I don't know if it was inspiring, terrifying or both. and the exact same thing that I'm singing about is happening in the real world. "This song I'm recording, right now, with these lyrics that came from my heart and soul. "Fuck the money, fuck being rich, fuck having the Maserati that I can't drive anyway," Nordstrom says in an agitated voice. Inspired by the Paris attacks, the band wrote "Anonymous," the album opener, and the only song actually written in the studio - while recording the vocals for that track, the frontman stepped out of the vocal booth to grab a cigarette just as news of the San Bernardino attacks broke on television.ĭoes art imitate life, or does life imitate art? The question became profound throughout the recording of Memento Mori, lead single and title track "Remember We Die" becoming the band's mantra. "I just went outside and cried," says Nordstrom, with a tremble still evident in his voice, "then I went back inside and finished the song." But it only gets eerier from there. After several hours of recording vocals to the track, Aaron took a break, and upon leaving the vocal booth saw the Paris attacks unfolding on television. "Zealot" was inspired by an incident in Arizona where extremist Christians were protesting outside a mosque, and another Christian group stepped in to buffer the two groups and protect the rights of the Muslims. Now is where things get really strange - or fall perfectly into place. And the third record will be death/rebirth into infinitum." Momenti Mori is the second part of a trilogy - life/the journey. It represents coming into the universe - an awakening. "It's been our concept from the start to have three albums that represent birth, life, and death/ rebirth. "Yes, it certainly is, and it was intentional." This is where everything we've already learned about GEMINI SYNDROME comes eerily into greater focus. Which begs the question, is the new album a concept album? Before we could even get the words out of our mouth, Nordstrom jumps in with unequivocal certainty. We live in a world where madness is happening all around us - are you going to put on your monkey suit and fumble your way through, or put on your bullet proof vest, face the world and take responsibility for your life? We need to appreciate and relish every moment we have in this life, it's precious. The album opens with 'Anonymous' - a call to action that shines a light on the forces that are trying to divide us as a society. "While half these songs are in retaliation against a culture of oppression and the other half address an introspection of self, they all bring us back to the same message: Live your life as full as you can, because one day you're going to die. "You reach a point where you either hold back, or cross the line and have faith that you're not biting off more than you can chew - we knew we had to cross the line on this record," says drummer Brian Steele Medina, along with Nordstrom the creative genesis behind GEMINI SYNDROME since the band formed in 2010. There was a question as to how far the band wanted to push their message, but that question didn't last long. Translated from Latin, Memento Mori means "Remember That You Have To Die" – and that is, quite bluntly, the message behind the 15 tracks that are equally inspired by religious extremism, the mystery schools, and life in the 21st Century. It was a path that proved darker than the band could ever imagine, yet one that resonated with the strength of their message and the epic scope of their vision - a vision that, before now, they haven't shared. "There comes a point where you start to question whether art imitates life, or life imitates art," wonders frontman Aaron Nordstrom aloud as he starts to recount the path that got GEMINI SYNDROME to Memento Mori, the much-anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut Lux. This is next level stuff - open your mind and prepare for the trip. But to get there, we'll have to navigate through their new album Memento Mori, a vast sophomore effort that fulfills every wanton need fans have come to expect from the alternative metal mavens, while introducing a parallel universe of twists, turns and musical convocations. Prepare yourselves, Synners - everything you thought you knew about GEMINI SYNDROME is about to become a lot deeper, a lot darker and, ultimately, a lot brighter.
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