Release Date: July 11th 2025. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Ale’s Alchemist - Tracklisting
1.Ate's Alchemist
2.Martef
3.King Mustard II
4.Elephant Trunk
5.Henry
6.Cul De Sac
7.Tüdelüt
8.Sabress
Members
Guitar / Vocals - Nitzan Sheps
Drums - Philipp Vogt
Bass - Joshan Chaudhary
Review
The mighty Sheev return with Ate’s Alchemist which is a thought provoking expedition into the surroundings of Grunge, Doom, Sludge, Psych, Stoner and Prog Metal with the band conjuring complex technical melodies akin to bands such as GOJIRA and MASTODON.
Throw this against the lyrical brilliance of Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and a whole load of gnarly NOLA vibes for a record that is refreshingly different and eerily similar at the same time. That’s a great mix to have for your sophomore record which will no doubt put Sheev on a bigger footing within the underground scene especially when they have the power of RIPPLE MUSIC behind them.
The album is quite dark and brutally honest with its creative outlook which allows Sheev to draw upon quite an emotional vibe throughout the whole record. The music is catchy, aggressive and superbly melodic with the band all trying to outdo each other with spectacular melodies and technical beats of their own making. This makes Ate’s Alchemist a deeply engrossing and forward thinking affair.
The opening track is an instrumental number lasting under ninety seconds which sets the highly atmospheric scene for Sheev to confuse and delight listeners with.
Sheev follow an epic style of GOJIRA and MASTODON based Progressive madness within the excellent second track of Martef where they splice GRUNGE movements into the mix that adds a level of grounded reality to the record. The vocals are brash and highly confident but show a softer side when the time calls for this. The music is where Sheev impresses the most by adding a Post-Metallic and NOLA flavour to the album. There is a subtle sense of TYPE O NEGATIVE inspired Gloomy melodies coming into play in the final moments of the song.
Third song King Mustard II is where Sheev goes full on Grunge which harks back to the likes of Soundgarden and Alice In Chains with the Progressive Sludge attitude appearing. The Psychedelic landscapes are another highlight which becomes more dominant as time passes by. Sheev plays a thuggish “STOP/START” blast of tech metal at times when the whole atmosphere becomes wholly emotional and brilliantly melodic which is some of the best instrumental moments of the whole record.
Fourth track Elephant Trunk starts with a Jazzy opening which is most definitely inspired by the likes of OPETH or ANIMAL AS LEADERS. I wasn’t completely sold at first with this style of music but it works well with the sudden shift into Sludge Rock and Seventies Prog Rock which gives Sheev an unexpected quality at times. Though, not everything works well as it should with Sheev overloading the song with too many sudden shifts in melody and tone. However, the song pulls everything round in the second half when it settles down for a straightforward and riff-centric journey and all is forgiven. The vocals are absolutely first rate with some great lyrics to match as well.
The second half of Ate’s Alchemist allows Sheev to experiment and delve further into the world of Prog Metal with SONIC precision which allows areas of Hard Rock to take a more committed presence. The subtle shifts to Grunge and Progressive Stoner melodies is where the most exciting and heaviest moments appear with first rate lyrics selling the whole thing. Sheev demonstrates a lot of epic world building within the second half of the album with intense Psychedelic grooves and bombastic vocals that allows this album to become quite an unmissable audio experience especially on the standout tracks of Henry, Cul De Sac and Sabress.
This is a record you need time with to fully understand and appreciate but Sheev does play a lot of amazing music to lose yourself with. The end result is a highly captivating and original slice of Progressive Stoner Metal that allows Ate’s Alchemist to stake a claim as one of the best and most unique Stoner Metal records of the year.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
Ate’s Alchemist is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from Ripple Music.
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