Review by Jeger on March 10, 2026.

The paradox of beauty and savagery - oil in water - the two can occupy the same space, just never the same form. And so it is too with the art of Black Metal, as you will seldom find one without the other within this realm. Only bands like the dastardly Archgoat or the abominable Profanatica operate at a strictly brute level. But what of the passion? What of the sleepless nights and the tears? Black Metal holds a special place for these, and it's a place haunted by the likes of those who've harnessed the energy of suffering and who've mastered the way of melody: Sargeist, Mgła, Nachtmystium. Those who possess a deep understanding of pain and joy, of rage and serenity. A deeper understanding of what makes for a deeply personal, dual-faceted BM experience.

France's Alkhemia formed in 2021 and have thus far released one LP in their debut, "Abraxas", with a second, their sophomore effort, "Häxen", scheduled for a March 13 release through Non Serviam Records. "Häxen" is one of those records where you know instantly what you've gotten yourself into, and in this case, you've gotten into some greatness. There's an air of elegance to this album that gleams through the mix in various forms, from its crisp production quality down to the sharp tone of the guitars and the wet sound of the drums. The opening track, "Zeitgeist", displays every one of these attributes and they're set to fluid melodic sequences that propel with momentum to the drive of blast-beats and double-bass currents. Nuanced by hypnotic clean guitar riffs and contemplative spoken-word vocals.

"Häxen" is like new blonde chick in class hot… Just firing clean on every cylinder now as "Excressence" begins. Plowing through the opening seconds with Panzer-like force as racing tremolo riffs unfold to a myriad of high-energy rhythms. Blast-beats like artillery fire cracking off with machine-like precision beneath the atmosphere, which is pulsating with the collective energy of all phases. Building gradually into a blackened cacophony of controlled chaos.

Conceptually, "Häxen" is an exploration of Orwellian Dystopia - the decay of civilization as we know it. In this new reality, this neo-Dark Age, those who do not conform will be cast out and only the obedient shall prosper. Sound a little too familiar? The familiarity between theme and sound here are both remarkable. Most of us are well aware of our inglorious future ahead and we're most certainly familiar with the soundtrack: the melancholy and the dread to accompany the cursed coming of the dawn. Sorrow and brutality like the aforementioned contrast between beauty and savagery to behold during the entirety of "Stars And Frozen Faces" - the strange comfort of deeply sorrowful passages gives way to the enthrallment of a different, more aggressive type of energy as mammoth riffs and commanding rhythms ensue.

Fragments of what used to be, "Remnants" - a bewildering, downright maddening closing track that hits on progressive and conventional levels with loudspeaker type vocals and senses-scrambling harmonies. Impressive is the word… An elite presence on the French scene Alkhemia has become. And without a whole lot in the way of competition outside of Gorgon, Seth and Mutiilation, their rise should be an effortless one. Revolt! No honor in conformity… With "Häxen", Alkhemia enter into the realm of duality and into the sphere of collapse and own them both.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 31, 2022.

The brand new Protector album is a killer, that’s for sure, and maybe it is a good occasion to look back on the first official release of the once completely German formation. Certainly, one cannot compare “Misanthropy” with “Excessive Outburst of Depravity”, but one can put it in a row with other thrashing EPs from the eighties. “Misanthropy” has more compositional substance than Warrant’s “First Strike”, it sounds much more professional than Sodom’s “In the Sign of Evil” and it does not reveal rhythmic problems that made the closer on Destruction’s “Sentence of Death” to something, well, special. Of course, the EP lacks the charm of the imperfect which was Sodom’s greatest advantage in their early days. Anyway, “Misanthropy” makes its statement loud and clear.

Protector came with an EP under their arm that showed an amazing level of technical precision and compositional maturity. In particular the vicious riffing of “Holy Inquisition” illustrates that Protector realized the importance of diabolic catchiness very quickly. The band did not wallow in rumbling, typical Teutonic sounds. The Bay Area delivered the sonic frame, but Protector added a pretty somber touch. Thus, we have a lot of tempo changes, dynamic and variable drumming and we enjoy the expressiveness of the mostly homicidal guitars. Okay, every now and then a part is going nowhere, for example the high-velocity instrumental section of “Agoraphobia” and “Holocaust” plays the typical mediocre closer. But the good sections dominate, for example the chorus part of “The Mercenary” with its intensive double bass support.

Protector’s debut was the first release of the then new Atom H Records label. It was produced by the band itself. Given this situation, one might think that the sound sucks… totally wrong, dudes! The six tracks – let’s forget the irrelevant intro – boast with a clear, sharp and evil mix. Maybe the musicians benefited from their “isolation”. Wolfsburg is no part of the Ruhrpott region, where the German thrash movement made its first moves. Was this the reason why this EP sounds pretty autonomous? Protector could not be confused with Kreator, Tankard or Sodom. Probably Andy Classen loved them, because their approach was not far away from the one of Holy Moses. But it goes without saying that Martin Missy did not follow the style of Sabina. His voice does not sound like the totally individual one of a woman with larynx cancer, but like the typical one of an ordinary male thrash vocalist: raw, somewhat dangeous and fortunately not overly interested in harmonies. It does not matter. Missy delivers no crucial feature, but his performance is convincing. So let’s sum up. Maybe you want to listen to the omega (“Excessive Outburst…”) and the alpha (“Misanthropy”) of Protector? Guess there are many options to spend your time less good.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10