ORGANASM

Looking at the poor reception here I feel obliged to offer another great argumentation on how great this band is and especially on this album again. We'll start with a warning. This band is really heavy so if Voivod and Opeth are too metal for you, you sure won't enjoy this. Anybody else, please stay with me and indulge me drooling over this album.

Alchemist play brutal, fast, intelligent space metal. The vocals are generally gruff but varied, with some low key chanting, Killing Joke bellowing, rough but decent death metal grunts and occasional Umma Gumma screaming. In comparison to the previous album the songs have become more concise and I must admit, a bit less diverse, with less room for extended instrumental passages or psychedelic effects. But there are no weak tracks, the guitars are beautifully layered and the very full and fat production fits their sound very well.

Each song is an epic journey through their sci-fi topic matter. You won't find catchy choruses or singalongs on the way, only densely layered atmospheres on top of irresistible grooves. The rhythm of this band is one of their most attractive features. There an unstoppable urgency in this music, almost invoking fear by its stringent command. And on subsequent albums they would shift the tempo even another gear further up!