Alchemist is an Italian old-school Thrash Metal band. Alchemist was established in 2019, accompanied by the release of two singles, a demo and an EP. On the 20th March 2025, The band released their independent debut full-length album entitled “Sacrifice.”
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Alchemist, Sacrifice Review: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins of Sacrifice
Let’s start by discussing the first three sins of Alchemist and their album, Sacrifice
The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Features guitar work that merges fierce riffs with technical accuracy and melodic nuances, creating a harmonious blend that often leads to elaborate solos and synchronized sections. The bass work is strong and rhythmically engaging, laying a firm groundwork. The Second Sin, The Vocals: Characterized by raw vocals, that occasionally evoke the style of Dave Mustaine, but with a rougher and rawer edge. The Third Sin—The Percussions: The drumming is lively and adaptable, propelling the tempo and intensity of the tracks. It features rapid double bass patterns, booming fills, and dynamic transitions.
The Fourth Sin: Overall Discussion:
Transcends traditional thrash, skilfully merging technical elements with an enchanting flair, while embracing dark themes.
The moment the listener hits the play button, they are greeted by the opening track, Sacrifice, along with the following seven songs, all resonating with the essence of classic thrash metal. However, Alchemist transcends traditional thrash, skilfully merging technical elements with an enchanting flair. Their album Sacrifice, which spans thirty minutes and features eight tracks, delves into the complexities of human emotions, societal issues, and the New World Order, offering a distinctive blend of intensity and profound insight.
Before delving deeper into the world of Alchemist, it’s worth noting a similarity to the band Jester Majesty. Both led by Alessandro Gargivolo, Jester Majesty presents a powerful blend of hypnotic and aggressive sounds, characterized by a grand and theatrical tone. Their music showcases technical thrash abilities combined with a melodically vintage vocal style that is seldom seen. The progressive aspects are particularly highlighted in the riffs, which draw heavily from thrash metal, incorporating synths and organs, all enriched by a striking atmospheric quality.
When you listen closely, you can clearly see the striking differences between Alchemist and Jester Majesty, resembling two opposing sides of the same coin. Alchemist draws you in with its rapid pace, formidable energy, fierce intensity, mysterious charm, complex technicality, and a noticeable absence of the dreamlike quality present in Jester Majesty. It’s important to highlight that Alchemist does not incorporate synthesizers or organs, presenting a straightforward and unapologetically raw form of thrash metal that is bold and confrontational.
In the complex fabric of Alchemist‘s music, the gritty, almost DIY production style serves as a shroud for each sound, imbuing it with a deliberate rawness and decay that, paradoxically, enriches the overall experience. This distinctive method results in a fruit of art that resonates deeply with the audience—a release where the understanding of dark themes is executed with precision. The outcome is a robust and intricately crafted composition that shines both instrumentally and musically. The guitarist, in particular, skilfully merges fierce riffs with technical accuracy and melodic nuances, creating a harmonious blend that often leads to elaborate solos and synchronized sections, ultimately amplifying the intricacy, depth, and intense energy of Sacrifice‘s tracks.
The bass work is strong and rhythmically engaging, laying a firm groundwork for the band’s overall sound. It ensures a unified and powerful rhythm section while skilfully complementing the guitars. The drumming is lively and adaptable, propelling the tempo and intensity of the tracks. It features rapid double bass patterns, booming fills, and dynamic transitions, all of which are vital to the thrash metal style. The vocals occasionally evoke the style of Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, infusing the music with a raw, passionate energy that conveys the band’s themes with a blend of aggression and emotion. This approach enhances the narrative quality of their music, making it both captivating and impactful.
Sacrifice is a potent and unrefined example of old-school thrash metal, showcasing their devilmanship prowess. This tight-knit group delivers a powerful performance, enhanced by the fruit of art composition and arrangement. Sacrifice has a gritty, heavy, and progressive sound, while also being technical and enigmatic. It’s essential listening for enthusiasts of classic thrash metal.
The album concludes with the final track, In a Natural Way. As the music fades into the darkness, we would like to give a shoutout to Alchemist for letting us review their album Sacrifice. Now, we are going to conclude the review by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.
The Last Three Sins
Let’s discuss the last three sins of Alchemist and their album, Sacrifice
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia:
For me, Alchemist and their album Sacrifice have provided me with not just intense music, but also a powerful and aggressive form of extreme metal. It seems to have emerged from the vibrant thrash metal scene of the 1980s. While Sacrifice captures the unrefined energy of classic thrash, reminiscent of bands like Megadeth but with an even grittier edge, and a few others to name. At the same time, what I also like to say, that Sacrifice weaves in experimental aspects in its instrumentation, adding depth and intricacy to the overall musical journey.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork:
The artwork has an old-school charm, and I’m guessing it has something to do with the lyrics and the dark theme of the music?
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish:
There is nothing to dislike in the musical offerings of Alchemist and their album Sacrifice. Thus, we conclude our review of Alchemist and their album Sacrifice. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your time in reading this article, and I encourage you to explore the work of Alchemist, as well as Jester Majesty.
Members
Alessandro Gargivolo: vocals, guitar
Michele Moglia: drums
Alessandro Rizzuti: bass
Leonardo Piermaria: drums
Track-Listing
01. Sacrifice
02. Nevermore?
03. Turning Upside Down
04. Deception Of…
05. The Alchemist
06. She sells… Death!
07. Butterfly Effect
08. In a Natural Way
