ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE – “ARE WE EXPERIMENTAL?” (Prophase)

Surely a strong contender for the world’s most prolific artist, axe hero & music guru Kawabata Makoto is back with his main unit Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO (their name has been abbreviated on the front cover). As you can guess by the title, this is not one of their super-heavy releases or one of their blissful mellow ones, not to say it doesn’t have elements of those two styles but this is first and foremost a full-on freak out album.

Guitars squeal, voices gibber, rhythms are shaken, melodies defied and rules are broken. It’s abrasive, challenging and certainly not for the faint of heart. There are some Acid Mothers Temple albums I’ll gladly put on while entertaining friends, this is definitely not one of them. However, don’t let these comments put you off. This is a very wild album and if you can take it a little more out there than normal, it’s a really rewarding listen.

“Goodbye Big Asshole Emanuelle” is all tinnitus keyboards, jazz guitar wibble and wonky rhythms. “Ultimate Unhip Blues” is a degenerate, guitar squeal blues shuffle. There are mellower moments such as the albums fade out title track with gentle acoustic guitars and soft electronic drones. However, this is definitely one for the most broad-minded of Acid Mothers Temple fans, if there is any other kind.

NED