If this feels like a lot of complaints, at least it’s because Pizzorno offers up so many things that it is very easy to find bits that don’t work. But for every one of those there’s Doug Yule taking charge of the Velvet Underground and recording Squeeze, or the two albums the Doors made with Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger singing after the death of Jim Morrison, albums so non-canonical that I defy any but the most committed Doors obsessive to even name them.

Meighan, on the other hand, provided the visceral connection with their fanbase – the simian frontman in the Liam Gallagher mould, the embodiment of the audience’s aspirations. so he's not particularly missed on record", although felt that Pizzorno "will need to grow in stature" to "control" the crowds the band performs to. Pizzorno went on to explain that he saw a parallel in the “out of body experience” that Kasabian have weathered since ejecting their frontman Tom Meighan, who left the Leicester band in 2020 after assaulting his partner Vikki Ager. Kasabian’s future seemed very much in doubt without their former frontman to sell the band’s unique brand of psychedelic party anthems. The fact that the track shifts from plaintive acoustic guitar to a thumping house beat and swirling synths – and all in the space of about 60 seconds – tells you everything you need to know about the Kasabian 2.It’s easy to forget how thrilling a rock band being unselfconsciously rockist can be, and Kasabian can be as unselfconsciously rockist as the best or worst of them. The songs that feel more conventional – Strictly Old Skool, for example – come as something of a relief as a result. Former frontman Tom Meighan parted ways with the band in July 2020, and the following day pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-fiancée, now-wife Vikki Ager. Kasabian have always been about having a good fucking time, and although this is understandably their most introspective record yet, it does point to euphoria ahead.

Now, bands can thrive when a replacement singer comes from within the ranks: Pink Floyd and Genesis seemed to do OK for themselves after the loss of Syd Barrett and Peter Gabriel respectively. Reviewing the album for The Guardian, Michael Hann felt that the album "goes for broke" and "teems with ideas that don't always land", and despite Pizzorno's "imagination elevat[ing] them above their lad-rock leanings", as a vocalist he is "adequate but unremarkable".

This is continuity Kasabian, with super-producer Fraser T Smith brought in to buff up their rave-rock sound. The eerie indelibility of Days are Forgotten, or Fire’s lumpen power, are missing, leaving the strings of lyrical cliches that Pizzorno ladles up horribly exposed. Pizzorno, though, prepared to take Meighan’s place by studying videos of Iggy Pop whipping up a crowd; think of it as a crash-course in rockstar training. Infatti solo dopo due soli ascolti del disco, che mi è arrivato il giorno prima del loro concerto all'Alcatraz di Milano, ho deciso di vederli dal vivo, pure per la prima volta per me nonostante li segua dai tempi di Velociraptor, e le canzoni di the Alchemist's Euphoria incluse nella scaletta sono ancora più potenti suonate dal vivo. This is followed by a trio of space-inspired songs (introduced by that calming, aforementioned soundscape) that find our sonic alchemist gazing at the stars as he considers the limitless possibilities ahead: melodic fist-clencher ‘THE WALL’, electro doom-monger ‘T.