Review: “The Alchemist” by Wounded Not Dead

Calling themselves a Space Death Fusion trio hailing from London, Wounded Not Dead are an intriguing prospect of a project that began life in 2014 when members of Inner Rage, Inebrious Incarnate and Wacko joined forces. Together they created a blueprint for what would eventually become their debut album “The Battles of Horus of Edfu” which saw release in 2017 and finds them crossing territories of Death Metal, Psychedelic-Progressive Rock and Jazz Fusion which is often shorted to simply Progressive Death Metal. The first single from that album “Battles in the North Land of Denderah” actually appeared in the long running Terrorizer Magazine “Fear Candy” series a year prior the album did. Guitarist vocalist Thiago Carvalho, drummer Adriano Ferraro and bassist keyboardist Rimon Jaoude have since kept the fires burning for six long years, working with Wynter Prior (Countless Skies, Hand Of Kalliach, After Smoke Clears) at Sphynx Studios to recorded, mixed and mastered the follow up “The Alchemist” which was originally scheduled for 2021. Now, after a holy trinity of music videos for “The Obstacle is the Way“, “Register of Embodiments” and “The Great Illusion” the band are ready to unleash the beast…

The bludgeoning begins with “The Great Illusion” with which the trio prove that you don’t need a second guitar to make a riotous rhythmic racket, driving down the darkness with a surprisingly Groove laden assault on the senses. Clever time signature changes and staccato riff break moments all delivered at the tempo of the damned keep the flow tight over the near six minute duration, the quirky solo sounding like the squeal of an alien tongue which plays neatly into the hands of the “Space Death Fusion” subtitle. Vicious barks escape the throat of Carvalho as “Register of Embodiments” hits like a concrete slab to the skull, the neck snapping rhythmic battery having riffs that stealthily approach the Technical side of the Death Metal genre on the night side. Again the solo is quirky while the odd time signatures will keep you on your toes if you dare enter the mosh pit to this beast, the 90’s Death Metal influences having Hardcore bounce to them. Pounding a the prison walls like a convict looking for an emergency exit “The Infinite All” keeps the towering inferno raging with a real verve and swagger as the band translate their confidence in their song writing abilities into furious energy. It has to be said the mix on this one has been nailed, the bass bleed out underneath the solo giving something fresh to appreciate over multiple listens. A couple of Traditional Heavy Metal riff moments blended into the bludgeoning Death Metal of  “The Obstacle is the Way” make for a nice twist in the tale. the vocals add a real Latin American feel to the style of the track as it cuts from another angle to create the same result; a satisfying brain haemorrhage for the would be listener.

After the blunt force trauma of the first half of the record “Lost Realm” finds Carvalho sounding like “Chaos A.D.” era Max Cavalera with a distinctive change in the vocal style. Sonically, there are a couple of real 90’s Earache Records styled Death Metal riffs that are the absolute Chef’s Kiss, an unexpected pleasure from calloused hands which do nothing but break strings on a regular basis. A couple of ethereal moments add a kind of Idol Worship quality to the soundscape as well, which give fleeting respite from the pounding rhythms. Riding the groove of Jaoude’s bass line “Empty Shell” is another Molotov Cocktail of a track, loaded with geometrically shaped skull crushing rhythms that need a Psychologist and Mathematician to solve. Across multiple listens hints of “Master Of Puppets” era Metallica influenced moments surface from the riffage, although they may go unnoticed with the the sheer power of this turbulent Death Metal hailstorm. A violent reaction to their surroundings it slaps with the pure white hot fury of a woman scorned. The ethereal melodies of instrumental “The Omega Point – Part 1” are pure cinematic science fiction, a piece of epic glory in its own right created with the help of Misstiq. She embellishes “The Omega Point – Part 2” as well, providing synth moments that bejewel the thunderous percussive battery with moments of blinding bright white light. Together the pair of cuts are a magnum opus, a spellbinding space odyssey of pure unadulterated evil before the short, sharp shock of “The Driving Force” brings the curtain down. This has the band challenging each other to play as hard and as fast as they possibly can while keeping up the levels of sheer brutality as they pound the skull like a prize fighter one last time. It may have been a long time coming but good things come to those who wait… [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The Great Illusion
2. Register of Embodiments
3. The Infinite All
4. The Obstacle is the Way
5. Lost Realm
6. Empty Shell
7. The Omega Point – Part 1 (feat. Misstiq of Earth Caller)
8. The Omega Point – Part 2 (feat. Misstiq of Earth Caller)
9. The Driving Force

“The Alchemist” by Wounded Not Dead is out 10th May via LA Riot Survivor Records