Alchemist - Organasm Chatterbox
Kev Truong

Ah Alchemist, has there ever been a band more creative and original to grace Australian shores. New opus 'Organasm' is a mass amalgam of keyboards, slide guitars, crystal clear production and huge vocal scope. While past albums such as 'Lunasphere' had firmly planted death metal roots, recent slabs 'Spiritech' and more so 'Organasm' detach them from the blast beat chaos of extreme metal's nether-regions. This is possibly the most natural album I have ever heard. Each song flows seamlessly onto the next, maintaining momentum while throwing in dynamic range. Opener 'Austral Spectrum' rises out of didgeridoo samples and erupts into waves of smooth guitars. Dedicated to the beauty of Australia's landscape, the song morphs effortlessly from one theme to another creating a mini-epic. This is followed by the truly tremendous 'Evolution Trilogy' of 'The Bio Approach/Rampant Micro Life/Warring Tribes'. Never ceasing to challenge the limits of imagination, these three songs explore all realms of musical appreciation, combing ethereal guitars, sci-fi keyboard sequences and heartbeat drumming. And so the album flows on, every song acting more of an extension to the last. The ever-important closer is 'Escape from the Black Hole', my personal fave. Booming echoed vocals atop even more epic guitar parts wraps up this masterpiece album beautifully. Adam's vocals range from deep clear booms to traditional throaty roar to high-pitched shriek, interchanging comfortably. Roy once again shows his superb guitar skills, offering agile lead passages. The rhythm section of Rodney on drums and John on bass are solid as ever and provide a perfect foundation. The music on this album is spot-on without a single note wrong. Each second is injected with pure emotion and power, and on my first listen left me reeling in my own head. Production can not be better- it's clear, distinct and filled with life. This is total fantasy music- tracks like 'Tide in, Mind out' and instrumental 'Eclectic' are pure head-trips that have to be heard to be believed. All in all, a perfect album if one ever existed. I can't say enough about 'Organasm'. Alchemist has really created an epic showpiece here. While it isn't as chaotic or extreme compared to other bands or even their own back catalogue, for music that's original, powerful and creative, you can not go wrong with this one.
Score- 10/10

Kev Truong