UMUR "Tripsis" is the 6th full-length studio album by Australian metal act Alchemist. The album was released in August 2007 through Chatterbox Records in the band´s homeland and through Relapse Records worldwide (pre-orders to Relapse Records originally included a free copy of Alchemist´s previous album, "Austral Alien (2003)"). Alchemist was founded in 1987 and have long been one of the most prolific acts on the Australian extreme metal scene.

The music on "Tripsis" has changed a bit since "Austral Alien (2003)" becoming a bit faster/more busy (especially the drumming by Rodney Holder which is really energetic on this album) and more aggressive. How the music sounds is still hard to describe, as Alchemist are generally a very eclectic sounding act, but an exotic combination of Prong (Adam Agius vocals are very similar to the way Tommy Victor sounds) and Killing Joke with a few nods towards the darkest releases by The Cure isn´t completely wrong. Take a listen to the opening minute of "Nothing in No Time" for an example of the latter influence. It reminds me of some of the guitar work on "Pornography (1982)". I guess you can call it industrial/thrash metal with a few nods towards goth rock.

The musicianship on the album is on a high level. It´s a treat how the two guitarists compliment each other with one playing distorted rhythmic riffs and the other playing less distorted and atmospheric parts. As mentioned the rhythm section is really busy on this album and they provide the music with great energy. Adam Agius might not be the most varied vocalist, but his raw barks are delivered in a convincing fashion and he actually successfully gets away with singing a couple of clean parts too. One other thing worth mentioning are the samples which are handled by Nick Wall. They are not dominant, but more used as background atmosphere enhancers and along with the use of keyboards create a "wall of sound" listening experience. Such an experience is only pleasant with a suiting sound production where you can hear what´s going on, and that´s fortunately the case with the sound production on "Tripsis", which is professional, clear, and powerful.

Overall "Tripsis" is an album that reeks class. Intriguing songwriting, excellent musicianship and a powerful sound production to boot. A 4 star (80%) rating is not a star too much.

UMUR "Austral Alien" is the 5th full-length studio album by Australian metal act Alchemist. The album was released through Chatterbox Records in Australia and through Relapse Records worldwide in June 2003. Alchemist was founded in 1987 and have long been one of the most prolific acts on the Australian extreme metal scene. It´s been 3 years since the release of "Organasm (2000)", but there were also 3 years between "Organasm (2000)" and "Spiritech (1997)", so that´s a regular release cycle for the band. Alchemist was never a band to release a new album every year, which among other things was probably due to the fact that they ran and organized the yearly "Metal for the Brain" festival from 1996 to 2006.

There´s been a clear development in Alchemist´s sound over the years from an innovative death/thrash metal style towards an alternative/progressive metal style, which is what they play on "Austral Alien". There are still aggressive raw vocals and heavy distorted riffs featured on the album (which slightly remind me of 90s Prong and Sepultura), and you are never in doubt that this is a metal album (tracks like "First Contact", "Backwards Journey" and "Epsilon" are all pretty heavy business), but on the other hand there are whole tracks and whole sections in other tracks that don´t feature that many metal elements (tracks like "Solarburn" and "Speed of Life" are examples of that). Instead there is an obvious Killing Joke influence in the music that is quite dominant. There´s also a psychadelic atmosphere about "Austral Alien", which is another spice to the overall sound of the album.

In addition to bass, guitars, drums and vocals (raw and clean), the music also features layers of atmospheric keyboards and samples (check out the didgeridoo samples on "Great Southern Wasteland"). The musicianship are on a high level from all involved and some of the assets are the percussive ("tribal") approach to drumming, the many different lead guitar effects and melodies, and Adam Agius skilled and commanding vocal performance. "Austral Alien" also features a powerful, clear, and professional sounding production, which suits the music perfectly, so all in all it´s a high quality release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Organasm" is the 4th full-length studio album by Australian extreme metal act Alchemist. The album was released through Chatterbox (Australia), Displeased Records (Europe) and Relapse Records (U.S.) in March 2000. "Spiritech (1997)" helped gain Alchemist a name internationally and with "Organasm" that name was further strengthened even though it would be a couple of years before they would tour outside Australia. The years between "Spiritech (1997)" and "Organasm" were not only spend on writing new material and touring, but also to organize the yearly Metal for the Brain festival. An event Alchemist ran and organised (and played) from 1996 to 2006. They also released the "Eve of the War" EP in 1998.

"Spiritech (1997)" was quite the ambitious and eclectic release and "Organasm" continues down the same path. The tracks are not as long as some of the tracks on the predecessor, but this time around Alchemist have included a triology suite in "Evolution Trilogy, Part 1, 2 and 3". Stylistically the music on the album is a combination of industrial rock/metal, death/thrash metal with progressive/ethnic leanings. I usually describe Alchemist´s sound as Killing Joke gone metal, which really isn´t a fair description, but should still give the reader a general idea of how the music sounds. Alchemist excel in both heavy riffing and atmospheric sections, and overall their music is a very dynamic and varied listen.

The sound production on "Organasm" is slightly less organic than the case was on the predecessor and it has much to do with the drum sound on the album, which unfortunately features a rather artificial clean sound. I say unfortunately because I think it has an effect on how much I enjoy the album. The playing (including the drumming) is as usual on a high level, so nothing wrong in that department and the songwriting is top notch too but the drum sound does distract my listening experience.

Even though I have my reservations "Organasm" is still a high quality release by Alchemist and even though I´d probably recommend the two albums that bookend this one, "Organasm" should not be missing from your collection if you´re a fan of the band. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Spiritech" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Australian extreme metal act Alchemist. The album was released through Thrust/Shock Records in June 1997. The band released a promotional music video for the track "Road to Ubar". "Spiritech" is generally a critically acclaimed release...

...and it´s obvious why that is, when listening to the album. Both "Jar of Kingdom (1993)" and especially "Lunasphere (1995)" were promising album releases, but Alchemist takes their music to a whole new level on "Spiritech". Stylistically the music is quite the eclectic mix of musical styles like death/thrash metal, progressive/psychadelic rock and middle eastern influences. There are even a few nods toward Australian aboriginal music on the album. It´s a metalized version of Killing Joke I´m mostly thinking about when listening to "Spiritech" though, which should not be perceived as a criticism of the band´s writing style, but just a way to explain how the music sounds. There is generally a bleak atmosphere on the album but also a more aggressive edge and there are sections on the album where the band really unleash their anger in a convincing manner.

This is dynamic music and however raw some parts of the music are there is always a mellow section or some other adventurous/psychadelic surprise lurking around the corner. Best examplified in longer tracks like "Chinese Whispers" and "Figments", which bookend the album (and which are both around 10 minutes long), but also in the more regular length tracks. The tracks are generally intriguing but not overtly complex in structure.

The musicianship is on a high level. The two guitars seldom play the same notes. Instead they compliment each other which provides the music with great depth and richness in detail. The strong and adventurous rhythm section is also a great asset to the band´s sound. The vocals by Adam Agius (vocals, guitar, keyboards) are raw and delivered with passion and conviction. The musicianship was also great on the two predecessors, but the sound productions on those two albums let them down. Thankfully that´s not the case with "Spiritech", which features a professional and powerful sound production. All in all it´s actually quite a great release and it´s like Alchemist really came into their own on this album. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

The Angry Scotsman The debut album from Aussie prog metal band Alchemist.

I say prog metal because while there is heaviness, intensity and growls o plenty, musically this is far outside anything in the realm of death metal. Death, Atheist, Cynic even Edge of Sanity never created such an out there product.

"Jar of Kingdom" is a blend of death metal influenced prog metal and psychedelia. There is also some very noticeable Eastern influence. It is an intriguing and ambitious effort that doesn't seem fully developed on this album. While I applaud the effort, (and am glad to know I'm not alone in thinking you can like extreme metal and Pink Floyd)it is just not fully "there" yet. The album is a bit inconsistent, and while Adam Agius' vocals aren't the worst by any means, I'm not really a fan. His shrill growls are actually a lot more energetic than the standard, but also can be as laughable at times. Not a turn off, but not the best.

Musically, the songs have very progressive structures that can range from blast beat death metal to spaced out, Pink Floyd style movements. The music can stop and start on a dime, usually with wild shifts in tempo and style. The guitar work features both heavy, death metal and psychedelic, trippy styles, often at the same time.

The guitar work and song structures are easily the strongest thing on this album, unique and unorthodox are the only ways to put it. As well as awesome. The drumming is fitting and more than servicable.

Just for a change of pace, songs like "Found" are mellow and feature female vocals, and "Whale" is an acoustic piece with some type of tribal drumming, xylophones (or synths) and the sounds of whales.

Some standout songs are "Abstraction" (with its relaxing and brutal movements and sweet psychedelic melodies) "Shell" featuring surprisingly nice melodies, and "Brumal-A View From Pluto" which has one of the best openings I've ever heard and is a particularly brutal and usual piece. I love the surf rock riff over blast beats and distorted mess of tremolo picking.

The finale "Worlds Within Worlds" is a true musical journey, which features some of the best melodies and writing on the album. While some other songs can suffer from a lack of cohesiveness, this one works perfectly for most of it, and is really one of the more unique things I've ever heard. Where else can you feel like relaxing in a Middle Eastern palace and headbanging in a doom metal show??

Very interesting album that makes me feel ashamed I never herd of this band until 2011. What Alchemist tried to do on this album is not easy, and indeed it sounds a bit chaotic at times. Not organized chaos though, more like 2 buses carrying a death metal and psychedelic rock band collided. Sometimes awkward but it also works and the musicianship and songwriting skills here are impressive.

Good, but not great, album that leaves you wanting a bit more.

Three Stars