ALCHYMIST RELEASE LONG-AWAITED ALBUM ‘VISIONS’ SPANNING A PLETHORA OF PSY AND TRANCE SOUNDS – OUT THIS MARCH ONLY VIA ALTEZA RECORDS!
Alchymist are known for their revolutionary take on trance and psychedelic sounds, that has kept their unparallel standards unchallenged with greatness. The Swiss-American duo have been teasing a steady string of releases, exciting fans with the energetic and atmospheric crumbs of what we now know to be their latest release, an 8-track album ‘Visions’ on Alteza Records!
From tracks such as ‘Eros’ delivering as passionate as the god it was named after, over to ‘One With You’ that took galloping beats and sensual elements to new horizons, these were just the tip of the iceberg on what was next to come. Opening with the title track ‘Visions’, it acts as an introductory call-to-arms with a defining otherworldly spoken word section, that brings us into the pairings story all whilst standing tall above cinematic keys and silver screen-worthy drums. From the orchestral to kicking the pedal to the metal, it then mutates into a hyperactive wiggling slice of trance euphoria.
‘Rudra’ featuring Staccato, next up, takes a similar route, albeit with a grandiose entrance, it delivers as almost Medieval in style, nodding to classic percussion – but not for long. Pummelling and glitching melodies push us forward before boomeranging us back to the present, string sections that have been hyper-moulded into a modern style demanding attention. Bringing things back to a solo cut from the album, ‘Echoes’ intersplices breathy vocal tones and simmering cymbals that confer with ripples of boisterous, building trance-led melodies that almost take on an influence of trance. Pushing up the tempo of BPM’s, that blend with pressurised kick-drums and a femme fatale toplines that transpires “I can hear your voice”, it’s a rip-roaring release that stands out as one of the strongest on the LP. ‘The Rave’ follows in similar suit, first teasing us with ASMR-style water drops before steamrolling into a fast, psy-leaning trance anthem that, with a spoken word vocal take, adds drama and depth.
Cedric Joel steps up to collaborate with the pairing on ‘Embers’, bringing in classic rave-style bleeps and sourcing production effects that step up the game, taking nods to classic rave with high levels and a rocky, raw vocal. Stepping away from stereotypical soaring takes, Cedric adds a further-reaching emotive level that peers and fans alike will fall in love with.
Finishing on a blinder of a track, ‘Runes’ with P.R.O.G featuring Maris Bergrune brings a finale worthy of their Midas Touch. A six-minute journey that encapsulates the highs of the genre- interweaving barely-there vocals, jump-up sound bites and a thrilling acceleration, a chopped up vocal pattern throughout takes the listener to new heights, jittering with an excitement not felt in the genre for a while, as fresh as the guys have delivered here. With snippets of strings once again, animal noise cuts and instrumental inclusions that sound original and high-octane, by nodding to classical styles merged with the modern, Alchymist and Alteza have ripped up the rule book in spectacular fashion.
‘Visions’ from Alchymist will be released this March 3rd, only via Alteza Records!
