Third EP (plus one full length) from this Nottingham via South Africa band who, after one listen of this I can genuinely say are a different prospect. Very. Five tracks including three covers (more of which later), twenty five minutes and a few questions. That’s what I like to hear…

I was promised sludge, doom, gothic tones. Stuff like that.

‘The Ghosts Of St Augustine MMXXII’ is an ostentatious title to open the EP. Funereal keyboards and cymbal build a mournful atmosphere and the riff that seeps out is slow, sedate and pure doom. The melody rises gently, carefully and clean, wavering goth infused vocals softly push through before they turn harsh and we are into funeral doom, and a classy take on it at that. It twists with curious changes in tempo, brings in strange mixed vocals and spoken echoes. A little early My Dying Bride, a little nod to the early Skepticism end of things with the style of melody. We also get a pretty superfluous video edit of the same.

Next up we have Venom’s ‘Warhead’. This is a sideways take, an almost eerie glance at the original with a sludgy style that eventually chugs and rattles its way closer to the original, just through a heavy, gritty doom filter. After the repeat of ‘The Ghosts…’ we get the cover of idiosyncratic dark metallers Tiamat’s ‘Cain’. This seems, to me, to be a perfect choice for The Medea Project if the intent is to show their feel for band with whom they perhaps understand the works of. It is claustrophobic, dense, gothic and with a post-punk feel to the vocals, a tingle of keyboards disorientating the listener with real dexterity and feel. Pretty darned marvellous.

Best ’til last though. The cover of the Motorhead oddity ‘Nightmare (The Dreamtime)’ from the hugely underrated 1916 album. This is just pretty stunning. Beginning with a bassline straight out the Field Of The Nephilim. Think ‘Last Exit For The Lost’ with gorgeous goth vocals breathing Lemmy’s dark and strange lyrics over a Goth Western guitar line. This is just absolutely superb; best Motorhead cover I’ve heard in an absolute age. It holds tight to the original dark dream style and wraps it in a heavy drapery of fantastic, bleak goth style. Yeah, cool as fuck.

I may not know too much more about the band as far as their own compositions go from this, but what it does tell me is their roots are spread wide but have been blended together with a rare skill.

I hope this means we will get to hear another album soon. In the mean time I must check out their first one. And listen to that Motorhead cover again.

7.5/10 Gizmo (but a 9/10 for the last track)

https://www.facebook.com/themedeaprojectband

https://trepanationrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/reflections