Helen Kelter Skelter - Melter

Taking a healthy dose of that psychedelic stuff going around in music at the moment and dropping into their mix, Helen Kelter Skelter follow up their 2015 debut with Melter.

With basslines that sound like they’re delivered through a funky swarm of bees, wailing guitars and drums which have been softened but deserve more, this should be an enjoyable album for anyone currently enjoying the injection of a scorched psychedelic sound.

The vocals are delivered in a way which reminds you of early Kasabian’s Tom Meighan, in a way where, if Meighan were to trip out in the desert, this is what he might come out with. Some songs play like an inner monologue, like ‘Guud’ which asks the self-analysing question of “do you think you think too much?”.

There are plodding songs on this album, quite a few actually, which play like soundtracks to a dodgy comedown, particularly the instrumental track ‘Mysterio Prevails’. With warbling synth and splashes of reverb guitars, there just isn’t much on this album you won’t have heard elsewhere.

‘Palamino’ adds what little zest it can, and is especially enjoyable in the intro which sounds like old school boss fight intro music from video games. While there is a solid template for the tracks like ‘Wunschkonzert’ and ‘21st Century’ they are so fuzzy and dull at times that there isn’t much to differentiate these from the other songs.

Some people may enjoy to stew in this one area, but you’re searching for a greater journey in your music - not to mention more discernible lyrics - then you’re out of luck.

With a name like Melter and cover art which looks like some sort of thermal image of something burned or melting, this might be a case of what you see is what you get.