Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria: a lesson in resilience and rebirth – Benzine Magazine

We did not give much of the skin of our dear Kasabians after the dismissal of Tim Meighan. We were wrong: Serge Pizzorno is back with another magnificent record, which knows how to evolve towards greater depth without losing the essence of the band.

One of the things that struck us the most, each time we saw Kasabian on stage, even beyond the live impact of their hooligan anthems crossed with rave bombs, it was friendship that bound the singer Tim Meighan and the guitarist Serge Pizzorno : it was rare for a set to end without these two spending long minutes in each other’s arms, swearing a kind of eternal loyalty. The eviction of Meighan of the group, because of what was later confirmed domestic violence, incompatible with the values ​​of the group, struck us, the fans of a group that we place ten levels aboveOasis, their only real competitors in English Rock. That Pizzorno also decides to continue the adventure of Kasabian, a two-headed group now half decapitated, seemed unthinkable. And yet…

…we now have in our hands this The Alchemist’s Euphoria – with a heavily significant title, moreover -, 5 years after the enjoyable, but largely underestimated, For Crying Out Loud : Serge is alone in charge, and spreads in the press in long interviews, explaining how much the fact of singing himself ALL the songs he composes adds to them, in his opinion, a superior emotional force, which still allows ” transcend” the strength of the group. And the British critics go one better by asserting that The Alchemist’s Euphoria is the most energetic, the most powerful, the most “we don’t know what” of the group’s albums!

This is of course not true, and the swaggering song of Meighanwhich has always been unquestionably superior to that of Pizzornowe are sorely lacking on certain titles, those which are clearly destined to become gigantic celebrations in public (SCRITVRE, ALYGATYR). But once we have accepted the fact that it will be Serge, largely aided by electronics to help his limited voice deliver the expected spectacular performance, who will sing on all the tracks, it is impossible to deny that we is here in front of a new real album of Kasabian : that is to say, always this mixture that no one manages to copy of superb psychedelic pop songs – the heritage Beatlesless visible than before, but still founding – like the marvelous STRICTLY OLD SKOOLpowerful titles made for huge crowded rooms (CHEMICALS), and great moments of ecstatic trance – ALYGATYRtherefore, emblematic.

And like every new album by Kasabianit is sufficiently consistent with the precedents so that we immediately feel “at home”, and different enough so that Kasabian continues to be considered an innovative, constantly evolving group. And even if part of this evolution is forced – the treatment of the voice of Pizzornotherefore -, and logical – the only master on board, he obviously spent a lot of time in the studio looking for new sounds, refining the production of his songs -, she is indisputable proof that the group will survive from the start of Meighan.

Whether THE WALL is another great melody, which releases a superb melancholy, also marking the arrival of a certain maturity – Pizzorno has, for several years, been rid of cumbersome addictions – it is KILL (the ultraview effect)for us the most beautiful piece of The Alchemist’s Euphoriawhich best crystallizes what Kasabian paradoxically gained by surviving this ordeal: emotional depth. The sadness that slowly spreads over this soaring and evolving title, where Pizzorno perfectly combines a traditional pop composition with an electronic that is not flashy, before closing the title on a guitar solo to split the soul, would probably not have been on the program of the Kasabian of yesteryear. We’ve read reviews comparing the band to pink floyd of the great era, and it’s a nice compliment when you remember their first anthems for football stadiums.

Yes, we now understand the euphoria of the alchemist Pizzorno… He managed to survive the loss of his soul half, he successfully completed the journey from angst (ALCHEMIST : “ I was down for the count, needed healing – I was KO I needed to heal) to the acceptance of a rebirth, in all humility (LETTING GO, this minimal acoustic confession that closes the album). With the help of studio wizardry, but never giving up his ambitions as a classic songwriter, he once again transformed the lead of a “traditional” rock band, with all its vagaries, into the gold of new music, still relevant for 2022.

Eric Debarnot

Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
Label: Sony Music
Release date: August 12, 2022