Alchemy

First I'd like to mention, this album was actually released as a 20th Anniversary limited edition vinyl back in late 2014, which I had already purchased before their "20 Years of the Best" compilation came out. That particular version was missing the last two tracks on this album (SFTG explained to me via YouTube comment that the tracks were omitted in order to ensure better sound quality on vinyl.) But anyway, onto the actual review. This album (their eleventh proper) is probably my favorite effort from them since 2010's The Maze. On Alchemy SFTG are embracing the sounds of the past, using a lot of vintage synthesizers that resemble the ones they used on Kin (in fact I believe they are the same ones but citation needed). They seem to be mixing their old sounds with their newer ones, while their are songs like the saxophone-featuring "Cradle", the dub-influenced "Forward Charge" and the smooth, melodic "Blink Of An Eye", there are also a handful of darker tracks akin to their newer work, such as the dissonant "Sharpline" and the spooky "Tumbla". Overall though, this is one of their best in a long time, my personal favorite tracks are "Cradle" and "Doves". A must listen for any returning SFTG fan.