|
 |
AlchemistEmbryonics 90-98 Chatterbox Having boldly and successfully combined metal with some of the unlikeliest musical genres, Alchemist would have to be one of the most original metal acts ever to have emerged from this country. This two-CD compilation comprises a generous sampling of their material from 1990 to 1998, the bulk of it taken from the three full-length albums that they released during that period: 'Jar Of Kingdom', 'Lunasphere', and 'Spiritech' (though a few of the songs taken from the first two albums are actually demo versions here). Without a doubt the songs from 'Jar Of Kingdom' (of which only two are missing here) would be the craziest ones the band has ever written and are a lot of fun because of that. Notable examples include Enhancing Enigma, which has a very memorable opening; Worlds Within Worlds, which runs deathly-sounding metal over the top of a constantly strumming acoustic guitar; and the short and rather haunting Found. The title track also appears, but as a pretty awful sounding demo version with terrible sound, bland vocals and the delightfully ridiculous opening of the album version missing. Still, it's certainly interesting as a bit of musical history. The material from 'Lunasphere' is similarly experimental. Standouts include Garden Of Eroticism and Soul Return, which are both long, meandering musical journeys. Garden Of Eroticism is almost an instrumental with its (rather tortured) vocals only appearing well into the latter half of the song, while Soul Return starts out as a slightly quirky death metal piece only to turn into something much more soothing and dreamy after a few minutes; after a few more minutes, the heavier stuff returns only to morph into something quite trippy. Third album 'Spiritech' is my least favourite, although the material included here is still quite good. A couple of lowlights, however, are Road To Ubar (some nice tribal elements, but annoyingly preachy), and Spiritechnology, which is unfortunately marred by various samples espousing some twaddle about UFOs. I prefer Staying Conscious, which spends its first half being a fairly straightforward metal song before the obligatory trippy bits kick in; and the upbeat Dancing to Life, which has a significant electronic component. Filling things out are a handful of miscellaneous tracks: the manic Imagination Flower (an early demo song), the thrashy instrumental Paisley Bieurr (ditto), and a suitably rousing cover of Eve Of The War (from Jeff Wayne's 'Wars Of The Worlds'). There are also a few live and live-to-air renditions of songs appearing elsewhere on the compilation. This is a very extensive collection that leaves little out from the period it covers and shows what a creative outfit Alchemist are, as no two songs here sound remotely alike. Apparently some of the source material is no longer available, so if you're a relative newcomer to the band and would like to know what they sounded like in their early days, this compilation is essential listening.  |
|
The latest issue available now!     |
All content copyright dB Magazine