Grand Alchemist
Disgusting Hedonism ()
Wydane przez LydfellaRok wydania Kraj NorwayNapisał Wouter7
Symfo black metal certainly was a promising subgenre when it first appeared, but has since lost much of its initial appeal and lustre. The genre peaked in 1997, but has since delivered little of note. In more recent years the subgenre seems to be flourishing again, yet far and few bands still go out of their way to try and sound truly evil, a trait supposedly unmissable in black metal. Grand Alchemist hail from Norway and were previously active under the moniker Morrheim, forming in 1998. After a decade long hiatus the band now deliver their first new album since 2002’s "Intervening Coma Celebration". They feature current Dodheimsgard drummer John Vooren, and it is therefore hardly surprising that Grand Alchemist opt for a more progressive take on the subgenre. "Disgusting Hedonism" is akin to Arcturus circa "Aspera Hiems Simfonia" and post-"Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk" era Emperor. So, when it comes right down to it Grand Alchemist is another of these pseudo-intelligent bands that strive to revolutionize their subgenre, yet seem to fall in exactly the same pitfalls as their more commercial and mainstream accepted brethren. Yeah, this is better than any recent output of Dimmu Borgir, Old Man’s Child or the solo masturbations of Emperor frontman Ihsahn - but stripped off the historical baggage, this is still the same boring old trick on which many of these bands are coasting off a decade now. The same old song and dance of borrowed ideas and would-be thrash - and could-be death metal riffs that bounce around aimlessly within clear pop-song structures with excessive layers of keyboards to exude the illusion that there’s more to this material than there is in actuality. Sure, Grand Alchemist at least attempts to do something different with this genre, but with the guidelines so clearly set in stone more than a decade ago, one has to wonder why they even bothered. Is "Disgusting Hedonism" better than any symfo black metal released in the last 5 years and more? Wholeheartedly. Is it actually giving new life to a desiccated subgenre? No, it isn’t.
www.myspace.com/grandalchemist
