STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK SABBATH

These guys come up with the most amazing album titles and covers, and this is one of their best. The album cover of course brings to mind BLACK SABBATH's debut record cover, and the title brings KING CRIMSON into the mix.

The title track is close to 35 minutes in length and once it gets going a minute in you can't help but think of BLACK SABBATH. It slowly plods along with distant sounding vocals as heavy drums and bass pound away without mercy. The synths are firing off everywhere while the guitar starts to cry out 4 1/2 minutes in. A change 8 1/2 minutes in as the sludge is removed and a wall of guitars and synths come crashing in. Another change 16 minutes in (were not even half way through the song yet) as it gets back to the original soundscape with a lot of bottom end and darkness. Distorted guitar and vocals return as well. It ends with acoustic guitar and vocal sounds.

The other track is called "Woman From Hell" which for me brings a few women to mind. Haha. Pounding drums with spacey synths shooting off all over the place, while vocals and blistering guitar melodies fill out the sound. This is more accessible with the vocals more upfront and less heaviness.

A good album that would be handy to have around if you wanted to get rid of any unwanted guests in your house.

Sounds like another addictive, abusive, bluesy, black comfort. I have no idea where in line this album "Starless And Bible Black Sabbath" was created because ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE are one of the most prolific artists all over the world even currently, but I'm sure this album should have been produced with their energetic, proactive, and improvisational sound experiments just like their previous works. The first (and the longest, great majority) track, that was titled after a renowned album by a renowned progressive rock pioneer and a renowned heavy metal artist themselves with much mischief and playfulness, is flooded with Hiroshi's spacey synthesizer wandering around the studio, massive and excessive rhythm compounds, and heavy guitar-oriented shoegaze sounds. Launching this track with mega-volume is exactly as addictive as abusive agents (the smoke by another audience has given serious headache to me). They would give earache to me definitely, but at the same time, this attack is of another comfort for me.

On the contrary, the last short one "Woman From A Hell" is a pop, catchy pleasure. Needless to say this song is filled with spaceship travelling sounds too and, drenched in danceable and enjoyable guitar machine gun and vocal explosion. AMTers and the audience can get excited and confused with joy. Why not addicted after such a black sabbath-y starshine?