GPKISM: Sublimis CD Review

Sublimis is the first CD released by the duo of Australian born GPK and Japanese musician Kiwamu of BLOOD. To most fans of BLOOD, it might to come learn as a shock that GPK is Australian, despite his slightly Japanese appearance with typical Japanese Visual kei appearance.

Tracklist:

1. Omnia (instrumental)
2. Synthesis
3. Metempsykhosis
4. Immaculatus
5. Thanatosis
6. Sublimis
7. Sanktus (instrumental)

The CD starts off with a slow, methodical sound of a dark, almost EGL flavored orchestra that of Omnia. The flow is an excellent start to set you into the mood of the CD as it progresses and moves into the the more upbeat song of Synthesis. I’m going to say this now, before anything else, if you do not like techno/electronic songs or find techno/electronic repulsive, stop reading this review. The sound of GPKISM is a fused electric and industrial sound to give it that EGL flavor. The sounds of Synthesis are not hard to follow, and its very easy to get caught up in the constant pulsing beat. Synthesis is probably one of my all time favorites because of the beat, and the music itself. The vocals of GPK and the guitar work of Kiwamu flows very well, much like songs of BLOOD.

The next song following Synthesis, it is Metempsykhosis, that is Met-em-psy-cho-sis, if you want to annunciate for yourself. Metempsykhosis is the longest song on the CD at 7:17 minutes. This song is different from the previous two songs, as in it is a bit slower, almost like a child’s lullaby, probably becoming my next ‘sleep to’ song. If you are looking for an electro/industrial song that fits a leisurely lifestyle, I recommend this song heavily.

Immaculatus follows the somber lullaby of Metempsykhosis and this is where the beats pick up again for the electro-indie. I have to say after reading the lyrics from the booklet, it seems very poetic and the lyrics “.. take my hands and guide me, to the garden of temptation..” gives that mind set that you do in fact what to follow up on that request and that it will be a full-filled one with the romantic-esque feelings.

Insert dooms-day. The song starts off with the eerie chiming of a church bell followed by most spine chilling sounds with the church bell blended into the scenery. Unlike the rest of the songs of Sublimis, this one doesn’t seem to flow quiet as well as that others did. There is a most definite pause in the change from the line to line, but GPK’s voice and the words he is singing to you are more prominent. Not something, I would listen to on a daily basis, but you might find it to be more fond of if you prefer more narrative type songs.

The title track; Sublimis, this song made me check what I was listening to for a second, I have to admit. His voice sounds a lot higher than the deeper tone for the other songs, it caught me a bit off guard as to the tone of his vocals. Again, not exactly a favorite song at the direct moment, it will probably eventually grow on me, as has much of the Japanese scene (yes, I know GPK is not Japanese). The final song is Sanktus, this is where the curtains close and the synthetic night covers your eyes into everlasting darkness.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Where to get it?
iTunes: $6.99
CD Japan: $20.70

Websites:
Official
Official Myspace
Official Blog
Mixi Community

Images from the official CD jacket:
(GPK only, click for full view)

Review done by DespairsRae.

~ by Raelynn on February 29, 2008.