Album Notes

The sound of Sydney band Gethsemane is raw acoustic based urban rock with a splash of the blues.

Blood, Wine & Spirit which is the second album from Gethsemane, was released in October 2005. It is a double CD package, with the second CD featuring 8 tracks by resident Gethsemane poet Stephen Davis, plus 3 bonus tracks by lead singer Mat Beltran.

"We started this record as an acoustic trio and finished it as a six piece band including drums, bass and electric guitars" said Beltran, explaining the extended gap between the new record and their self titled debut which was released in late 2003.

Along the way the band re-recorded many of the songs several times as the sound of the band evolved with the addition of new members and sounds. Guitarist/keyboard player Matt Bourne reflected, "It's hard to say whether the new instruments drove the process of the sound evolving in the studio, or whether the studio experimentation we were allowed ended up shaping the new sound of the band."

Whichever it was, Blood, Wine & Spirit is in one sense a departure from the stripped bare acoustic soundscape of their first record. However the essence of the Gethsemane style is still present perhaps in a more powerful, potent form.

A feature of Gethsemane is the presence of poet Stephen Davis. The second disk in this double album package features a clutch of Davis' poems. An integral element in the band's live shows, davis shines in these studio recordings.

With 12 songs, 8 poems and 3 bonus tracks on CD2, this double album package offers over 80 minutes of intense, thoughtful and confronting content from a unique Australian band.