We had an opportunity to preview Denver, Colorado based trio Chemist's debut album Reflect, which releases TOMORROW! We've included a track by track Advance Review. In short, if you love Alt-Rock, especially a little on the heavier side, (but still with some great melodic vocals) you're going to love this band. Check out our review below!
1. Intro - Guitars and drums building on what's to come. Solid way to open an album with this short intro.
2. Awaken - Intro bleeds right into "Awaken" which features some nice heavy rhythm guitars and high leads. Love the vocals in combination with the melody here. These guys know how to do a breakdown. Musically this track is so strong, also enjoy the guitar solo paired with the rhythm, not too over the top, just right.
3. Dissipate - Initially a slower track, that soon kicks the door in with nice heavy rhythms (loads of distortion/overdrive!). Getting a strong Tool vibe on this one, both vocally and musically on the verses and I absolutely love it. When the hook hits, this shifts to Chemist's sound which is a good thing, they know their sound and they rock it.

4. Jaded - Love the guitar melody in the beginning of this one, especially when paired with the vocal harmonies. Love that the vocals shift into a slight falsetto. This is shaping up to be a slower jam on the album and it's a nice change of pace.
5. Embark - A short change of pace track that is slower, runs about a minute long is a song to get you ready for the second-half of the album.
6. The Road - Leads right in from "Embark" and brings the grit! Absolutely love the drumming in this one, the speed and rhythm employed are reminiscent of Joey Jordinson in parts. Great melodic hooks in this, (this is one of Chemist's trademarks, they're so damn good at it). Love the use of pause in this song, it's perfectly implemented.
7. Reflect - Sliding bass lines to begin, with vocals and guitar soon joining in. Solid vocal harmonies and drumming throughout. Nice ebb and flow to this track before it breaks out beautifully with an intense hook with nice solos included. Simply put, loved this track, reminds me of classic Flaw or Stereomud (#deepcuts) but better.
8. Rabbit Hole - Great guitar play in this track. Love the vocal harmonies. Chemist concocts another fantastic hook here per the usual. The movements throughout the song were perfectly placed and kept the listener engaged, Chemist knows how to tie it all together.
Overall Thoughts - This album is a downright alt-rock achievement. I loved the high achieving choruses implemented in each track. Additionally, the album was musically so strong the guitar play from rhythm and lead was intricate and well done and the drumming was stellar. The only disappointing thing about this album was that there were only six songs of the 8 that were actually full-length songs, I want more! Great debut effort from these guys and I'm looking forward to what their future holds! If you like distorted guitars and great hooks, go check this album out now!
Rating 4.5/5