Hell Preachers Inc. ● Supreme Psychedelic Underground

Hell Preachers Inc.’s Supreme Psychedelic Underground is one of those odd late ‘60s studio projects, a mysterious album lacking personnel credits of any kind. The record has long been rumored to feature future members of Deep Purple—a reasonable claim when one considers the album’s thunderous guitar and keyboard work—but their participation has never been officially confirmed. First released in 1968 on Germany’s Europa Records, Supreme Psychedelic Underground is a relentless blast of riff-heavy psychedelia. The largely instrumental album is short—only two songs surpass the three-minute mark—but its endless array of fuzz-oriented guitar leads and pounding organ fills gives life to the sometimes head-scratching song titles (“Let Me Shoot You?” “We Like The White Man?”). “Preacher Man” and “Turn Turn” rock accordingly, both songs featuring the limited but ultimately serviceable vocals of, well, the lead singer, while “Time Race” and the Middle Eastern-flavored “Shalom” are two of the better instrumental tracks. Regardless of its membership (there are those that think the band is actually a collection of German studio musicians), Hell Preachers Inc.’s lone studio project is a righteous journey through the era’s (supreme) psychedelic underground. It’s a trip worth taking.

Notes: Here is an audio-only YouTube clip of “Turn Turn” from Supreme Psychedelic Underground: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-f83J-_Mzg.