Review: MGT – 'Gemini Nyte'

MGT

'Gemini Nyte'
CLEOPATRA RECORDS

Birmingham born Mark Gemini Thwaite has some serious gothic rock credentials with a CV that boasts acts such as The Mission, Peter Murphy, Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate, Mob Research (with Paul Raven of Killing Joke), and Canadian band National Velvet, as well as many other appearances with international acts. His first solo album on SPV, 'Volumes', produced a lead single in the form of, 'Knowing Me Knowing You', a cover of ABBA hit featuring guest vocalist Ville Valo of HIM, which has gained some good traction.

Thwaite's sophomoric outing under the MGT moniker sees a more stable lineup this time with vocalist Ashton Nyte (The Awakening) taking the helm to add a consistent voice. But there are still some special appearances as the album also features drums by Paul Ferguson (Killing Joke) and appearances by Burton C Bell (Fear Factory), and Lol Tolhurst & Pearl Thompson (The Cure).

Musically the album pretty much pics up from 'Volumes' with a tighter and more focused approach that takes note of the stronger elements of its predecessor and continues with them. The result is a pleasing blend of hard gothic rock. Nyte's vocal performance sits somewhere between Ville Valo and Peter Murphy while musically the album drifts between the melancholic stadium goth of The Mission and the accessible metal of HIM.

Tracks such as 'All The Broken Things', 'Dystopia', 'Trading Faces', 'The Reaping Reprise', 'Armageddon's Sideshow', 'Hide Your Secret', and 'Atlanta' show off the best of this formula with some great riffs, genuinely enchanting vocals, and some delicious grooves. Though it is the cover of Soft Cell's 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye' is perhaps the album's true standout.

Often solo albums from guitarists descend into ridiculous displays of shredding ability that have only a passing resemblance to songs. Thwaite on the other-hand has crafted a fine collection of legitimately strong songs that straddle both gothic rock and a more accessible mainstream rock. With 'Gemini Nyte' MGT hits its true stride and feels less like a “Here's my solo album, check out my friends” release and more like a fully-fledged band with the means to go far in its own right.  

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