HinweiseGenre : Death Metal
Country : Australia
Streetdate : 01.10.07

LINE UP

Adam Agius (vocals / guitar), Roy Torkington (guitar), John Lindsey Bray (bass), Rodney Holder (drums)

One cannot possibly review the latest ALCHEMIST record without taking a look at the band’s history. And that’s mainly because the Aussies are one of the most unique bands in the metal scene.

Their debut full-length, Jar of Kingdom, was quite unlike anything else released by that time (1993). Some (including myself) regarded it as a very twisted kind of death metal. As the years passed, albums like Lunasphere and Spiritech progressed towards a more mellow sound, however still keeping some aggression. This was the era in which ALCHEMIST’s music was most immersing, creating soundscapes that no other band to my knowledge managed to craft, blending elements that seemingly had nothing to do with each other – like oriental music, industrial parts and such. 2000 saw the release of Organasm, a spacey, “out-there” experience, an almost flawless record. Austral Alien was, surprisingly, somewhat more straight-forward. Still nothing your average band would even dream of putting out, it lacked most of the twists and turns that made ALCHEMIST very special.

Considering all this, I could hardly wait for the release of Tripsis. Especially since the band mentioned it would be their “punchiest” record in years. Though I’ve learned to ignore statements such as this, the first minutes of the album prove it was actually altogether true. The first thing that hits is the drums – less groovy, more focused, more powerful. This continues throughout the album, the tribal bits are scarce, making way for a more classic, more aggressive kind of drumming. The production helps a lot – you can hear every beat clearly, pretty high in the mix. Another obvious difference is the fact that you can hardly hear any samples/synths (they are present mostly in intros and outros), as opposed to the previous records. The focus is shifted towards the more traditional instruments – the guitar work is excellent. There’s nothing ALCHEMIST haven’t done before, but, like the drumming, it seems more focused. The bass is seldom audible, but you can always feel it’s there, doing what it’s supposed to do. There’s a slight change in vocals, too – they are seldom clean, shouts are even rarer, making Tripsis a less diverse ALCHEMIST record, singing-wise.

When it comes to naming some of the high points on the album, maybe a few stand-out tracks it’s surprisingly difficult. The opener, Wrapped in a Guilt, is definitely worth mentioning, as it practically defines the style of the entire record – reasonably fast, furious and still pretty complex. Then there’s Tongues and Knives, possibly my favourite and maybe one of the best ALCHEMIST tracks ever, with it’s layers upon layers of riffs and stellar drumming. It’s one of the rarer songs that, even though they are somewhat catchy, reveal everything only when you’ve listened to it for a few times. Nothing in No Time has a classic Organasm-like intro and continues mostly along that pattern, making it a very pleasant surprise. Grasp the Air reminds me of the parts I like most about Austral Alien, while God Shaped Hole has some of the best drumming on display here. Concluding the album is Degenerative Breeding, calmer, more laid-back, perhaps more introspective, maybe a fitting end to all the anger present on this record.

As a conclusion, no, it’s not Organasm – but it would’ve been foolish to expect another such masterpiece. However, I see it as a major improvement over Austral Alien. Tripsis is a very good record, almost perfect, and, moreover, it’s an ALCHEMIST record – something you certainly won’t hear anywhere else