It was a long time coming, but Israeli psy-trance superstars Infected Mushroom have finally released their 6th artist album, Vicious Delicious. In the world of psy-trance there is no bigger name than that of IM (real names Erez Eizen and Amit Duvdevani, nicknamed Duvdev). What U2 are to rock music, IM are to the psy-trance scene. Put simply, they are gods! Through their legendary live shows, DJ sets, productions and remixes, they are adored worldwide by an army of fans, and not just the psy-lovers. They’ve made waves in America and subsequently took the once maligned genre to the masses, with exceptional results.

Vicious Delicious contains a myriad of new musical explorations, from flamenco guitar to hip hop, to thrash-metal. Some judges have already written off the album, pointing the finger at the experimental broken beat numbers like Artillery and Forgive Me, but I think that’s selling the album as a whole a little short. While these selections are ‘experimental’, there is more to the album than these two tracks. A highlight is the sensational lead single Becoming Insane. It’s a classic opening to an impressive 11 track album, followed by the maligned Artillery, and the album’s namesake Vicious Delicious. The latter provides the first peak of the album and is easily the best track. Classic big sweeping psy-trance; this is what has made IM what they are. Press play, and repeat!

Heavyweight is a coming together of the two sounds prominent on this album; the classic IM pys-trance and the new experimental flamenco and heavy guitar sound. As I roll my eyes, the song starts off slow before the soothing pys-trance sound comes awash causing much aural delight. The song finishes with Spanish guitar, and leads into Suliman, a pys-trancer that’s once again guitar heavy, but ultimately extremely enjoyable. The album is then disturbed again with the broken beats of Forgive Me, as Erez and Duvdev profoundly display their new love of this sound. The male vocal on down tempo number In Front of Me is of the same ilk as Forgive Me, yet is a little bit more enjoyable.

For the pleasure of my ears, sandwhiched in between these selections is Special Place, a suitably entitled track that really does take you to a special place. Eat It Raw is another production dripping in the classic IM sound that fans the world over have come to love. This is the most driving of the selections on the album and definitely gets you moving, no matter where you hear it. Extremely catchy and equally enjoyable. Change The Formality, for me anyway, is what psy-trance is all about. A classic IM production that has you closing your eyes and thinking of ‘that rave’ or ‘that doof’ where you were lucky enough to see them. With my psychedelic screensaver now in full flow, the last track of the album, Before, is beautifully flowing out of my computer speakers and through the airwaves; hitting all the right areas in the process. It’s a fantastic selection to close this album and sends the viewer home with a smile on their face. Too often albums limp over the finish line with a poor final track, but this is the icing on the cake; a somewhat partially damaged cake, but a cake all the same.

Overall this album hits some good spots, and some rough patches. There’s enough in it to keep the hardcore Infected Mushroom fans alive and kicking, it’s just a pity (personally) that the album wasn’t full of selections like Vicious Delicious, Special Place or Eat It Raw, as they are what IM is all about for many people. The experimental numbers do, for me anyway, slightly tarnished the polish on this otherwise sublime artist album. But this isn’t a compilation where every track is suppose to be an anthem, rather this is an artist album where – true to the name – the artists like to express themselves by stepping out of their comfort zone. Personally, I would’ve preferred 11 big room psy-trance numbers, but that wasn’t to be. If you really love your psy-trance you wouldn’t be reading this as you’ll already own the album, but if you’re psy-curious you should give this album a go, no doubt you’ll enjoy.