In 2019, Paranoid Visions embarked on the five-part journey Countdown to Pharmageddon. Conceived as a complete artistic statement rather than simply a record release, the collection combined an album, poetry book, art prints, and a range of additional elements. Standard vinyl and CD editions were also made available. Now, the fourth instalment of the project, Subverse Reality, has finally arrived.
"This album has been 45 years in the making. Every record we've released has had some sort of limitation, but this is almost certainly the best Paranoid Visions album ever made." For a long time, the completion of this album seemed unlikely. After multiple studios, countless mixes, rewrites, and re-recordings, Subverse Reality is finally set to be unleashed on 13th November 2026.
Where this release differs, however, is that absolutely no compromises have been made. The mixes are exactly as intended, and for the first time the spoken-word and poetry pieces have been treated as fully realised tracks rather than interludes or fillers. The result was simply too substantial for the standard 10-inch format, leading to its release as a double 10-inch vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve.
The album's arrival also coincides with the band's 45th anniversary - an achievement that seems almost impossible to comprehend, yet stands as a testament to the determination and stubborn resilience of everyone involved. From day one, the guiding principle was simple: stop when it became a job, when the interest faded, or when the ideas ran out.
Forty-five years later, we're still a very long way from that point.