A Massive Record from Gods.
An album release from Gods. delivers an insanely addictive soundscape that breaks down barriers between genres by bringing elements of indie rock, math rock, grunge, and so much more, all rolled up into one fat record that has such an electric energy that it feels as if the whole thing was recorded live on the floor.
The Alchemy album is a soiree of colorful but edgy guitar work and thriving drums that create atmospheres that feel alive and breathing right from the get-go and all the way through to the end of the album.
As the record unfolds, you start to get a grasp on how this is a hammer-on, finger-tapping soiree of textures and notes, tonalities, and approaches.
You also get the idea that these two are having an absolute blast doing exactly what they're doing, and I've created a record that is built with fewer boundaries than you may be used to.
Some of these songs are absolutely explosive while others float and invite you to drift alongside their dream-like aesthetics.
The record wastes absolutely no time with the first track called "Up In The Air" which is a damn near perfect introduction to what you might expect from a lot of the rest of the record because this album has a staple sound to it.
Having said that, there are surprises around the corners, beautiful tones, and brilliant structure behind a lot of these songs, and to really soak in everything that it is, you should be listening to it in its entirety.
Yes, listening to a few tracks will give you a grasp of what you might expect, but it won't give you the full spectrum of what the full album has to offer as a whole.
That is important. This is like an escape. It pulls you away from what you're doing and puts you in this whole other world for a good chunk of time, which to me is a gift.
I can't express enough how imperative the guitar work is on this record. The guitars are absolutely astounding, full of brilliant technique but with a liveliness to them that puts you in the moment.
What really blows my mind is the fact that certain songs can suddenly explode into a heavier tone but still keep that mathy and progressive feel at the same time.
"Lucid Dream" is one of my favorite tracks on the record and does exactly this. It comes in smooth and flowing. Then explodes into a heavier feel, and this is an awesome approach because it brings up the intensity levels.
This is also something the record has fluctuations with. The intensities come in waves, and throughout the record, you kind of flow along with them.
Other tracks like 'Instinct" are just mind-blowing from the start with crazy riffs and immense drumming.
This is ever so slightly outside the box. The arrangements are wonderful and keep you on your toes to an extent. You never know exactly what's going to happen next, but you know you going to like it.
I also love the fact that this is a record where you hear certain things happen, and you know those kinds of things will happen again, so you wait for them.
This is part of what I mean by keeping you on your toes.
There are a bunch of different parts throughout the record you find yourself falling in love with, and you know they're going to perform or do something similar again. You know that particular sound is going to come back at some point, so you wait for that. Then, when it happens, you feel satiated.
Another track on the record called "Azalea" has horns and keys, all kinds of added textures that flow in and out of the song, giving it extra color and vivaciousness.
This track closes out the record, too.
There's always something refreshing with almost every track on this release.
Again, the energy levels are a huge part of why this comes through with so much power. It does feel like you're right there in the moment and that it was recorded in a live setting to an extent, with maybe overdubs afterward.
For a whole album performed by two people, it's huge.
You can feel how they jive with each other's energies throughout the record.
It's also crazy how the drumming fits so perfectly with how the guitar work comes through. It's just as rambunctious, intricate, and alive as the guitars are.
The whole project is just outstanding and really pushes the envelope in different ways, and is something you should be listening to right now.
And again, try and do this whole record. One or two songs is always fun but if you listen to the full album, which is about 35 minutes long by the way, you'll have to snap yourself back out of it.
It's a great escape, and it's super fun.
Guitar players and drummers, stop reading this right now and immediately go listen.
It'll blow all of your minds.
So, check this record out and see what it does for you.
