slapping you in the face, while his guitars add to the sting. At the song’s midpoint, a dramatic perspective and melodic shift add to the storytelling.
What Lies Beyond stands among Projekt Gemineye’s best work. Get the compact disc so you can get the bonus track, or better yet, order the limited-edition colored vinyl too.
- Nosotros, “Mentiras” (2024): One Track Mind - April 10, 2024
- Nick Finzer, Christian Fabian, Rachel Z + Others: Five for the Road - April 5, 2024
- Terry Blade on ‘Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper’: Something Else! Interview - March 10, 2024
