Alchemist - Tripsis (Album)
I pretty much go through the same, mostly positive process during each play of Tripsis by experienced ACT heavy metal / death / brain-core outfit Alchemist. First good thing is the absence of former metal genre staple, the wistful album intro. Instead this just gets on with it, as quick starter ‘Wrapped in Guilt’ is promptly deemed volume-worthy. The sounds of Roy Torkington’s soaring guitar (he also did the artwork) and John Bray’s ricochet bass riffs accompanied by the throaty growls of bespectacled, though some might say ‘bedeviled’ vocalist/guitarist Adam Agius together with Rodney Holder on drums, bring about thoughts of Sepultura with just a dash of seminal 90's Vic punks Damaged.
About a minute into next track ‘Tongues & Knives’ and its raining metal (Hallelujah) as Holder takes hold, hammering his kit with relentless speed as the band come into their own, impeccably timed, heavy as fuck yet remaining tuneful. I find myself increasing the volume again; to be met with slabs of gratuitous screaming vocals that eventually taper off to the quietly drifting intro of ‘Nothing in No Time’. This is a minute’s grace before the nosebleed section re-opens and the band goes nuts again prior to the quietly drifting outro pronounces this track complete.
‘Anticipation of a High’ is a dutiful exercise in padding without losing too much quality and thus only just makes the grade. Skip to the inspired use of vocal harmony in ‘Grasp the Air’ for what happens when Alchemist at their most creative really nail it. Whilst I occasionally revert to their very early album ‘Lunasphere’ for its rich array of tempo, style and instrumentation, ‘Tripsis’ is a more straight-laced, heavier release. The line-up is still essentially the same though, although two hair loads lighter.
The album continues its solid, somehow intellectual level of grind core upon a serviceable though unceremonious path, with a slight spike of interest around ‘Substance for Shadow’. By the time we get to ‘God Shaped Hole’ you’re already comfortably in their corner unless of course you’re a devout metal-hater whom hasn’t already left the room, in which case ‘Degenerative Bleeding’ should see both you and the band safely home. Coming to a halt even faster than it started, I usually feel left wanting just a little more ear bashing, so I hit repeat. As I said, it’s often the same playing process.
Tripsis is an aural assault as good as any you’ve heard this year.
Matt James
