Alice Nine Album Review 9 ~ "Afterword: Gemini vs. 9 ~ The Twin Albums"

As soon as I put the disc in and the start of Heavenly Tale began, a smirk played across my face. A very 'Saga-like' expression in fact, if only I had a mirror or camera to prove it. 

After all, even though I had no particular expectations of what sound world the boys will pull me into this time round, the instant the intro played, I thought :

"As expected of you, this is just so 'you', I knew it". 

It amused me, surprised me yet satisfied me with familiarity. This was a journey I've been waiting for, expecting, and one that would be both familiar yet completely new. 

I instantly saw, heard, felt - however you'd like to put it - the connection of this album with GEMINI. Saw, because I saw it as cascading morphing images in my head; heard, because of the sound world, the magical sounds arranged in unique combinations that were infiltrating my ears; and felt, because of the emotional subconscious message it sent out to me.




Without going into the fine details like I had tried to summarise in my review (a previous post, which I assume that you have read - and even if you haven't, it doesn't matter, since I can go on for days and days describing music in fine details as inspiration for words that can do the music justice come to me, so it's impossible for me to write a 'good enough, comprehensive review' of everything I want to say), I simply felt that this was the other twin to GEMINI.

Yes a twin. Similar, and possibly even identical in it's basic elements, components, structure... you name it. But somehow, something that started off with the same basic elements - and in this case, the same five boys *^.~* - had a different result. Not completely different to the point it loses it's origins, but something that gives off an element of surprise within predictability.

GEMINI was the surreal, unearthly twin. Bordering on spiritual, it takes us far away into the unknown celestial sound world where everything is explored and experimented with; predictability, logic and expectations are warped, yes warped is the perfect word. The sound world it creates is strange, yet it lures you in. There's no feeling of solidity, or grounding, as if it takes you on a journey in outer space and you're forever floating around, witnessing these oddly attractive experiences and listening to ethereal tales. It's a deep and meaningful journey, spiritual perhaps or alien, one might say. Something that could deter the listener at first hearing, but so alluring that they would come back to it at a later stage and become absorbed and obsessed with. An unearthly attraction. Something you'll have to ponder over for the true meaning behind the album, and let it take you far away.

9, on the other hand is the earthly twin. Securely grounded in the roots of the Earth and it's living beings. Tribal sounds, heartbeats, soliloquies between you and your conscience, and everything utterly human underpins the album. To me it's like having arrived back on earth after your celestial journey, accompanied by these five angels (the boys) who have become you accomplices and acquaintances to bring a message back to Earth, to give us hope and determination. These angels settle on Earth and tell their tales of the heavenly in the most rational, down to Earth way - there's nothing surreal about it, it's all believable - but there is most definitely an air of grandeur and nobility throughout. Something that also links both albums together. Perhaps if you listened to both albums together as a set, you'd hear the connections like I do; connections I find hard to explain to you all in words, so I recommend exploring it - maybe you'll hear it, maybe you won't.


So the twins have finally been united; like a bond between an Angel and Fallen Angel. Both deeply magical and powerful, one from the heavens and unearthly world, and the other who have grounded to the human world, yet a being who sees past the average human. Both unalike, and yet strangely familiar - just like the individuality of twins despite perhaps similar/identical appearances, or even the similarity of personalities despite twins who do not look alike at all! You decide.

I'll leave you to ponder over this mysterious set of albums, twins that five wonderful musicians have presented to us like a mysterious riddle (much to their amusement and entertainment), containing elements we are all familiar with, combined differently, with an added element of surprise and grandeur, ultimately creating a set of discs that place a landmark in their musical history.

I wonder... what these five fallen angels (or perhaps mischievous demons?) will present us next time...

Something equally as peculiar and fascinating, surreal and full of fantasy? Or something grounded or even darker, dragging us into the scarlet and amber depths of hell?

I wonder....