Alkemyst is a French melodic speed metal band which exists since 1993. They're strongly influenced by metal legendary bands like Helloween, Blind Guardian or Accept. They've released two albums so far: "Meeting in the Mist", in 2003, and "Through Painful Lanes" in 2008. Born in the middle 90’s, in the middle of the French Alps, Alkemyst worked hard to improve and get their melodic speed metal tinged with progressive rock influences to maturity. After two demos noticed by professionnals in 1998 and 1999, the band eventually attracted labels and metalheads' attention with their first album, « Meeting in the Mist ». Alkemyst inked a deal with the german giant label Nuclear Blast, and through this unexpected exposure and worldwide distribution, the band rose from darkness and became known to a larger audience. The band has been composed of a steady and unchanged line-up since 2000: Séverin Bonneville & Arnaud Ménard have played the guitar since the beginning, together with Arnaud Gorbaty on the drums (also playing for a few months with Eternal flight) and Denis Mellion (bass and Chapman stick). The last man to be a part of the adventure, the singer Ramon Messina is also known for his vocal work with the talented Italian band Secret Sphere. Alkemyst’s music can be defined as melodic power metal, written and performed with the will to sound sophisticated as well as powerful and catchy. With « Meeting in the Mist », the band began to create their own musical universe. With their new album, « Through Painful Lanes », Alkemyst try to carry the experience further. As an outcome of a three-year labour period dedicated to a deep love of music-making mixed with a flawless will to achieve a real work of art, « Through Painful Lanes » offers a sincere, refined and personal work as well as respectful of major heavy metal influences, as shown by the cover of a Helloween hit, « Eagle Fly Free ». At last this way of working attracted the attention and trust from several labels worlwide. As a consequence, the album has been released in Japan and Asia by Spiritual Beast records, in North America by Nightmare Records, in Russia and Eastern Europe by Irond records. Produced by the band on their own, « Through Painful Lanes » enjoyed a luxurious mixing at the Taurus Studio in Geneva, Switzerland (Sybreed, Etna, Rated X …) and was mastered at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki, Finland, by Mika Jussila.
