Since 2009, LADY BEAST have been flying the flag for refined HEAVY METAL. The band hail from the Steel City of Pittsburgh, forming with firm influences ranging from Motörhead, Dio, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Mercyful Fate. From there, LADY BEAST have weaved their own unique style of metal with silky-yet-sharp harmonizing guitars and the soaring, rally-the-warriors vocals of front woman Deborah Levine. All the while, they’ve retained their blue-collar roots but have never forgotten the majesty of metal in its earliest, most classic form: fantasy, magic, epic adventure, and of course ANTHEMS!

While it’s been five long years since their last full-length – but only a year after DYING VICTIMS stepped in to reissue on vinyl their second album, 2015’s pivotal Lady Beast II – LADY BEAST suitably explode from the gates with palpitating urgency on The Inner Alchemist. Mind you, the band aren’t necessarily trying to break any speed limits here on LP#5, but rather, it’s the power, poise, and all-out swagger they exude on The Inner Alchemist which instills the sensation that LADY BEAST have only been away mere minutes. Thankfully, little has changed in their sturdy aesthetic – authentically ‘80s-entrenched HEAVY METAL that struts and gallops with equal aplomb, buttressed by instantly-hummable riffs and a palpable atmosphere of swords & sorcery – but if there’s one main distinction, it’s that the production on The Inner Alchemist highlights their heaviness, giving crunch when proceedings go locomotive and majesty when those proceedings go harmonic. As always, Levine’s passionate & powerful vocals are as engaging as ever: emotive and narrative in equal measure, still standing tall atop the keep-it-true pack.

Graced with evocative cover artwork by Adam Burke, LADY BEAST are sure stirring up something with The Inner Alchemist!

Dying Victims Productions

Line-up:
Adam Ramage – Drums
Chris Tritschler – Guitars
Deborah Levine – Vocals
Andy Ramage – Guitars
Amy Bianco – Bass

Review

The Oracles Omen opens with big beasty chords and smashing cymbal hits before a menacing riff enters the game. Everything picks up all of a sudden with a punishing rhythm section charging forward. Deb Levines vocals flows brilliantly with the music and delivering the the songs story in a magical way. The lead work is spot on and cuts through the mix at the right moments! Certainly a great opening track that is guaranteed to fire up the mosh pits!

Through The Eyes Of War is up next and we have some loving harmonised guitar licks before the band continues the charge! Once again everything is fast and furious and Deb brings a darker tone to her vocal performance adding to the evil feeling of the track. The lead jets forward at the speed of light with the flying rhythm and bass work. More majestic harmonised leads sparkle while letting the bass shine through! As the track moves towards the last part of of the song Amy’s bass even gets more interesting before a vault towards the end!

Get ready to rock your socks off with The Inner Alchemist! I love the opening harmonised lick that rings out to the heavens! Once again the band bring a track that is fully charged and ready to deliver a shock! The drumming pushes everything forward carrying the weight of the bass and guitars and everything feels so tight and on point. It is one of those songs that makes you want to stamp your feet, pump your feet and headbang. And the vocal melody works so well with the rest of the song making it another string track. Deb certainly knows how to add character and bring her charisma to the music!

Starborn creeps in gently with droning bass lines and hazy sounding guitar notes. The acoustic chords help the song to drift along as a soft breeze was carrying things along. The lead melodies carry your mid for a moment then wham! You are hit hard with big ballsy rhythm guitars that shred the skin from your bones. I love that between the rhythm sections you have even more harmonised guitar licks and make us want to raise our metal swords high! I believe that every track so far on this album has the potential to be a crowd pleaser and Starborn is no exception. I think my favourite bit is when things get a bit thrashy before throwing the listener in to an explosive mid tempo solo section with some nice ride work. Bring back some more harmonised guitar ideas and there you go!

Holy mother of hell! Crones Crossroads feels straight off the grid like an engulfed demon speeding down a highway on a bone bike! This is very thrashy and just shows that Lady Beast are not afraid to swing between genres. Who literally let off the the fireworks? Debs big cries of the Crone backed by mid tempo rhythm chuggs is very dark and evil! In some ways this section makes me think of some Megadeth/Metallica kind of riffs. Even the solo is absolute frantic! I just wish it had gone on for longer. All I can say is that you have reached the big boss battle so get ready to break your neck bones!

Feed Your Fire reignites that uplifting, classic metal vibe we all know and love! Right from the start, the spotlight shines on some glorious harmonised guitar work, pulling you in before the fiery rhythm section kicks into high gear. The track charges forward with non-stop energy, thundering full steam ahead until it pauses for a dynamic bass breakdown, seamlessly leading into more captivating harmonised guitar riffs. The solo, though brief, packs a punch—delivering an electrifying burst of intensity that leaves you craving more!

Witch Light is probably the shortest track so far coming in at just over 2 minutes but of course in Lady Beast style sets everything on fire that surrounds it. This tasty little song is a flurry of lead and rhythm ideas that breaks up the album in an unexpected way!

The Wild Hunt brings back more magic! One thing is for certain and that is that Chris and Andy certainly know how to write powerful harmonised guitar wizardry! We drop down to darker vibes and Deb returns with that sinister vocal deliver performance that was present songs! The solo section is pretty damn wild, with the rhythms opening up letting of some revs in the background!

Off With Her Head kicks off with some paned guitar play before we are given more thrashy sounding guitar riffs though the main one slightly reminded me of motorhead? Either way things blast forward with an onslaught of rhythm riffing that again makes me think of that demon I mentioned earlier riding his bone motorbike! I can’t deny that as listened to the song over and over I got caught up singing the chorus lyrics “Off With Her Head.” Pretty damn catchy!

Conclusion

You can tell the band have been conjuring up something in the alchemy lab because Lady Beast have made an epic return! If you love speed, adrenaline filled music that you can mosh and break your neck to then “The Inner Alchemist” certainly delivers! Personally I think this could be one of their strongest records to date!

TheNwothm Score: 9/10

Links

Bandcamp: https://ladybeast.bandcamp.com/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ladybeastofficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladybeastofficial

Label: https://www.facebook.com/dyingvictimsproductions

Release info:
– Regular edition on black vinyl, with insert, poster, sticker, postcard and download code.
– Special edition on splatter vinyl, with insert, poster, sticker, postcard download code and patch.
– CD edition with sticker, obi

Pre-order:
www.dyingvictims.com
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/

Global Release Date: 28/03/2025
Exclusive Release date: 28/03/2025 (www.dyingvictims.com)