Tuesday 12 September 2017

UFOMAMMUT - 8 (Album Review)


Release date: September 22nd 2017. Label: Neurot Recordings (US)/Supernatural Cat Records (Europe) Format: CD/DD/VInyl

8 – Tracklisting

1. Babel
2. Warsheep
3. Zodiac
4. Fatum
5. Prismaze
6. Core
7. Wombdemonium
8. Psyrcle

Members

Urlo
Poia
Vita

Review

The last two Ufomammut albums, 2012's Oro: Opus Primium And Opus Altar and 2015's Ecate were the bands first releases for Neurot Recordings in North America and Supernatural Cat Records in Europe. This saw the bands songs and production elevating them to new levels through their sheer power.

With their latest and eighth album (again on Neurot/Supernatural Cat), they have raised the bar again with a phenomenal display of intensity and the songs take on their own sense of epic power. The riffs that propelled the band from their earliest material are still there in spades and they sound fresh and fuller than ever on this record and just as hypnotising.

It is these hypnotic riffs that are the cornerstone of the Ufommammut sound and sound bigger than ever, riffs that could destroy planets, such is their power. They also have a graceful nature to them too though and sound human and real with soul and depth to them despite their massively heavy sound.

The riffs are not the whole story obviously though and the bass and drums form a formidable backdrop for the riffs to snake around and all three of these elements congregate together to overwhelm you with that constantly satisfying Ufomammut barrage of pure sound. Add to this the bands trademark droning vocals and more fantastic use of synthesizers and you have an album that will delight any fans of doom, sludge, stones, drone and many more styles of heavy music.

From opening track, the mammoth Babel to the spacey closet Psyrcle, the riffs and grooves come not thick and fast but thick, slow and encased in a hazy groove but with enough power to more than satisfy the heaviest appetites of rabid fans.

From epic tracks like Babel and the monumental Zodiac to more shorter, more precise but no less impressive tracks like the riffs that appear like a massive cloud of smoke on Warsheep, the fantastic vision of Prismaze and the haunting Wombdemonium to name but a few, this is a masterclass in heavy riffing and aggressive but hazy grooves that you will not tire of listening to.

The trio of bassist and vocalist Urlo, guitarist Poia and drummer Vita play their hearts out and the band have matured into a formidable musical unit with the songs taking on lives of their own both as single entities and as a whole, in fact the entire album is a trip to listen to from start to finish.

Ufomammut have been steadily growing as a band with each album they release and when the results are as good as they are on 8, it has been well worth the wait for each record. The bands next challenge is just how they will top such a momentous and powerful album like this.

Words by Gavin Brown

8 will be released to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Neurot Recordings (US) and Supernatural Cat Records (Europe) from September 22nd 2017.

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