The Medea Project | Imperative Management:

The name, The Medea Project, was first heard on the east coast of South Africa when a group of talented young musicians made a briefly brilliant impact on a staid and unready music scene, dazzling and intriguing before quietly imploding. However the essential seed of the band’s sound was carefully carried by guitarist/front man Brett Minnie, to be planted once more, once fertile soil was found.

Several years and many more miles later, Brett Minnie found himself in southern England, where creative people and opportunities abounded. The time for The Medea Project to grow once more had come. Having recruited Pauline Silver on drums and Bradley Reimann on bass the reborn band began to play shows around London and the south east during 2017 – and they set about recording their first EP. The self titled, three track affair captured the unique magic of The Medea Project’s sound; the diverse, brooding intertwining of gothic and metal that had captured hearts on two continents. Soulful, melancholic, raw and heavy, these songs conjured shadows and taught the dead to dance.

In 2018 the band took their macabre anthems further afield, touring the UK with Italian psychedelic sludge wizards, NIBIRU, supporting the heavyweight riff kings, CONAN and doom lords THE PROPHECY. At this point, with the band’s schedule becoming busier and busier, Bradley Reimann decided to step down from his bass duties. In a typically unconventional move The Medea Project recruited upright bass player, Sean McElroy, who helped the band to take their music down even more unusual, twisting and characterful pathways. The rejuvenated band played thrilling shows with the likes of GODTHRYMM, KYLVER and AWOOGA, constantly growing as a live unit.

Initially the creative and personal alchemy between the three musicians seemed perfect. However, beneath the surface pressure was building as the time to record The Medea Project’s debut album approached. Just before they were due to enter the studio in 2019 Brett and Pauline made the difficult decision that to safeguard the future of the band, they had to continue alone...and continue they did, entering the studio as a two piece...

That debut album, emerged under the title Sisyphus on March 20th 2020, a shadowy concoction of primal sounds and nightmare visions featuring cover artwork created by ex-MARDUK drummer, Fredrik Widigs. Sisyphus was warmly greeted by the media, with ANGRY METAL GUY hailing its “theatrical gothic darkness” and AVE NOCTUM its “perfect desolation”.

The world may have succumbed to the global covid-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions before The Medea Project could take Sisyphus on the road, but they refused to be held back. They recorded a live in the studio set for the online event METAL FOR AFRICA SUMMERFEST ’21, which they then brought out that same year as the Southern Echoes EP. Again the media applauded the sinister power of the band’s creativity, with SONIC ABUSE calling Southern Echoes “a deeply impressive release” in a lavish 9/10 review.

The Medea Project were finally able to promote the Sisyphus album live when they emerged from lockdown in 2022 for the successful Barely Alive UK Tour with FINAL COIL, DIE EGO and YGODEH. With the tour completed the band returned to the studio to work on another new EP. Featuring reconstructions of their own material and wonderfully warped cover versions, Reflections was snapped up by Trepanation Recordings for a Spring ’23 release. Complete with stunning artwork created by Daniel Bollans of CONSECRATION this new cavalcade of twilight terrors will raise the stock of The Medea Project to new heights as they continue work on their second full length album.

Genre: Dark Gothic Doom Rock
For fans of: Type O Negative | Tiamat | 1476 | Lake Of Tears

Line-up:
Brett Minnie - Guitars/Vocals
Pauline Silver - Drums