By Jonny Bakes
Perhaps it was just the fact that sitting in the sun for my review writing had got me over-excited, but this album is one of those rarities that really hooked me from the first listen. But then it seems that Johan Kihlberg has set himself up what can only be described as a supergroup for this latest work to come out under the Impera brand. With names like John Levén (Europe) and Snowy Shaw (ex-Sabaton) dominating the line-up, it’s of little surprise that we’re dealing with some serious music with a pedigree like this!
Now, perhaps like me, you find yourself asking “who is Johan Kihlberg?” This Stockholm-born drummer has been in the music industry for the best part of 30 years in which time he has worked alongside some of the greatest talents in the industry such as Thin Lizzy, Europe, Motley Crüe and Rainbow! Then in 2011, he turned his hand to creating what is now known as Jonah Kihlberg’s Impera to put his own brand out there in the industry. After five albums, including a soundtrack to the mini-film Rage, it’s time to take things away from the more atmospheric style and into something a bit heavier that is rich with those influences from over his career. The resulting gem to come out of this is this monster I’ve been listening to on repeat since I picked it up – ‘The Spirit of Alchemy’.
One thing that I find interesting, is that the whole album seems to be masterminded by Jonah Kihlberg, who then gathers a cast of musicians to play the resulting music, which is something that really pays off. I suppose it’s somewhat akin to the relationship between Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, but in this instance, Johan Kihlberg makes it clear that Impera is his baby, and it’s a baby to be proud of for sure! The composition is something that could be broadly boxed into that “classic metal’ sound and it really does show influence from those massive bands in the 70s and 80s, in particular I think there’s a healthy dose of Motley Crüe throughout the album. ‘Spirit of Alchemy’ is an incredibly energetic record though and is something that will be accessible to absolutely scores of people, many of whom will have never come across JK’s Impera before!
Normally I’d go through and pick out just a couple of tracks to give a feel for the album, but it’s so hard to narrow it down! Instead, I’ll go for one of the leading singles from the album instead, that way you can go ahead and listen to it straight away to see if it gets you as excited as I did. ‘Lost Your Life to Rock n Roll’ is the one I’m going to go with as it’s a seriously raucous balls out rocky number with an incredibly catchy riff. Jonny Lindkvist (Nocturnal Rites) picks up vocal duty and absolutely belts out these coating vocals that bring a serious power metal vibe to them; which is perfect for this track (and every other track on this album).
I think there also needs to be a notable mention for the album closing track too, the instrumental piece ‘Battles’. To me this sounded so similar to Vince DiCola’s ‘Training Montage’ from Rocky that I had to immediately go back and listen to it again to make sure that I wasn’t mis-hearing things. But, no, I was right the first time! Admittedly, it starts out sounding like something completely different, but when the track gets into full swing, it has that combination of synth horns and a rolling rhythm that could easily find its way into the next Rocky film which I guess would be, what, Creed 3 now?
Anyway, I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I really enjoyed this album. By straying away from his comfort zone into the realms of the slightly heavier, Johan Kihlberg has played an absolute blinder! ‘Spirit of Alchemy’ is a fantastic energetic album that I think will have almost universal appeal thanks to its connection and influence from bands that are generally accepted to be the pillars of our music scene to this day. The all-star cast of musicians takes Kihlberg’s creation and breathes life into it with such passion and fire that it’s hard to tear yourself away, and this is exactly what I want from an album. If you didn’t know who Johan Kihlberg was before you listened to this album, you sure as hell will not forget his name in a hurry!
I’ll be grabbing myself a copy of this when it comes out tomorrow, and I’d strongly suggest that you give it a listen and consider doing the same; all in all, a solid album well worth checking out!
- ‘Spirit of Alchemy’ is released tomorrow (Friday 9 April). You can get your copy HERE.
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