Hutch loves a one man band, nothing like being able to play the guitar, a bass drum, finger cymbals and nose flute at the same time to ‘Sweet Home Alabama’…. oh wait a minute…..

Heard of Alchemy of Flesh? Me neither. A one-man solo project by multi-instrumentalist Tim Rowlands, By Will Alone is the second release under the moniker. Nine tracks spanning just short of 40-minutes, and a follow up to the 2021 release Ageless Abominations. A quick look on the Metal Archives tells you that Rowlands is a busy man, with a list of bands as long as your arm against his name. 

The fact that you may have heard of none of them is almost irrelevant. This is man and musician who clearly thrives on making music, and with Alchemy of Flesh, he favours the old school death metal style above all others. Now, I’m not aware if the drums are programmed or not, one might suggest they are, but regardless, what he delivers is impressive stuff for a single artist. 

It’s highly unlikely that this album will create much of a wave, but if you like your grinding, riff heavy death metal served hard and aggressive, then By Will Alone is likely to float your boat. Sure, there’s little here which will make you double take, but the death metal that Alchemy of Flesh does deliver ticks quite a few boxes. 

In many ways, it’s a standard death metal release. There aren’t many nuances to it, it matches the usual blueprint and with its slightly unorthodox time signatures on songs like Other Eden it does at least provide something a little more challenging. Having said that, the first four songs don’t really do much apart from burst through brick walls with their relentless riffs. There’s a standard approach which works okay, but like the vocals, there is nothing new or exciting here. Yes, it’s well performed, and I am in awe of anyone who can put this together on their own, but the repetition suggests limited options in the creativity department. 

Tracks like the opener Meteor Hammer or Earth Dragon Totality in all its ferocity work well enough, don’t make you want to switch it off but don’t leave you hanging with anticipation. That remains the domain of bands like Cannibal Corpse and Obituary to continue to blast out the death metal in classic style. 

If you are curious about this album, then I’d suggest giving this a listen. If you like it, that’s super. However, the general generic style really doesn’t help, and ultimately, this one is likely to be more for the elitest and those who are so immersed in the genre that anything that contains the kind of crushing riffs present here will be happy. 

Out today (17th November) on all streaming sites, but support the artists and pick up on BANDCAMP