(Power/Speed Metal) Alkemyst - Meeting In The Mist (Japanese Edition) - 2003, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

#777Французская группа Alkemyst в своей музыке замечательно сочетает всё лучшее из стилей progressive power/melodic metal. То, что дебютник этого коллектива вышел сразу на лейбле Nuclear Blast, уже говорит о многом.
Power metal, который исполняют французы, отличается от материала стандартных европейских групп этого стиля техничностью и достаточной сложностью построения композиций. Качество записи хорошее - отчётливо слышно все инструменты. Особенно хочется отметить работу барабанщика, который играет очень разнообразно, не замыкаясь в рамках стиля power metal (что очень положительно отражается на всей структуре альбома). Вокалист поёт в достаточно своеобразной манере - это высокий power metal вокал, к которому необходимо немного привыкнуть; однако, голос его достаточно узнаваем и харизматичен, и, наконец, просто не вызывает отвращения, как это зачастую случается с «пищащими» вокалистами в современном европауэре.
Нельзя отрицать, что у группы есть своё собственное лицо, и музыка от Alkemyst узнаваема.

#777There are many rarities to behold in the rather unique metal environment that is France, one of them being a power metal band in the European mode of merit that isn't Heavenly or Nightmare. But this is precisely what Alkemyst is, a band cut from a fairly common grain that is actually fairly uncommon when all things are considered. The obvious mixture of anthem-laced chorus fanfare and German influenced speed metal riff work is plain to be seen for the lion's share of their musical offerings, but alongside it is a very strong dose of attitude and a slightly progressive edge that is generally not explored by most in this style..

The band has a lot going for it on their overlooked debut "Meeting In The Mist", not the least of which is the services of Secret Sphere front man Roberto Messina, who puts a slight bit of Italian sweetness on what is otherwise a fairly aggressive album for this style. His style is fairly reminiscent of the as of yet undiscovered Helloween tribute band Trick Or Treat's vocalist, invoking obvious comparisons to Michael Kiske, but with a slightly higher and airy timbre. In fact, out of what is largely a stripped down format of guitars, bass and drums, Messina's crooning tenor offers up something of an atmospheric foil to an otherwise rock hard backdrop.

Where this album really gets the job done is in the speed department, something that was somewhat cliche circa 2003, but has since become a bit rare given the heavy influence that Masterplan and a few others have had on the general scene. Even the serene, sappy ballad "A Meeting In The Mist" which has all the makings of an early 90s Fates Warning serenade with a vocal job similar to Ray Adler to boot, manages to sneak in over a minute of double bass driven majesty at its conclusion. But the general contents of the entire album is mostly a continuous deluge of catchy and high tempo goodness in the mold of pre-90s Helloween with maybe an occasional chunky breakdown.

For a band that is drawn from the European model, there is a very tempered approach to showmanship and songwriting that is often lost in the haze of Malmsteen enthusiasts who were burning up the fret board in who knows how many acts from 1997-2002. Riff monsters such as "Passage" and "Still Alive" present a speed infused rendering of early 80s metal mayhem, drawing from the same source that some of the lighter thrash bands were drawing from in the mid 80s, and are dressed up nicely with flashy yet tasteful lead guitar work reminiscent of the Hansen/Weikath glory days. Others such as "Up To Heaven's Gate" lean a bit more towards a lighter Malmsteen character, but still cook something fierce.

There's not really a whole lot to complain about here, save maybe a somewhat dry sounding drum production that is actually fairly similar to the popping character of Uli Kusch's kit on "The Time Of The Oath", but it only really sticks out whenever drums are by themselves. Otherwise, this is essential listening for anyone seeking a slightly heavier version of Gamma Ray, or to be more precise, an equally heavy answer to Helloween's recent efforts but with a vocalist more in the vain of their 80s repertoire. It largely avoids the epic/light characteristics of Heavenly and largely sounds like a straighter, more 80s oriented version of the style, so those who go for the somewhat nastier sound of Judas Priest infused acts like Iron Savior and Primal Fear might also want to check this out. It's versatile, yet it avoids becoming pretentious, and offers a somewhat less rigid take on a consistently predictable style.

Review written by hells_unicorn for www.metal-archives.com