The undergrowth stirred, indeed it was forcibly parted as a new leviathan emerged; a colossus rippling with the potential and promise of claiming its own habitat within a terrain renowned for imposing and voracious fertility…. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mammuthus!
That acclaimed moment was the launch of the self-titled EP in 2020, by a young trio hailing from Wellington, New Zealand. Three years and two full-length albums later, and the three-some are preparing to further rip the landscape asunder with their new album Imperator, a release set to complete that early stirring into a ravening of Proboscidean power and prowess as it rampages across the musical soundscape.
The signature vibe of this band is a doom/stoner rock bred creation, embracing the inspirations of bands such as Black Sabbath, Sasquatch, Beastwars, and Kyuss but incorporating a confrontational sound that stamps its own commanding individuality upon the unwary listener. The band’s debut EP started that careering through the undergrowth, its quartet of tracks proving a sinuous introduction which generated much praise locally and beyond. It was a rippling of creative muscle which has grown into a pharaonic snowball of craft and imagination; evolution and intent uniting within the unforgiving yet alluringly seductive beast that is Imperator.
Although stoner and doom are the bedrock formations underpinning the Mammuthus sound, it has to be said that melodic entanglement and grooved diversions are equally present, weaving tantalising webs of temptation along the way. The new album’s lead single, ‘Holy Goat’ has already provided a rich taste of the earworming delights that lie in wait within Imperator.
The album is a release instinctively and organically nurtured to snaffle the listener in its predatory jaws, proceeding to devour any such devotees with almost Herculean dexterity, not to mention elephantine grace, as the ambient sound-mix envelopes and enwraps you, combining seductively smooth vibes with gargantuan slabs of beastly cacophony – a rampaging, trumpeting collection of tracks that will keep you coming back for more…and more….
Overall this is an eclectic body of enterprise and invention, Imperator showing Mammuthus branching out into a whole new realm in their and heavy rock’s tempestuous plateaus. From the incisive and invasive swings of Jay Rodeo’s beats, the prowling growling bestiality of Matt Bradford’s bass to the distorted yet melodically searing weaving of Josh Micallef’s guitar, the whole creation brought to life by Josh’s inner and vocal snarling. The album is a hulking combination of visceral sound and intimidation upon the senses but, as proven by the likes of tracks such as Formless featuring EJ from End Boss, it is equally a source of keen surprise and untethered imagination. In other words, the variation of light and dark, light and heavy, across this set of monstrous moments is a genuine discovery!
For growth and evolution any fertile land needs some sense of destruction to further blossom, and Mammuthus are set to trample all over the stoner and doom rock landscape with Imperator whilst sowing the seeds of dense pleasure. This beast has plenty of rude and raucous life in it!
Set to be released on July 7th, Imperator was recorded and mixed by James Goldsmith and mastered by Will Borza, and also features the Mark Mundell of Planet of the Dead as guest vocalist in “King Of The Dead”.
