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Alchemist (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Adam Agius live at Metal for the Brain, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Canberra, Australia |
| Genre(s) | Progressive metal Death metal Heavy metal |
| Years active | 1987-present |
| Label(s) | Relapse Chatterbox Shock Lethal Displeased |
| Associated acts |
Exceed |
| Website | www.alchemist.com |
| Members | |
| Adam Agius John Bray Rodney Holder Roy Torkington Nick Wall |
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| Former members | |
| Scott Chivers Andrew Meredith Murray Neill Nick Paddon-Row James Preece |
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Alchemist is a progressive metal band from Canberra, Australia. The band is one of the best known Australian heavy metal acts, renowned for their unique combination of death metal, progressive rock, psychedelic, Eastern and electronic influences.
Alchemist was formed in 1987 by Adam Agius (lead vocals/guitar) as a death metal act and released a demo that year entitled Eternal Wedlock. The band's style at the time was raw and undeveloped but began to evolve with the addition of new drummer Rodney Holder in 1989. The following year the line-up of Agius, Holder, Andrew Meredith (guitar) and James Preece (bass) recorded a second demo that showed the beginning of the band's experimentation with avant-garde arrangements and psychedelic influences inspired by the likes of Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa. Another demo was produced in 1991, with Preece having being replaced by ex-Exceed member, John Bray. Alchemist also performed at the first Metal for the Brain festival in Canberra, later going on to be the event's organisers and the only band to feature at every occasion. The track "Escapism" from the demo recording was featured the following year on the Roadrunner (Australia) compilation album Redrum that also included other rising local metal acts of the time including Sadistik Exekution, Allegiance and Shihad.
In 1992, Roy Torkington joined Alchemist in place of Meredith. By this time the demos had created enough interest for them to be approached by Dutch label Lethal, who released the first album Jar of Kingdom the next year. The album was recorded in Sydney and featured an eclectic mixture of death metal, grindcore and psychedelia. Two songs featured vocals from Michelle Klemke, a friend of Agius' mother. According to the notes accompanying the 2005 compilation album Embryonics, Agius lost his voice during the recording. The band was unsatisfied with the sound of the album and eventually re-mastered and re-released it in 1999. Alchemist was also dissatisfied with Lethal's handling of Jar of Kingdom and soon parted ways with them.
During 1994, Alchemist recorded a promotional tape to shop to record companies[1] and a version of the Venom song "Black Metal" for a Swedish tribute album called The Promoters of the Third World War: A Tribute to Venom; the track appears nowhere else and this album is now a highly sought-after item. The band also began work on its next album. Titled Lunasphere, it was released in 1995 by Melbourne label Shock Records through its subsidiary Thrust. Lunasphere showed a further development of Alchemist's unusual style, adding Eastern motifs and keyboards to its already diverse style. The track "Garden of Eroticism" was added to the Triple J compilation album This Is Twelve (ABC/EMI) in 1996 and both this song and "Yoni Kunda" remain live staples. The group supported the release of Lunasphere with a heavy touring schedule that included several shows with joint UK/Australian ambient act Deathless, a slot on the Sydney leg of the 1996 Big Day Out and a live-to-air appearance on the Triple J metal program Three Powers of Hour. Two songs from this session would later be included on Embryonics. Also during the year, pioneering Canberra death metal band Armoured Angel disbanded. The band's drummer Joel Green had been the organiser of the Metal for the Brain festival but as he was moving to live in London, he handed over the running of the festival to Holder, who with the rest of Alchemist was responsible for the event for the next decade.
Alchemist began recording Spiritech in late 1996. After enduring a problematic recording process, the band handed production over to D.W. Norton, the guitarist with Melbourne band Superheist and the part-owner of Back Beach Studios in Rye, Victoria. Spiritech introduced more electronic elements as well as tribal rhythms and heavy sampling into the band's oeuvre and opened with the sprawling nine-minute "Chinese Whispers" that remains a particular favorite for group and fans alike.
In 1999, the band's next project was an EP that featured as its title track a version of "Eve of the War", the opening piece from the 1978 production, Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. Josh Nixon from Canberra doom metal band, Pod People featured as a guest guitarist. The EP also included live versions of "Yoni Kunda" and "Chinese Whispers", an electronica remix of "Yoni Kunda" retitled as "Koni Yunda" and two Jar of Kingdom tracks, "Brumal: A View from Pluto" and "Worlds within Worlds." These last two were a precursor to the band's re-release of Jar of Kingdom the following year. This re-release included some new overdubs as the album's original master tapes were damaged, and included the 1991 demo in its entirety. This release completed their contractual obligation to Shock Records and Alchemist began to shop for a new local deal as well as international distribution. The group's albums had attained a heavy cult following in parts of Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, but they had not had European representation since their failed association with Lethal. In the meantime, Alchemist toured with Entombed and Pitchshifter.
Late in 1999, a new Alchemist track called "Austral Spectrum" appeared on a compilation of Australian metal called Under the Southern Cross and issued by Sydney label Chatterbox Records (with whom the band had just signed for Australian release). A slightly different version of the song then appeared on the Organasm album, again recorded with D.W. Norton in Rye and released in early 2000. To promote Organasm, Alchemist undertook a three-month Australian tour during autumn. Billed as "World War Three", the tour also featured Sydney thrash bands Cryogenic and Psi.Kore, both of whom had also just released CDs. Organasm featured a warmer sound and a focus on tighter songwriting with tracks embellished even more by duelling slide guitars, keyboards and samples. Dutch label, Displeased Records was offered European distribution of the album and Relapse Records handled the US release.
Following 2000's Metal for the Brain, Alchemist went off the road for more than a year to work on the next album. Austral Alien was mastered at Crystal Mastering and released by Chatterbox on May 12, 2003, immediately following a short run of Australian dates with Progressive death metal band, Opeth. This latest album saw a much mellower side to Alchemist, with highly polished production and a heavily electronic sound. Citing the influence of the rock band Midnight Oil, the lyrics of the semi-conceptual album focused on environmental issues affecting their country, specifically the impact of man on the ecology. At this point, Alchemist added a fifth member, Nick Wall, to provide samples during live shows. Several Austral Alien songs received some airplay on Triple J and late in the year the album was released worldwide by Relapse.
In late 2004, Alchemist embarked on their first tour outside of Australia. They appeared at the Power Prog Festival in the Netherlands in October alongside Strapping Young Lad, Katatonia and others before heading out on a tour with Cult of Luna and Textures.[2] Because of these commitments, Metal for the Brain was held off until February, 2005. In the same month Alchemist won their first Australian Heavy Metal Music Awards, with "First Contact" awarded Best Video Clip, and Agius awarded Best Keyboardist.[3]
A compilation album was announced in June, 2005, entitled Embryonics, which was released in late October. It covered material recorded between 1990 and 1998, including tracks from the first three albums, the 1998 EP release and demo songs. Bonus tracks included two of the songs recorded on the radio in 1996. The band also announced a companion DVD release due for 2006, however it is yet to be released.
After ten years of successfully organising Metal for the Brain, Alchemist laid the festival to rest, playing the final event on 4 November 2006.[4] Holder, now based in Brisbane, moved on to organise the 20-band Abducted Metal Horror Festival held in July, 2007. In May of that year Alchemist completed work on their next album Tripsis, which the band declared to be a return to the earlier sound of Lunasphere and Spiritech. It was released in Australia in September for Australia and in October for other areas, with a limited edition being produced on coloured vinyl and packaged in a gatefold sleeve. To coincide with the release of Tripsis, Alchemist headlined the European ProgPower event and played selected other dates.
''Jar of Kingdom''
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''Lunasphere''
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''Spiritech''
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''Organasm''
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''Austral Alien''
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''Tripsis''
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''Eternal Wedlock''
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''Demo '90''
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''Demo '91''
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''Promo 94''
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''Eve of the War''
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''Promo 99''
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''Jar of Kingdom Re-Release 99''
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Embryonics
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- Adam Agius − Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards (1987−Present)
- John Bray − Bass guitar, Keyboards (1991−Present)
- Rodney Holder − Drums (1988−Present)
- Roy Torkington − Guitar (1992−Present)
- Nick Wall − Live samples (2003−Present)
- Andrew Hall − Drums (1987−89)
- Andrew Meredith − Guitar (1990−92)
- James Preece − Bass guitar (1989−91)
- Scott Chivers - Bass guitar (1987−89)
- Murray Neill − Vocals (1987−88)
- Nick Paddon-Row − Drums (1987)
- Alchemist official Site
- Alchemist at Relapse Records
- Alchemist at MySpace
- Interview with Roy Torkington
- Interview at Saviours of Rock
- ^ http://www.alchemist.com.au/html/time94.htm
- ^ http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=9571
- ^ http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=12034
- ^ http://www.themetalforge.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=667 The Metal Forge interview, October 28, 2006
| Alchemist |
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| Adam Agius - John Bray - Rodney Holder - Roy Torkington - Nick Wall |
| Discography |
| Albums: Jar of Kingdom - Lunasphere - Spiritech - Eve of the War - Organasm - Austral Alien - Tripsis |
| Compilations: Jar of Kingdom Re-Release 99 - Embryonics |
| Demos: Eternal Wedlock - Demo '90 - Demo '91 - Promo 94 − Promo 99 |
| Music videos: "Road to Ubar" - "Eve of the War" - "First Contact" - "Solarburn" - "Alpha Capella Nova Vega" - "Wrapped in Guilt" |
| Related content |
| Articles: Australian heavy metal | Metal for the Brain |