Chrysopoeia

“Chrysopoeia” captures Ballister—the ferocious trio of Dave Rempis, Fred Lonberg‑Holm, and Paal Nilssen‑Love—at a moment when their long‑standing chemistry erupts into a raw, alchemical force. The music unfolds with the volatility of a substance under pressure, each gesture sparking a reaction that reshapes the entire sonic field. Rempis drives the trio with lines that veer from blistering, full‑throated declarations to tightly coiled fragments, while Lonberg‑Holm’s amplified cello mutates between harmonic grit, electronic abrasion, and sudden flashes of lyricism. Nilssen‑Love propels the music with a rhythmic imagination that feels both volcanic and precise, pushing the trio into zones where density, texture, and momentum collide. “Chrysopoeia” becomes a document of transformation—sound turning into heat, structure dissolving into pure energy, and three improvisers forging a music that is as unpredictable as it is inevitable. It stands as one of Ballister’s most intense and focused statements, a testament to the trio’s ability to turn improvisation into a living, reactive process that never stops evolving.