"From The Bowels Of The Earth" is the debut album from the German psychedelic death metal band, HALLUCINATE. The album was released on August 4th, 2023 on Caligari Records. Their sound on this album is reminiscent of "Beneath The Remains" era SEPULTURA, but with a more psychedelic tilt akin to TURBID NORTH. The first track, "A Universe Obscure," begins with feedback and has plenty of fuzzy guitar tones. The riffs are excellent and the song structure gives off a psychedelic vibe. The nasty growled vocals provided by Horrified and Persecutor are exceptional as well.

The third, fourth, and fifth tracks form a triptych of sorts in that they seamlessly transition into one another. The first of these tracks, "Black Smokers," starts slowly with an eerie clean guitar melody, then switches to a sweet chunky riff before bringing the thunder. The song kicks like an angry donkey before retreating to less aggressive territory. This track has several great dynamic shifts before ending with a killer jam. The following track, "Mahavishnu's Dream," is a trippy sitar-driven instrumental with meditative droning. It's a short affair at about two minutes and serves as a palate cleanser between the two more aggressive tracks. "Paracletus" also begins with a mellow clean guitar intro and displays an excellent juxtaposition between ethereal clean vocals and filthy death metal growls. The track climaxes by building aggression and intensity before letting loose a wailing lead guitar solo. The ringing keyboard part right as the song ends is a nice touch as well.

The penultimate track, "Crimson Rain," begins with the sounds of rain and thunder before breaking into relentless death metal. The riff is infectious and punishing. This is the fastest track on the album and it's a certified banger. The colorful lyrics are lots of fun and provide a de-facto mission statement midway through that had me laughing and cheering. Overall it's a dynamic track with compelling rhythms that draw you in.

As a whole, "From The Bowels Of The Earth" is psychedelic death metal done exceptionally well. The trippier aspects bolster and accentuate the more traditional death metal parts. Truly psychedelic death metal is difficult to pull off and these Germans most certainly deliver and they have earned a permanent spot on my metal radar.Blackened Gills - YouTube