”Alchemists” is the highly anticipated third album from modern Symphonic / Progressive Metal Italian band DEGREES OF TRUTH. The new CD introduces us to Degrees Of Truth’s incredible new vocalist Claudia Beltrame who adds more than just a sprinkling of stardust to the mix.
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.
“Alchemists” is chock-full of catchy melodies, symphonic orchestrations and superb guitar riffs which are more than complimented by the pure rock, delicate chants and melodious vocals of Beltrame.
Imperfect Concoction is anything but, the album opener with its purely instrumental soundtrack and symphonic arrangement slowly builds up the anticipation and expectation of what is to come with its rich indulgent depth in sound.
Exploding with a big production, Godless Symphony delivers exactly what fans of this genre expect. Huge sound, killer riffs and well-placed symphonics. The musical delivery is totally spot on, and the vocals are completely divine.
Over the Tide is a little more Progressive in its nature, without drifting too far away from its Symphonic roots. There is a little more electronic input to this track, which further enhances another lovely orchestral arrangement as well as a very dreamy guitar solo.
Darker and heavier song Flightmare gives Beltrame the chance to give her vocals a good work out and wow, she most certainly does! This is a powerful, jaw-dropping performance that is sure to attract some attention and deserved praise.
Wreckage of a Lifetime is a much faster and more modern metal sounding tune with a nice symphonic undercurrent flowing sweetly throughout. This is a great indication of how the genres are constantly changing and fusing different sounds to create something new and exciting.
There is a traditional folk feel to Misconnection with its almost Celtic and angelic chanting vocals. The vocals take precedence over the minimal use of instruments during the opening verses before building up to a thrilling climax.
Tiny Box of Horrors begins softly with the sounds of an innocent child’s nursery toy’s before bursting into a full-blown dark and gothic tune. This is Degrees Of Truth at full-flow and at their very best.
Thread of Life is a completely different type of track to all that has gone before. It is a very progressive, laced with futuristic melody and lots of electronics, which form the core of something surprising and totally unexpected. The proper old school opening to Bound to Rise again leads into another much softer tune that got echoes of the 70s Prog.
The album closes with title track Alchemists, which serves to combine all the different musical threads together into a wonderful cocktail for your listening pleasure. It’s a fantastic and tight band performance where everything just comes together neatly to bring another fabulous musical journey to a finish.
”Alchemists” is a very good album where Degrees Of Truth have delivered on every level and even managed to throw in a couple of tracks that takes you completely by surprise, so hats off to them.
Highly Recommended
1. Imperfect Concoction
2. Godless Symphony
3. Over The Tide (featuring Khaled Abbas)
4. Flightmare
5. Wreckage Of A Lifetime
6. Misconnection
7. Tiny Box Of Horrors
8. Thread Of Life
9. Bound To Rise (featuring Richard Henshall/Haken)
10. Alchemists
Degrees of Truth – Alchemists 2023, MP3+FLAC
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