Search - Alchemy VII :: The Magick Vol. 1, Gina's Alchemy

Alchemy VII
The Magick Vol. 1, Gina's Alchemy
Genre: Alternative Rock

Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
1. The Magick
2. The Alchemist
3. Eyes of a Child
4. Magick in the Mirror
5. The Moon Tune
6. Earth Song, parts 1 & 2
7. Earth Song, part 3 (ESWN)
8. Earth Song, part 4
9. A Thousand Years of Peace
10. Dancer
11. Celebration

CD Details

All Artists: Alchemy VII
Title: The Magick Vol. 1, Gina's Alchemy
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Fire Hawk
Original Release Date: 10/15/1998
Re-Release Date: 10/31/1998
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 0789577035126, 789577035126

Synopsis

Album Description

Sisyphus Records, a division of the Danford Entertainment Group, distributed by OarFin Records, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Artist biography: Originally known as Gina's Alchemy, Alchemy VII is a 7-piece rock group that combines musical influences of Rush, Heart, Yes, Led Zeppelin, and others with lyrics that speak of empowerment, the magic of life and responsibility for ourselves and the planet. The vocals are driven by Gina Citoli, a lifelong rock singer whose upbeat and honest personality shine through her powerful voice. The drums and percussion are provided by Carl Wergyn, also a lifelong performer, whose innate love of rhythm is expressed in every performance. Guitars are provided by Steve Lundberg, a longtime veteran of bar band experiences with the chops to prove it. Sue Birch is the bassist and graphic artist, supplying a true gift of talent to both the foundation and exterior essence of the group. These four core members of Alchemy VII spent the last half of the 1990s performing and writing together before releasing their debut CD. James Walsh (of Gypsy) provided keyboards and background vocals along with three other accomplished background vocalists: Sarah Montgomery, Mary Grantham, and Bobby Jones (also of Gypsy). At this time, the group is preparing to release a 7 song EP in April of 2001, followed by numerous dates at outdoor festivals. In the meantime, their website is generating quite a bit of recognition in Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Australia, with radio stations in these countries broadcasting the music from The Magick Vol. 1. MP3 is also good to the group - they have several songs on the MP3 rock charts, with the title track reaching the top 5 of the MP3 progressive chart.

CD Reviews

Not folksy, new-agey, or celtic...Yay!

03/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much of the neo-Pagan music I've listened to has been either Enya-like, basically Celtic sounding, or dark and spooky. This album has, fortunately, none of these characteristics. The lead vocalist has an extremely strong voice, and behind her is a throughly enjoyable rock sound. Their sound reminds me of the Indigo Girls. As a warning: the beginnings of many of the songs start off melodic and then turn to more driving and energetic -- the clips here seem to mostly start at the driving part, so you miss the build-up on some of the songs. The only downside to this particular version of the album is that it doesn't contain their song, "Dancer", which is one of my personal favorites.Another plus is that the album has a good mix of music types. The songs sound different and have different themes. "Eyes of a Child" and "Thousand Years of Peace", and "Celebration" for example, have themes that probably appeal to most spiritual people, but aren't particularly Pagan in nature. "Earth Song" is softer and more "New Agey sounding" for some of the track, and "The Moon Tune" is has sorta zany lyrics (it's the one I like least on the CD). The music does have a Wiccan focus (for example, there are references to "drawing down the moon"), but I think the music would be enjoyable for other flavors of neo-Pagans, too. For example, while there are references to magic, the lyrics are encompassing enough to be interpreted in a variety of ways - as the magic of experiencing the divine, for example. Many of the lyrics include themes that are earth-centric and speak about the beauty and relevence of older Pagan religions.Overall, highly recommended."