I remember hearing the debut from these Danish noise-mongers what seems like a millions years ago. And to be brutally honest, that’s all I remember. I can’t recall a note from the actual record. Lots of things have happened since then, including a pandemic, a war and mass environmental chaos. Would 2024’s version of ALKYMIST be a bit more memorable?
I think so. UnnDerr is a dark, heaving mass of foreboding heaviness that comes across as very direct and “simple” but which has some hidden depths to it. It certainly isn’t standard doom or death metal, yet I think it will appeal to followers of both genres and beyond. Speed isn’t a factor here…the band favor an oozing kind of mid-tempo crush. You can hear deep toned synth in every cut, but it never does more than add an extra layer of fuzziness, like moss on granite. The vocals are horror movie stuff…not death growls, but more like slinking mutters and dark Gothic grumbles. If you wanted comparisons, the best I can do is that ALKYMIST is a cross between UFOMAMMUT and RAMMSTEIN. Don’t let mention of the latter band freak you out…there’s no shiny synth or danceable beats. But there is something about the vocal approach and plodding thump that subconsciously brings the Germans to mind.
Fave songs here would be the ferociously massive ‘The Scent’, the almost ten minute trip of the title track with acidic guitar and vaguely industrial sounds and the churning rifferama of ‘My Sick Part’. I get the impression ALKYMIST could be even more experimental and industrial if they wanted, but decided to keep things simple on UnnDerr. I endorse this record’s refusal to fit into any neat little box.
Review By: Dr. Abner Mality
ALKYMIST
UnnDerr
Indisciplinarian Records