ALBUM REVIEW: Alchemists – Degrees Of Truth
Aiming big pays off. With 1,700 monthly listeners on Spotify, DEGREES OF TRUTH are not in the upper echelons of the symphonic prog metal sphere. But like the best of the genre, they shoot for the stars on third record Alchemists, their first release as part of a multi-album deal with Scarlet Records. Like in the early days of NIGHTWISH, that confidence comes up against their limitations in ways that make for a charming listen, where imagination and possibility excuse some missteps.
So when Claudia Beltrame sings “hi, nice to meet you mate’“on the title track, its clunkiness is offset by the majesty of the song’s chorus. Beltrame’s delivery hits all the right notes, and genre fans will be receptive to how the song unfurls, balancing melody and riffs in ways that invoke something epic beyond their current means. Across all of Alchemists, the band do a lot with relatively little.
It helps that they know how to structure the heck out of a song, like on second single Over The Tide, which reveals itself with the elegance of a storybook. Here’s a gentle motif, here’s the metallic punch, now on to the climactic swell. On Wreckage Of A Lifetime, they change gear with grace, showcasing their multifaceted arsenal without ever showing off. Like EPICA, they have melded together technical prowess with tight songwriting, which is a skill they display over and over on Alchemists.
It’s also what makes the record such a triumph. There is no getting round that Alchemists isn’t exactly the biggest or best sounding record of the year; the guitars could do with more crunch, Beltrame could be better positioned within the mix. But them’s the brakes with a band still on their way up. There’s real drama to a song like Tiny Box Of Horrors, in the way it changes textures and switches pace; the band’s compositions are undeniable, and it’s that – rather than stellar production or extraneous gimmicks – that makes a band sink or swim. And on Misconnection, the record’s soaring ballad, they’re Michael Phelps.
Their brand of prog leans more DEVIN TOWNSEND than DREAM THEATER, especially on the final three tracks in all their technicolor glory. Sounding like something from the former’s Empath, these are big, bold, and bright songs, bringing together some instrumental noodling with wide-eyed euphoria. The intricate Thread Of Life has a unique jauntiness, while Bound To Rise is playfully twisty, before rounding things off with the title track which explodes with a blockbuster-like crescendo.
What makes DEGREES OF TRUTH particularly compelling is the state of the scene around them. Their more complacent peers are churning out same-again records, while the most successful are exploring new avenues, such as WITHIN TEMPTATION who have pivoted arena-conquering modern metal. There is space for the Italians to move into with their blend of symphonic metal, which feels carefully crafted and sincerely devoted to the genre’s selling points. They are up and coming, they sound hungry, and they might just be what symphonic metal has been looking for.
Rating: 8/10
Alchemists is set for release on June 23rd via Scarlet Records.
Like DEGREES OF TRUTH on Facebook.