Usually when I get an email with not much more than a hyperlink, I disregard the ad for either genital or economic growth and go on about my business, but the link that came in pointing me in the direction of Ayahuasca Dark Trip neither stole my credit card info nor broke my computer, so I guess it’s a win. Instead, the multi-continental trio (Peruvian, Brazilian and Dutch) offered Mind Journey: four tracks of sonic transcendentalist mind-expansion intended to capture in sound the natural psychotropic effect of the plant for which they’re named.

To that end, I wouldn’t know how successful they are personally, but the music is some pretty trippy stuff. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite moment between the chants turning to guitars at the beginning of the 15-plus-minute title-track, the sweet, subdued minimalism of “Space Raga” and the switch from backwards to forwards cymbals on Om-esque closer “To the Holy Mountain” — another in the 10-minute-plus club — not to mention the riffy rumble of the relatively straightforward “Astral Sunset” that starts it all off, but fortunately I don’t have to try. I can just post Mind Journey here from Ayahuasca Dark Trip‘s Bandcamp page where you can buy the full download (I think if you want the limited physical copy, you’ll have to hit up their Facebook) and let you decide for yourself.

Hope you dig the tunes:

Special thanks to Edgar for turning me onto this stuff. Much appreciated.

Hellbenders play their songs like they’re an emergency. Like they’re trying to put out a fire with riffs. And I don’t care what you say about immediacy or a band being hungry, there’s a brand of sonic recklessness that can only possibly come from youth, and the Brazilian four-piece definitely have that on their barn-burning side. Of the three tracks available for hearing on their MySpace, I probably dig the surprisingly upbeat “Whorehouse Murder” most, with its rampant soloing and catchy chorus, but “Hurricane,” rushes with appropriate storm surge as well, and though “Escape Song” gets into punkier territory than I usually prefer, it’s not without its moments either.

A double-guitar, double-vocal four-piece from Goiás, the first-name-only Hellbenders are propelled by the next-level drumming of Rodrigo, who makes “Hurricane” an immediate standout with snare snaps that have you tapping along whether you want to or not. From there, both guitarists/vocalists Diogo and Braz take the lead while bassist Vitor Noah adds low end to the shuffle. Hellbenders aren’t making the most original rock out there, but with age on their side, they bring a sense of novelty that you can hear when you listen to the tracks.

I keep a list of bands to do for future On the Radar posts, and though when I looked at it this morning I thought to myself, “Who the hell are Hellbenders?” it didn’t take me 10 seconds to remember what about them stuck out to me. In three short tracks, they remind that yeah, sure, it’s all been done before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have a good time along the way, and that some songs are just better played fast. Check them out on MySpace or take a listen to “Hurricane” below and see if you don’t agree.