Formed
in 1999, Italian avant-rockers UFOmammut are a psychedelic sludge
band with influences ranging from Neurosis, Kyuss, Pink Floyd
and early Sabbath. Consisting of core trio Poia (Guitars, Synths),
Urlo (Bass, Vocals, Synths, Fx) and Vita (Drums), they invite
Lorenzer of ‘Lent0’ and vocalist Rose Kemp to add
their magic to two tracks. With an evil running time of 66minutes
and 6 seconds, the Italian trio deliver 7 hard-hitting tracks
which range from 5-10 minutes, the exception being the half hour
monolith ‘Void/Elephantom’ which closes proceedings.
The sound of UFOmammut is a unique combination of crushing post-metal
fused with elements of stoner rock and space-rock. Occupying a
similarly rough and unpolished aesthetic as early Isis, their
sound simmers with an apocalyptic power which is inset with spacey
undercurrents.
There
are many metal bands doing the whole post-rock dynamic thing,
attempting to stretch their downtuned riffs towards infinity and
slopping ambient dronescapes into the back-ground. UFOmammut are
a different proposition altogether and exude a classiness that
is missing from all but the league leaders (namely Isis and Pelican).
Although these aforementioned bands provide a reference point,
UFOmammut take those post-metal aesthetics to new and uncharted
heights, carving out a propulsive and constantly engaging soundscape.
As befits their genre, they produce linear-ish sound-structures
but instead of treading formulaic territories, their sound is
always focused and is committed to creating the most explosive
and energetic soundscapes possible through cleverly arranged arrangements
and a masterful grasp of tempo manipulations. Building on the
experience of their warmly-received ‘Lucifer Songs’,
‘Snailking’ and ‘Godlike Snake’ albums,
they constantly raise the intensity of their sound in each track,
with cyclical guitar, bass and drum clusters that crawl steadily
along an alien landscape like a psychotic freight-train crunching
through all that gets in its way whilst eerie fx spiral in and
out of focus. Urlo’s rasping vocals appear intermittently,
sounding tortured and muffled like they have been recorded in
the studio’s basement. This submerged quality makes them
sound like another instrument and remind one slightly of Electric
Wizard’s Jus Oborn.
Refrehsingly
‘Idolum’ is not just one constantly pounding barrage
of riffage and its variety allows its heavier dynamics to be accentuated
and made more tangible. On ‘Ammonia’ for example the
listener is greeted with spacey atmospherics and Rose Kemp’s
angelic vocal murmurs which combine with the downtuned riffage
and stoner-rock percussion to create a highly cinematic experience
that pitches light against dark. Elsewhere, the 8 minute ‘Nero’
initiates with a particularly nasty, early Isis-esque downtuned
guitar and barraging percussion cluster that meanders hypnotically
over a soundscape of wafting drones and out-of-scope vocal sample
snippets. The force of the guitar and percussion rise to the fore
with military prowess before being joined by Urlo’s rasping
vocals. The aptly named ‘Destroyer’ shifts along with
crunching momentum before slipping into a spaced out ‘Tarantula
Hawk-ey’ psyche-metal finale. The closer eptimises UFOmammut’s
now polished spacey post-metal sound, commencing with bubbling
psychedelic guitar, bass and synth excursions over which Urlo’s
raw vocals are barely audible. Almost techno-like in its progression,
each element starts to gather momentum until it explodes in a
crunch of metal-y goodness. There is a real palpable sense of
molten energy released with each motorik cluster of downtuned
riffs and Lorenzo’s powerful sonic waves give the track
its crushingly psychedelic identity. An extended foray into frequency-manipulating
ambient drone territory acts as the lull before the storm as after
several minutes, melodically oscillating space-rock melodies spark
into action to indicate the gathering of storm-clouds before the
crushing finale.
With
‘Idolum’, UFOmammut have carved out their most satisfying,
raw-to-the-bone piece of apocalyptica yet. Thoroughly engaging,
refreshingly varied and performed with real conviction, it scores
a soundtrack to ones ‘twisted super-hero’ inspired
dreams. (KS)
For
fans of: Early Isis, Cult of Luna, Escapade, Morkobot, Tarantula
Hawk
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