Various Psychoactive Scandosounds 3 Boom! (Netherlands)

Holland’s Boom step forth with a release that’s neither appropriate for your mother’s birthday or playing to small children at a school fair. Logic Bomb’s Earth Orbit is less in the style of their Unlimited album, it’s a straight-down-the-middle trancer that fans of their more recent, subtle sound will raise eyebrows at. It plumps along nicely, with a semi-full-on melody but certainly not one of their best efforts. LAB’s Red Light is a twisty, dark-tinged number with a definite foreboding vibe that’s sure to do the business at the festivals this year. Freaky noises clatter around a hefty 16th-friendly bassline while the crowd happily grind holes into the dancefloor, though it’s kind of functional and low on surprises. The Claw from Weirdo Beardo is just as manic and menacing as you’d expect, with a cheeky little breakdown that suggests a moment of peace, before decaying it gracefully into a mental, legs-everywhere stomper – music to throw yourself at the walls of your padded cell to. pHat pHase’s Mermaid Marmalade is angrier than an old man on a bus, and Funny Funk from Spliff Richard is unhinged post-Nintendo-generation wonder-nonsense. More samples than you can shake a stick at, hi-squelch acid runs a pounding, relentless kick and more laughs than a clown convention. BOTFB’s Sly! is heavy again, it has an old-skool vibe and has glimmers of parties atop Tabletop Mountain with the sun / moon (take your pick) high in the sky as the brutal, petrol-heavy acid kicks in. The temperature just rises and rises until the mercury spills out, a toxic yet pretty finale. Procs’ Split Personality carries on with the psychologically-challenged vibe, this one characterised by some twisty low-end effects and suitably psychotic stabs across the top. It gets disjointed and shuffled for the closing bash, that’s fluid and all-over-the-place. Tellus 2’s Forward Observer has a heavy alternating bassline, a deep kick and plenty of cyberfunk. It growls and twists as your brain melts away and the multi-coloured acid runs take whatever remnants of personality you had and chucks them out the window. Nice. Finally, I Want More Life from Celestial is a stripped-down, alternating-tempo killer with some great breakdowns where things get to a slo-mo hip hop vibe and dark as hell samples. The main run of the tune is a couple of nicely-pitched synth lines, with a conclusion that skilfully slides you out over the cliffedge. The Surgeon General warns that this album may make you go a bit loopy. Enjoy.

More info: www.boomrecords.com