Mimesis – Trilogy

I became quite fond of Mimesis back in 2019 when they released their self-titled debut EP. It proved tremendous djent and chonk qualities but on top of that, brought some of the most surreal futuristic atmosphere and ethereal vocals ever. So when they announced a second release, I was obviously waiting in anticipation for when it was gonna drop. Their second EP, “Trilogy”, is unfortunately only 3 songs, but fortunately a step forward in terms of ingenuity, creativity, proficiency and atmosphere.

Bringing together members of bands like The Beast of Nod, Abiotic, Scale the Summit and Aviations, they are obviously a mad tech-feast, but with Jen Janet on vocals (ex-Blind Revision, ex-Novarium) and a clever use of samples, it actually becomes quite relaxing and fantasy-ish in a way as well. Those are 2 worlds that are hard to merge so let’s see how they’re doing.

The instrumental backbone of this band can most accurately be described as a mix of djent and math metal. It has the incredibly hi-fi, modern, digital sound and some absolutely ridiculous parts when it comes to technicality. They put together headbangy grooves, weird off-beat time signatures, unexpected transitions and hyperspeed noodling, making it quite the strain on the brain to keep track of at first, but worth a few repeated listens to adjust. It does however have a great sense of melody that actually gets you hooked on the first listen, and some pretty catchy chorus lines as well. And they know how to alternate these elements in a way that keeps the songs cohesive and coherent, even giving them a sense of narrative and evolution. Furthermore, the songs are actually linked, like movements in a bigger piece, making the whole thing feel like a 15 minute epic rather than just 3 songs. So despite the short length, I would say there’s enough going on here for you to properly sink into this thing.

Jen Janet

I want to give the spotlight to drummer James Knoerl for putting together an outstanding performance, combining drilling double kick techniques you’d expect to see in tech-death with a trippy pattern shifting playing style known to modern prog metal. Same goes to Dr. Gore, who takes his Beast of Nod – inspired shred-sweep-tap driven playing style and moves it to an entirely different platform of sounds, equally ridiculous but massively different, while maintaining his signature sound.

But then we get to the feely feels, and I must say, overall the insanity of the instrumentals isn’t what stayed with me the most from this EP. When you take the very clean production and somewhat toned-down level of aggression and merge it with ethereal orchestral samples, beautiful eerie melodies and Jen’s surreal vocals, you feel like you’re floating through fluffy clouds of space fairies. This is a concept EP that describes a utopian city, cleverly named Mimesis. While I can’t say I know the full story, what I can say is that the mood of the sound combined with the pink-and-purple starry artwork makes me wanna live there. Not for long though… While the first song ‘The Traveler’ has a serene fantasy-ish mood of harmony, the next 2 songs seem to gradually shift the mood into tension and then chaos. ‘The Artist’ is a bit more over the place and by the time we get to ‘The Captain’ it sounds like evacuation alarms are jolting me out of my space hibernation and prompting me to jump in an escape pod before the whole thing is blown to smithereens. And I got all this imagery only from the sound, without any insight into the lyrics and actual concept. Of course, I’m probably way off about what actually happens with the story, but it does go to prove just how well this band can convey imagery, emotion and develop a sense of story only through their sounds. Also Jen manages to sound like a narrator, character and sci-fi movie robot lady all at once which is a very admirable level of artistic multitasking. She has a very pleasant and relaxing vocal tone but also manages to bring some more intense emotions on the last song, contributing to the alarming mood that starts to set in. Hello anxiety!

Mimesis – The Captain (click here if the video doesn’t play)

So to sum it up, these guys basically managed to destroy a futuristic utopian city by the sheer power of shred, odd-time signatures and mind-bending technicality. Or maybe that’s just me. Regardless, this is a unique, intriguing and admirable little project that you will absolutely find something to like about, even if it might not be your thing overall.

Tracklist:

1. Pt. I: The Traveler
2. Pt. II: The Artist
3. Pt. III: The Captain