Makoto Kawabata and his rolling, constantly evolving psychedelic caravan known most consistently as Acid Mothers Temple show no signs of relenting. Their lone purpose while occupying this planet Earth is to unleash hallucinogenic mayhem, and so they shall ? with dizzying results. After somewhat of a hiatus and under a different guise (AMT and the Cosmic Inferno) ? without vocalist Cotton Casino ? the Melting Paraiso Ultra Freak-Out is back to wreak havoc on our fragile minds, bathing our synapses in a delicious acid-laced jelly. Prepare yourselves!

Having experienced the blistering rock assault of an AMT live show, I was somewhat unprepared for the number of beautiful, acoustic-based songs on this record. Half of the six tracks feature Tsuyama Atsushi?s lush acoustic guitar lines, augmented with flute and saxophone from Ono Ryoko and astral electronics courtesy of Kawabata himself. The best of these unexpectedly harmonious gems is the mesmerising mantra ?Interplanetary Love.? Simply arranged with vocals, acoustic guitars, sitar and spiralling electronics, fans of British acid folk will enjoy this song immensely.

Of course, this being an Acid Mothers Temple album, there is a fair share of electronic guitar mayhem and cosmic dissonance. The closing track ?The Tales of Solar Sail ? Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky? is a thirty-minute exercise in acid boogie. Beginning with a simple drone and lilting flute, the song proceeds to devolve into a krautrock-inspired stomp-along. Considering that this track encompasses half of an hour-long album, its sheer immensity is exhausting. You?ll be left gasping for breath with mandalas scorched across your retinas. Can you dig it? 7/10 -- Bryon Hayes (18 September, 2006)