Do not, under any circumstances, fall for the allure of the wittle pink bunnies and the adorableness they want to envelope you with. It’s a lie, a barefaced lie, for what immediately follows this treacherous title card is the kind of hellish descent that makes Alex DeLarge’s Ludovico bombardment look like an episode of My Little Pony. Or Paw Patrol, whichever is less terrifying, you choose. London’s Black Helium, now poised to inject unsuspecting voyeurs with a crazed dose of what-the-actual-fuck with their second record The Wholly Other, like to dabble in trickery and dark tongue-in-cheekery; just take a listen to the bewitchery of their first record Primitive Fuck – hoch hech what a trip! ‘Hippie On A Slab’ continues to verge dangerously close to the side of said trip where if you linger long enough no amount of Vitamin C will bring you back. But if you’re reading this, odds are you choose to live dangerously anyway, so have at it!
It isn’t just the psycho-visual violence of the lucid cacophony the video tries to break down the barriers of your brain with either. Sure, this video ought to come with more warning signs than a Pasolini film, but the music itself bludgeons in ways you never thought possible. It’s like if Amon Duul II had an Eraserhead baby with The Cosmic Dead, and instead of tossing it down the well they sent it to live with the most deranged acid freaks to ever dwell the streets of London. As its sludgy main dirge drills itself into your skull it releases a harsh dose of psychotropic chemicals into your brain so that, by the time it verges into melting the real and the hallucinatory together, you fail to know what it real and what isn’t. This ain’t for the faint of heart but should you enter down this rabbithole you are in for one unholy, nightmarish treat. And I want more!
But we’re gonna have to wait with baited breath until July 24 when Riot Season Records releases this bloodshot monolith in all its mind-melting glory. Until then there is no other choice but to overstimulate and overload our brains like the music junkies we all are with this. Between you and me, I await the end of the Covid times for this to derail my consciousness in the flesh.
WARNING: If you experience photosensitive epilepsy or have issues with flashing images you may prefer to leave the video behind and play the bandcamp link below.
You can follow the band here.
Be sure to get your copies preordered from Riot Season Records here.
In the meantime, break down every mental barrier with Primitive Fuck, found here.
The Motorfuzzin' Ibex 
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