Lady Beast
The Inner Alchemist
While its been five long years since their last full-length - but only a year after DYING VICTIMS stepped in to reissue on vinyl their second album, 2015s pivotal Lady Beast II - LADY BEAST suitably explode from the gates with palpitating urgency on The Inner Alchemist. Mind you, the band arent necessarily trying to break any speed limits here on LP#5, but rather, its the power, poise, and all-out swagger they exude on The Inner Alchemist which instills the sensation that LADY BEAST have only been away mere minutes. Thankfully, little has changed in their sturdy aesthetic - authentically 80s-entrenched HEAVY METAL that struts and gallops with equal aplomb, buttressed by instantly-hummable riffs and a palpable atmosphere of swords & sorcery - but if theres one main distinction, its that the production on The Inner Alchemist highlights their heaviness, giving crunch when proceedings go locomotive and majesty when those proceedings go harmonic. As always, Levines passionate & powerful vocals are as engaging as ever: emotive and narrative in equal measure, still standing tall atop the keep-it-true pack.