Hallucinator: Another Cruel Dimension

This album’s title makes me think of H. P. Lovecraft since so many of his stories bring to mind the possibility of other worlds, dimensions, or aeons. In Lovecraft’s work, characters often discover, to their dismay, that their everyday perceptions are wrong and that there is much more to consider than they ever thought possible. This album takes listeners into similar territory. Consider song titles like “Beyond the Threshold of Sanity,� “Descent Without Control, or even the opening title track, “Another Cruel Dimension� with its swirling sound effects and its musical suggestion that we’re about to enter another realm entirely. This is clearly not music for the faint of heart.

For those brave enough to follow the swirling bodies into the vortex (see the cover art), this album is well worth the trouble. Not only will you hear some strange sounds, but you’ll also discover a new band that plays death thrash that with just the right mix of speed, spit, and venom. If you listen, you’ll also hear nods to Sadus, Repulsion, and Bathory. There’s also a very nice cover of “On They Slay� by R.A.V.A.G.E.

With bands like this, the kind that really wants to channel the past, there’s always a temptation to think of the music strictly in terms of the main influences. Hallucinator definitely invites that kind of thinking, but they also deliver something more than a nod to the past. The songwriting is strong, and the performances are consistently blistering. Added to all that are interludes that feature an analog synthesizer doing all it can to evoke the alternate dimensions suggested by the album title.

I thought this album was excellent and highly recommend it to fans of death thrash and old school extreme metal. If nothing else, check out “Hiss in the Skull� and “Chapel Perilous.� If you like those, then stick around for more.

Track Listing:
1. Another Cruel Dimension
2. Clotted Black Blood
3. Alcoholic Possession
4. Hiss in the Skull
5. Ruthless Transgression
6. Pervader
7. Into Lurid Destinations
8. Beyond the Threshold of Sanity
9. Primeval Power
10. Mad Reaper
11. On They Slay (R.A.V.A.G.E. Cover)
12. Chapel Perilous
13. Descent Without Control

Added: March 31st 2020
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 855
Language: english

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