Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Parais - Cometary Orbital Drive [Bam Balam Records - 2009]Cometary orbital Drive is another fine and rewarding example of Acid mother Temples distinctive and one-off sound. With this time around things staying very tied into a spaced Kraut rock type groove, but with the usual quirky and at times bizarre elements and sonic progressions thrown in too. Cometary orbital Drive Suite opens up the album & starts things out in a rather subbed & ritualistic manner with ominous gong tone, organ simmer and percussive tinkle. Before it opens into sounding like a bizarre cross breed of untamed like Scott Walker warbling and crazed mutterings meets spacey-ness and clunking discord- A fine and strange opener. Then we’re onto Light my Fire Ball which wakes up from the odd ritualistic air of the first track with a great rising drum line, swooping spacey synth lines and looped chiming guitar riff that’s soon joining by a Hawkwind like bass line as the track builds up its momentum before firing off into some nice guitar soloing and spaced-out jamming. Next we have Circular System 777777 which finds the looped spacy guitar riff from Light My Fire Ball been tied to a simplistic but effective spaced techno electronic beat structure; I guess it almost like one would imagine an AMT remix to sound like- but the track does work. Then lastly we have Milky way Star which once more finds the Light My Fire Ball riff been used again but in a faster more grooved and pushing 70’s rock frame work. The criticism of the album as a whole been they do over use the central riff a bit too much in places; but if you take it as it’s meant and click into the riff’s hypnotics and vibe it's very effective. With the album been topped off with artwork of a naked oriental women against pyramids with flying saucers in the background you have your classic AMT album both visually and sonically. In summing-up a good but not great AMT album that will be enjoyed by the bands devotes but newbie’s are best to start elsewhere. Roger Batty
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