Meeting in the Mist

There 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.

Alkemyst's debut Meeting in the Mist was an album I checked out quite early in my "power metal journey" which was all the rage to me when I was around 17 years old. The band always struck me as a little weird, one because they were French (at the time I assumed it was either Finnish, Italian, Swedish, or German), and two because I was yet to hear Secret Sphere.

Now that second point might strike you as weird, but I've always felt Ramon Messina has had a love it or hate it voice. I've still yet to really put a finger on why, his accent isn't half as bad as some of his fellow countrymen, I guess his high range can get a little pink though. Which is especially bizarre considering he tends to sing with raunchier power metal bands. (I know, I know, Secret Sphere are hardly that bad-ass but come on, compared with their brethren).

Rambling aside, Alkemyst had some teeth on them, in fact they actually packed a lot of punch. Like a meat-head equivalent of Helloween. Alkemyst blended typical power metal stylings which were all too common by 2003 with some genuinely bad-ass riffage. Which is what made Alkemyst so cool (especially when compared to pre-Dust to Dust Heavenly).

In fact, I actually rate Meeting in the Mist quite highly, it hardly reinvented the wheel, but what it did is play European power metal exactly like it should be played. Instead of solely relying on double kicking, trem picking and flowery keyboards like the majority of the Italian and Finnish schools were doing, they took the good elements of their style and combined it with the balls out German speed metal of the early 90's. Take a look at "Up To Heaven's Gate" for example, that fucking riff man, pure speed metal brilliance.

The performances are great across the board, the drums are cool, lots of double kicking but some actual fills thrown across, and a good pair of balls. The guitar tone packs punch, as do the riffs, and the leads are always on the money. Keyboards are used as and when needed, never abused. Bass is perfectly servicable, but would have benefitted from a little flair. As for the vocals, its a matter of personal taste, but I will say he performs much better than with Secret Sphere.

I'd actually say this deserves pride in place among any power metal collection. It just does everything so well, with a healthy dosage of prog added for good measure. If you like European power metal you need this, and if you missed this because you thought it would be "gay" then maybe you should give it a shot? Recommended

French power metal. Now that's rare. Alkemyst are from eastern France, and this debut album litterally came out of nowhere. And, of course, I expected the most generic, redundant piece of power metal with generic tones and everything. After the 1 minute intro (well, it's power metal, I got used to those boring 1 minutes intros that just stay there), 'Still Alive' kicks off with a straight to-the-point, speedy and melodic riff. Now, riff wise, Alkemyst is good, but if you were looking at a music sheet or guitar tab, you'd probably sit there and wonder why they're so great, seing as the riffs aren't particularly great. What sets Alkemyst aside: production (guitar tones) and the vocalist. The guitar tone is crispy, heavy enough, slightly reminiscent of modern power metal bands like Hibria. After all, this is what really sets aside the good stuff (Hibria, Alkemyst, Dark Moor) from the pieces of garbage (Secret Sphere, Lanfear) or albums that have 1 amazing song and filler for the rest (Dreamaker, etc). The vocalist, Roberto, may sound like any power metal vocalist at first listen, but he actually grows on you after a few listens. The solos aren't particularly amazing, but the good speedy riffs make up for it. 'Passage' is definitely the highlight song here, and even though it follows a classic pattern and structure, you can't deny that this type of song is pretty much timeless. I expected the grand finale, 'Nameless Son' (divided into 2 parts, 1 being 35 seconds and the other being about 11 minutes), to be epic on-and-off filler to make the album longer, but it's actually pretty sweet. It reminds me of epic such as Metal Kingdom's lengthy epic on 'Metallic Tragedy'. So, all in all, this is very enjoyable, professionnal power metal, and definitely a big surprise. Recommended to fans of Hibria and the likes.

When I first learned that France-based Alkemyst was a progressive act, I was a tad nervous as I generally don't respond to that variety of music. However, after listening to even a small portion of "Meeting in the Mist," my anxiety was quickly forgotten. Alkemyst incorporates the best of progressive and the best of power/melodic metal really naturally. While the music is very technical, it contains enough symphonics, choirs, atmospheric components as well as a certain warmth and character, thus separating it from the genre of prog which makes me so cold. Time changes and clever and fluid; lyrics are-from what I can tell-great; melodies are original and catchy, yet do not have that obvious, in-your-face quality of a typical Power Metal band.

Besides praise-worthy compositions, Alkemyst also has a very talented line-up, consisting of: Arnaud Gorbaty (drums), Denis Mellion (bass), Séverin Bonneville (guitars) and Arnaud Ménard (guitars, backing vocals). After the departure of their singer, Alkemyst ventured to Italy to find a new singer, which proved to be a good avenue. They ended up with one-of-a-kind Ramon Messina (also of Italy's power-proggers Secret Sphere), who adds yet another unique dimension to the music. "Meeting in the Mist" is one of the strongest debuts I've heard-which is no wonder, considering that Alkemyst has existed, in one form or another, for about a decade. Thankfully, in March of 2003 they were signed by Nuclear Blast records-this band deservers good publicity!

The original recording of "Meeting in the Mist" took place in 2001-but leave it to the wonders of modern technology to screw them over. The hard drive had a nervous breakdown of sorts, erasing nearly everything...which of course forced Alkemyst to re-record everything in the summer of 2002. This second recording went off without issue, and was mastered by "Mixing God" Mikka Jussila at the infamous Finnvox Studio in Helsinki. Considering the disaster, the album doesn't sound rushed or anything, but there is something off about it that I don't like. This is the only complaint I have about the album, but it's big enough for me to mention. It reminds me a bit of the first Secret Sphere album (only more severe)-in that it sounds sort of cluttered and fuzzy. I don't know the technical stuff, so I can't be more articulate than that. Fortunately, the album's outstanding musical quality makes up for the almost disorientating production, but I think it has taken away from my enjoyment...There are some perks to the production, however-namely that of the percussion. Not only am I clueless about production, but I also am not a drum expert. However, there is something really unique bout them. Just as Viking Death Metal act Amon Amarth is partly distinguished by the drums, so is Alkemyst. I think they have been tuned higher, giving the bass drums for instance a very recognizable sound. I like the special treatment of the percussion, as they play an impressive an integral part of Alkemyst's music.

The album opens with a fantastic introductory symphonic instrumental, "Spells & Elixirs." Though it's fairly short, it made for an immediate favorite. It really fives the impression of building up to something... the rest of the album! It leads into the ripping "Still Alive," a song which paints a good picture of what the rest of the album will sound like. Even better is the ensuing "It's Tim," the demo of which was one of the pieces that survived the aforementioned hard drive crisis. As a footnote, the "It's Time" demo went on to win a competition from France's "Rock Hard" Magazine (which meant Alkemyst was featured on their sampler!). Anyway... this song, with a really cool chorus, goes through many transitions-you can guess this track is another of my most listened to. My next favorite is "Hold Onto Your Dreams," which has a beautifully delicate beginning. One thing I love about this song is that Alkemyst took a really clichéd idea/phrase and made a really original and enjoyable song out of it. The following "A Meeting in the Mist" slows the pace down a bit. This melancholy ballad is really powerful, and gave me the strongest emotional response. "Passage" and "Empty Skies" are also excellent, as is the two-part saga, "Nameless Son." I feel I also must mention the absurd ghost track, which draws another Secret Sphere parallel... if you've heard the latter's "Scent of Human Desire" album, you'll recall the ridiculous hidden track. I'm not sure if Alkemyst's beats theirs, but either way it's a hilarious tribute to the band's sense of humor.
Check it out if you're a power-proggy kinda Metalhead. ROCK!