Acid Mothers Temple have no shame, and that's not such a bad thing.They've taken aim at their idols before by approximating the albumcovers or titles of Hendrix, Zappa, and King Crimson, among others, andhave paid tribute to the likes of Hawkwind and Gong. This time they settheir sights on Black Sabbath, even going so far as to reenact thecover of Sabbath's first album, with Acid Mother guru Kawabata Makotoenrobed before a countryside home. With their other tributes, theobject of reverence is a starting point, not a destination in itself,and this one proves to be no exception.The title track is the meat of the beast, beginning with a minute ofbooms and gongs reminiscent of a thunderstorm before launching intosome slow, heavy Sabbath-esque riffs. Squealing guitar and syntheffects accompany the vocals of bassist Tabata Mitsuru, whose voicecaptures some of the sound and feeling of Ozzy's more than it does themelody. The pace is slower than most AMT fare, but things speed upconsiderably around the eight and a half minute mark. The groupconvincingly imitates the Sabbath guitar sound here and the rhythmsection is particularly tight, giving listeners something on which tohang their ears or even providing them with a chance to gasp for airduring Makoto's guitar explorations. Around the sixteen minute mark,everything comes to a wailing halt before the band returns to thedirge-like tempo that started the song. This pattern continues for theduration of the piece, until a couple of minutes before the ending,when the group makes a smooth transition to acoustic guitar andprocessed vocals to cool down.
Clocking in at nearly thirty-five minutes, the length alone may taxsome listeners. However, the second track, "Woman From A Hell,"provides relief, which with a running time of six minutes is uncommonin the Acid Mothers canon for its brevity. This one condenses many ofthe ideas of the title track, and accomplishes much of the sameevocation of Sabbath, but with the vocals in a more prominent role. Thedisc comes full circle, ending with thunderstorm sounds much like theones which started the album. Though the title track could have beenshortened and perhaps an additional track included, this album remainsone of the group's more accessible releases in some time and shouldplease fans old and new alike.
According to the group's website, Makoto is reviving the MeltingParaiso U.F.O. line-up after a year of recording and touring with theCosmic Inferno. This is a shame of sorts, since the Cosmic Infernoinfused a much-needed vitality to the group that it had lacked sincethe departure of vocalist Cotton Casino. Yet the reformed MeltingParaiso U.F.O. has the potential to be even better since, if anything,Makoto seems to be the Mother of Reinvention.
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