If you’ve ever caught Mammoth Mammoth in the past, whether by playing their records or attending a gig, you know that they have a pretty tried and true formula, which is why you will be massively surprised by their new direction. Eschewing hard rocking riffs they have instead embraced the electronic, layering dark toned synths together with a variety of eerie effects to create a bleak sonic sound-scape of ambient kvlt blackened metal. Who the fuck and I trying to kid? Like fellow Aussie bruisers AC/DC and Airbourne these lager soaked rompers stomp through new album ‘Mount the Mountain’ with a formula for fun that is both as familiar and refreshing as a cold pint of your favourite tipple on a hot summer’s day. To be honest, the only change in direction from their prior two releases ‘Volume IV – Hammered Again’ and ‘Mammoth Bloody Mammoth’ (see Ave Noctum reviews passim) is that they aren’t punning the titles of classic Sabbath LPs.
The party starts with ‘Mount the Mountain’, a no nonsense thudding rocker with tinges of teenage punk snarlings, and none of the whinging and whining Emo arse gravy either, rather it’s an anthem to getting your shit together and getting on with the job of rocking. The riffs continue flying in thick and fast with ‘Spellbound’, stoner vibes threading through the fuzzier sound and trippier vocals, albeit there’s a good mix of speed in their weed as the number gallops past. AC/DC was mentioned earlier, and that comparison and influence stands out in ‘Hole In The Head’, a bluesy guitar ably supported by a thumping rhythm section and hook laden lyrics with a chorus that demands to be chanted by a festival crowd as fists pump in the air and pints aplenty are quaffed. No, there’s nothing new and revolutionary in the structure of the song, no flashy technical solos and fretwankery, just a heaping pile of infectious swagger and confidence.
The whole album chugs along solidly, with a manifesto of fun ingrained in every song. Hell, lead track ‘Sleepwalker’ pretty much encapsulates the philosophy and style of the band; watch the accompanying video and every possible cliché you might have imagined about the band is confirmed. The beards are full, the hair is long and greasy, Jack Daniels is swigged from the bottle, the uniform is denim, and shades are worn indoors. Mammoth Mammoth look like they sound and sound like they look, and they clearly offer a stiff middle finger towards anyone who disapproves. They clearly don’t take themselves too seriously, closing my copy of the album with a bonus reinterpretation of fellow antipodean Kylie’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, an idea that must surely have come about after a good smoke and a few drinks; I just hope and pray that their next video is not them preforming the song whilst wriggling around in Miss Minogue style hot-pants as I would likely lose my lunch!
Not long ago I was watching Monster Truck at a very well attended Glasgow O2 ABC which had been upgraded from the 300 capacity Wah Wah Hut to the 1300 capacity theatre, so clearly there is a market out there for pretence free rock; with ‘Mount The Mountain’ Mammoth Mammoth have delivered that in spades and this year may well see them making a step up from club shows to bigger things. This album shows they have the music to please and the enthusiasm to deliver the goods live, so get yourself to their shows and brace yourself for some fun folks.
(8/10 Spenny)
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