Kasabian share brooding anthem ‘The Wall’
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Kasabian look forward on the futuristic new album ‘The Alchemist’s Euphoria’
Kasabian - 'The Alchemist's Euphoria'
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The Alchemist’s Euphoria represents a clean slate for Kasabian as they move on from the departure of former singer Tom Meighan, who pled guilty to attacking his partner Vikki Ager. Admittedly, the band’s future was insignificant compared to the crime committed by Meighan, but their seventh album is the sound of a band rejuvenated and liberated.
Many suspected Kasabian would call it a day with Serge Pizzorno having already gone solo in 2019 with The S.L.P. However, they weren’t prepared to have two decades of work be defined by Meighan’s domestic violence, and Serge stepped up to the mantle to become the group’s singer. Pizzorno has always been the chief songwriter and producer of Kasabian; therefore, it made perfect sense for the brains of the operation to become the face too.
After seeing one of Pizzorno’s first concerts as frontman last year, it was clear that he had taken the responsibility of leading the group seriously, and they were in safe hands. Yet, delivering in the live arena and translating that energy into an album are two different propositions, but Serge has risen to the task.
The Alchemist’s Euphoria has a loose theme of space, allowing Kasabian to step outside their traditional realm and revel in all things extraterrestrial without morphing into Muse for Madri drinkers. The Leicester natives have always been experimental, despite being billed as ‘lad-rock’, which was perhaps largely down to Meighan’s stage presence rather than their records, but, on their new album, they push things further than before.
‘Alchemist’ gets the record off to an atmospheric start before the ballad bursts into life, and the energy levels are then ramped up further on ‘Scriptvre’. Pizzorno keeps listeners on their toes throughout the record, full of head-turning moments. Still, there are also plenty of moments that are reminiscent of classic boisterous Kasabian anthems.
‘Rocket Fuel’ and ‘Aligatyr’ are dancefloor anthems which will cause mayhem to descend at live shows. This type of track is Pizzorno’s bread and butter, but it’s when he steps into new territory that the most remarkable results are mined, such as the tender ‘The Wall’, that finds him pine: “Why’d you do it, why’d you have to lose control? Well, I blame it on my heroes, Said a lot of things I know I will regret, Well, that’s the point of getting old, I’m sat in the departure lounge, Just waiting for the check”.
‘The Wall’ is the backbone of The Alchemist’s Euphoria and epitomises the record’s theme, which, in general, is Pizzorno’s search for answers. ‘Star Gazer’ sees Kasabian show off their 1990s rave influences; meanwhile, the intriguing ‘Tuve’ has an element of prog to it.
‘Chemicals’ is another rock meets rave party anthem, which offers a message of hope as Pizzorno sings: “We can make it if you like, Let the day turn into night and just hold on”. After the wild, adventurous journey into otherworldly territory, Kasabian strip things down on the acoustic album closer, ‘Letting Go’, precisely what the four-piece had to do to make The Alchemist’s Euphoria.
Although Pizzorno becoming the focal point of Kasabian was circumstantial, it breathed new life into the group that had become stale and easy to guess. Conversely, The Alchemist’s Euphoria is full of surprises, emotionally raw, and also full of numbers that will make you want to dance on the moon.
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