Electric Heavyland

This particular studio release came described as one of the band's heaviest efforts yet, recorded by the compact five-person lineup of 2002 in May of that year. Lead guitar maniacs Makoto Kawabata and Hiroshi Higashi, bassist Atsushi Tsuyama, drummer Hajime Koizumi, and singer/keyboardist Cotton Casino incarnate Acid Mothers Temple on this one, and the result is, unsurprisingly, mayhem. Given all of the various releases and spin-off efforts in existence, to be sure, selecting this one as a particular winner may be a bit bold, but from when the opening track (of three total), "Atomic Rotary Grinding God/Quicksilver Machine Head," fully launches, it's hard to hold back the love. Kawabata and Higashi, in particular, come up with the monster riffs of God (or rather, more of the same not used previously), more often than not overpowering even the frenetic rhythm section, while Casino's brand of weird chaos, especially toward the end, can barely be described. "Loved and Confused," besides continuing the wink toward the birth of classic rock via song titles, completely cuts loose into moments of Kawabata/Higashi solo madness, with the band almost audibly trying to find a rhythm as it goes. There are even more random vocal squeals from Casino on this song as well, making the final result sound like a scared ghost wandering through a collapsing factory. "Phantom of Galactic Magnum" concludes things on the same note, but the slow-build start makes the inevitable explosive chaos all that much more of a trip. About the only thing that sounds like it's missing by the end is Mephistopheles' kitchen sink, with Casino in particular creating some head-melting keyboard lines. The side credits for each member are a kick: Among them, Casino is credited with beer and cigarettes, while Higashi is the "dancin' king" and Kawabata the "speed guru."