Review: HIBUSHIBIRE - Freak Out Orgasm!

Fuck me! I think I've died and gone to psychedelic heaven! If anyone had asked me what I would really want from a freak out, heavy-as-fuck psych band I would have to say I would want the sheer guitar pyrotechnics of Acid Mothers Temple, the hard-as-nails scuzziness of The Heads, the lead heaviness of a fucked-up Blue Cheer and the instrumental dexterity of Hendrix on speed. Guess what, that band exists and they are called HIBUSHIBIRE! Remember that name folks 'cos they are destined to be your next favourite band. The band, formed by guitarist Chang Chang and bassist 821 as a improvisation jam rock band in 2012, are joined by drummer Ryu Matsumoto and the album is produced by Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple who has described them as “Advance party of a next generation psychedelic rock band”. HIBUSHIBIRE are not so much cut from the same cloth as AMT but hewn from the same rock. This album is fucking huge! 'nuff said and much kudos to Riot Season for giving this a release...and a heartfelt thankyou for bringing this into my life!

There are just the four tracks, spanning almost forty minutes. The opener, 'Lucifer's My Friend' is a short but oh so very sweet sonic blast - the guitar raging straight from the get go. The intensity this lot manage to build over such a short span is impressive if not freakish and it sets the tone for the psychedelic histrionics to come. 'Hallucination Valley Blues - Flying Shiva Attack - Hallucination Valley Blues (Reprise)' takes seventies heavy psych as a basic building block but warps it until it becomes unrecognisable. Yet again the intensity and the sheer power grabs you by the balls and refuses to let go..you think that grip is relaxing a tad but then a freak out of mythic proportions hits you squarely between the eyes (or ears). It is the soundtrack to a mental breakdown; it skews the senses and scrambles your synapses until you are but a gibbering wreck dribbling on the floor. But what is so impressive is that it does not rely purely on ferocious guitar shredding and volume - there are subtle hints of an eastern motif that permeate through the fuzz and flashes of creative genius that provide a cohesive force holding everything together to create a fully formed end product....simply majestic! 'Trepanation Breakdown' takes it cue from some of the legendary Japanese psychedelic acts...and then some! Its amped up bluesy scuzz positively bursts from the speaker and that guitar...wow! One can imagine Chang Chang's fingers like a hummingbird's wings, flying across those strings ..such dexterity and skill. 'Deep Throat River Holy Mountain High' is the last, and longest, track - it takes up nearly half of the album's running time. It starts with some beautiful, lilting psych guitar, restrained and floating on the ether and true to it's oriental roots. This track relies more on atmosphere and rich eastern vibes than stark power - the guitar is still the star, but this time power is forsaken to be replaced by rich, mellifluous wah-wah that gradually blossoms into a lush but restrained freak out. Just over the halfway mark things break down and the same lilting eastern guitar heard at the beginning is re-introduced but this just heralds a noticeable shift in momentum...the tempo is upped and the ferocity heard in the first 3 tracks is back - the guitar squalling and soaring backed by the rock solid rhythm section. The last moments of this opus see the return once more of the opening refrain..and a chance to catch one's breath.

I've reviewed over 300 hundred records since I started this blog and I cannot remember a record having such a visceral impact as 'Freak Out Orgasm!' or the same jaw-dropping splendour and power. In fact, the last time I felt it was probably the first time I ever heard Acid Mothers Temple. This is a magnificent record and one where I seriously wondered whether I would review it, purely because words cannot truly portray that feeling you get when you first hear a truly exquisite record. I've waxed panegyric about many albums, all of which I stand by, but this....this is special! It's got unrestrained power, true technical skill, sublime moments of clarity and all with a true sense of purpose. Simply put....it's fucking genius! To get a copy, and it goes without saying you really should do so, go to the Riot Season Shop here or the Bandcamp page here