Ever since the release of “Pharmacy Volume 3: Down with the Sickness”, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of its successor. This is due in part to the fact that I have yet to experience a Pharmacy party (in Melbourne at least). Fortunately though, Pharmacy’s line of CDs are the perfect substitute as every mix has captured what I imagine would be the spirit of their productions. The fourth installment in Pharmacy’s top quality series has been aptly entitled “Reign in Blood”. Chosen to lead this reign are; the black sorcerer himself; DJ Hellraiser, and the titan of torture; Yoji Biomehanika. How would each ruler lead their legions into the gloom that lay ahead, I wondered?

In all honesty I was completely surprised and shocked after I had listened to both CDs in full for the first time. All the superlatives that I had conjured up as I eagerly awaited for the arrival of this CD went flying out the window, thanks mainly to Yoji’s mix. The Pharmacy name to me has always represented darkness and devastation, however Yoji Biomehanika’s offering fell well short of my expectations (thankfully though it fit the diversity criteria!) Hellraiser’s mix on the other hand left me breathless.

Whilst in the lab Hellraiser created a creature capable of unimaginable horror, not even he would have foreseen its killing potential. From the introductory track entitled; “Welcome to Hell,” the victim is involuntarily subjected to eighty minutes of pure Sadistic brutality. Hellraiser’s lack of remorse is perhaps the most disturbing fact of all. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but Hellraiser’s mix really does tell the tale of an insight into the mind of a being of pure malevolence.

I’m not being (excessively) silly here, Hellraiser’s mix could pitch the soundtrack for a truly out there film. Following on from the unholy intro Hellraiser drops what is one of my favourite tracks on this release and the entire Pharmacy series; “Satanic Circus” by Alter Ego. Prepare to be vapourised by this tune’s ferocious acid injection. The track is quite a visual one, I imagined a video clip for this track featuring the kind of animation style as fearured in “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Traditional hard acid follows on with Thilo & Evanti’s “Caution,” which is a surprise inclusion in Hellraiser’s mix given that this is a fairly dated tune.

Being as this is the fourth volume in Pharmacy’s CD series, it is perhaps befitting that Hellraiser’s very own “Acid Noir” (Kamui’s Viral Outbreak mix) is the fourth track chosen. There is no holding back as this masterpiece’s driving and unrelenting synths pummel their listener into a dark, twisted and unknown realm of existence. Zany’s “Tekno” (Dana on the remix) flows on beautifully from “Acid Noir” with its haunting FX and a hard but almost minimal beat.

Hellraiser’s mix features a hefty amount of Dutch and German influence with plenty of hardstyle and acid. The Original Mix of Walt’s “Let the Music Play” is a recipe for total meltdown; take one distorted beat, quintessential hardstyle vocal samples and a dark but evocative synth and the end result is a dance floor bracing itself for critical mass. Tracks that stay true to the tried and tested staple sounds these days really do have to offer something special and it is no surprise at all that Walt would stand and deliver. The darkness returns again with a vengeance with The Rush vs. Thalamus’ “Shock Your Senses” (the Busy Dark remix,) prepare to be blown away by this track and its black metal-esque synths. Pila vs. DJ Hellraiser’s “Legions, For We Are Many” is another track which is testiment to Hellraiser’s abilities as both a DJ and a producer.

Hellraiser then takes things up a notch with some sinister, stormy hardstyle. In amongst the pounding beats and menacing synths the screams of a girl can be heard (during Zany’s “Widowmaker.”) As I have said many of the tracks on this mix are highly visual however when sounds like a girl screaming are inserted here and there I think to myself; “I only like it when I’m pretend scared” (to quote Milhouse from The Simpsons in “Secrets of a Successful Marriage.” Such a thought was not brought on by the coincidental title of both the track and said Simpsons episode.) After the screams from “Widowmaker” the hardstyle continues with a slight metal twist in “Rock It” by Josh & Wesz, check the sinister guitar and drums during its breakdown! The metal theme continues on nicely into the next track but gets a little bit harder as Hellraiser smashes out “Xtraordinary” by Pila.

Hellraiser then unleashes a couple of gabber hardcore beasts to finish the job as his “Reign in Blood” draws to an unrelenting, unforgiving and ungodly close. Pharmacy is of course a Melbournian creation and Melbournians love their hardstyle however the crew out that way would no doubt be accustomed to Hellraiser dropping a few gabber tunes at the end of his sets. For those who aren’t quite so prepared, G Shock’s “Demons” will surely leave you for dead with a beat more scary than the Bush administration. The mix goes out with a real bang in the shape of “Your Mum Sucks Cocks in Hell” by DJ Paul Elstak & Headbanger, evil hardcore at its finest!

On to CD 2, and to be perfectly truthful I had high hopes for Yoji Biomehanika’s offering, despite catching wind of reports that his DJing performances of late have been well below par. I have seen Yoji Biomehanika live but this was when he was playing the big room style that he became well renowned for. These days though Yoji has pulled his foot away from the gas somewhat. He might have a truly unique stage presence, style and visual appearance, however it is the music that does most of the talking. Unfortunately Yoji’s mix doesn’t quite cut the cheese.

Perhaps I am being a little bit harsh. At the very least Yoji’s mix flows solidly and there are a handful of tracks which blew my mind, however for the most part Yoji’s mix doesn’t seem to fit the role of an ambassador for the Pharmacy name. Pharmacy fans have been treated over the years to only the best in nose bleed hard dance therefore would expect nothing less from Yoji. How could they, the Pharmacy legion, hope to rule the world through poisoning enlightenment itself without a proven dark lord at the helm?

Yoji Biomehanika’s mix kicks off with “Squelch” by TDR, a tune which has a great beat but in terms of melody and its storyline it lacks substance as it only offers a few bleeps and blerps. This tune sets the tone for the rest of Yoji’s mix as it isn’t at all intense and from then on things don’t get excessively hard or dark. Then the shock to create a power surge that would end all shocks forever… Elevator music? Pharmacy doesn’t need an elevator, it has always sent its listeners freefalling head first into the fiery depths of Hell! The jazzy middle of “Txetxe’s Memory” by Pg2 strongly resembles the kind of music as heard in lifts or restaurants at fancy hotels. What happens next won’t do much to lift the jaw up off the floor though I am afraid… Yoji’s mix from “Txetxe’s Memory” into “Mystery” by Out of the Past is a real shocker to say the least. It sounded like Yoji had bumped the platter or something with the way the two mixed tracks surge in tempo together.

Luckily “Mystery” is one of the better tunes on this mix with its angelic vocals, aquatic sound effects and thumping percussion (the thunderous snare drums at the end of each bar are a trademark sound from one of this track’s remixers; Fred Baker, who is joined by Vince Gorczak.) The techno driven trance complexion of Yoji’s mix continues before Yoji drops the Hard Minimal Mix of Walt’s “Let the Music Play.” Hard minimal? I’m afraid to say that this track is neither hard nor minimal, and it won’t leave many die hard Pharmacy fans impressed unlike its far superior brother as featured on Hellraiser’s mix.

“Crush” by Ik is one of the highlights on disc 2 of “Reign in Blood” and it almost single handedly saves Yoji’s blushes. Its bassline is fatter than today’s school kids, the beat packs on more weight than a professional gridiron player cold ever hope to bench and also featured is a screeching synth capable of ripping apart Scotch guarded windows. The Fred Baker inspired percussive trance vibe continues on for a while before another of the mix’s highlights; “Volcana” by Dave 202 (on the remix are Yoji and Remeo Toscani.)

Pharmacy volume 4: “Reign in Blood” is without question a must have even if it is only the first disc that will inspire true Pharmacy freaks to jump out of their skins (in true horror flick style, of course!) DJ Hellraiser’s recent visit to Holland certainly shows with his track selection – I would love to see Hellraiser bang out this sort of stuff live! Yoji Biomehanika’s mix on the other hand failed to get me in the mood to whip up those superlatives, however I am sure there will be a few people out there (Pharmacy fanatics or otherwise) who will thoroughly enjoy Yoji’s new take on hard dance. Personally I just feel that the Yoji of old would have been better suited to fly the Pharmacy flag as it was the big room hard trance that gave him his name.