Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
We’re gradually nearing the release of ‘The Grave Alchemist‘ from Asheville, N.C.’s blackened thrash trio All Hell. The album, which was recorded by Kris Hilbert (The Body) and mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust), will see worldwide release via Prosthetic Records on April 14th on CD, LP, and digital formats.
‘The Grave Alchemist‘ full-length is a twelve-track, narrative-driven, horror-based concept album that renders a tale of alchemy, necromancy, and vampirism over the span of three centuries. To provide preparation for its release, the band have debuted a video for “Laid To Unrest“, as well as a run of tour dates (see below).
“As ‘The Grave Alchemist’ is essentially an album in two parts, we felt that Side A (Side Solve) needed to end with what felt like an album closer, thus the nature of ‘Laid To Unrest’,” elaborates vocalist /guitarist Jacob Curwen. “Conceptually, this song represents the dissolution of the Alchemist; a temporary state of ‘death’ analogous to the ‘dark night of the soul,’ linked to the alchemical processes of Putrefactio and Fermentatio.
“The Alchemist is struck down for his crimes and buried alive as he utters the Words of his Return… The video takes cues from German Expressionists, particularly Wiene and Murnau, whose silent works, infused with dark and powerful symbolism, have now haunted viewers for nearly a century.”
Tracklist:
Grave Alchemy
Necrosophia
Wed The Night
Vampiric Lust
The Castle
Laid To Unrest
Memory Tomb
The Madness Out Of Time
The Thing In The Ground
Return Of The Reaper
Elixir
I Am The Mist
In related news, All Hell will soon be bringing their rage to the stage for a short run of live dates this spring with other, additional live incursions in the plotting stages.
April
27 – The Nick – Birmingham, AL (with New Masters Of Evil)
28 – 529 – Atlanta, GA (with New Masters Of Evil)
29 – Drkmttr – Nashville, TN
30 – The Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN
May
04 – Slim’s Downtown – Raleigh, NC
05 – Raw Ink Live – Gaithersburg, MD
06 – Century Bar – Philadelphia, PA
07 – Gallery 5 – Richmond, VA