LP Review: Throneless - 'Throneless'

Sweden - a hot-bed of doom metal - have spawned another band determined to deliver monolithic slabs of heavy. Throneless, a 3-piece who hail from Malmö, are the latest signing by Italian imprint Heavy Psyche Sounds whose roster includes Black Rainbows, Karma To Burn & Ape Machine. Their self-titled debut recorded by the band themselves features 4 tracks of slow BPM, head-banging, down-tuned drones, that leaves you hypnotised and beaten into submission by the sheer power of their sound. 

Sonically, Throneless here sound fucking huge and you’d be mistaken to think this is a three guitar attack, with such dense, chewy fuzz and layered guitars. There’s a great organic ‘live' feel to the record too which puts you inside the room with the band, most probably alone, and in the dark... 

They’ve captured a real brooding menace that seeps its presence across every track, epitomised by the distant howls of the vocals. Like a long, dark, cold Scandinavian winter, there’s a gloomy shadow which casts long over this record. There are moments when I wanted to hear a bit more of the drop-out parts where the clean sounds build again to drown you in a huge wave of sound, but that’s a minor quibble. 

This is a solid debut which will earn Throneless fans into the likes of Ufomammut, Bongripper, Conan and Yob, and offers enough to suggest that they will explore new ground in the future for the genre. But it can’t get any heavier than this, can it...? 

Throneless are:

Johan Burman - drums

Johan Sundén - guitar

Patrik Sundberg - bass

Check them on Facebook | Bandcamp

Sunday Cinema: XV - 15 Years of Ufomammut

"Seth, where's the bin with all the Christmas decorations in it?"

Is she serious? I set aside a few hours this morning to saturate myself in the heaviest of Italian sludge cosmos and she's doing her damnedest to create a distraction. It's been a long time comin', but I've finally carved some time to dig into Ufomammut's DVD retrospective, XV. Countless extraneous variables contributed to this delay, but none more joy-bursting than the sound of my better half barking stupid questions about anything and damn-near everything.

Fifteen years? Hardly seems like it. These spacey sludgers have spanned an entire career evolving, innovating, and preparing lesson after lesson on how to structure and craft what amounts to a marriage of the ethereal and the unwritten. As the film points out, Ufomammut initially sought to fuse space with prehistoric men. Extracted relics have, for years, been slung beyond our galaxy's man-made bounds. They've drawn dyads so distinct, one of distance and staggering intimacy, one so exhausting that it's hard to believe it's also so immersive. This peek into the band's magick parallels Ufomammut's objective as well as it explains it.

Consider first the live twelve-track performance, a grainy, snuffed context accompanying the galactic sludge-doom infancy of early tracks like Superjunkhead and Zerosette. Filtered through black-and-white and sepia masks and laced with disorienting lumbers, you'd think you'd stumbled into a club's back gate and struck psychedelic gold. Over time, though, you're privy to an ongoing chemistry few acts can boast. Urlo, Poia, and Vita rip the same page and inflict the same glaze, performing as if they either don't know or don't care that viewers are having their senses raped by Helter-Skelter imagery. Throughout their tenure, Ufomammut have steadily swelled the importance of visually-stimulating sidecars. Here they blur lines between band, fan, and stagehand. And when Poia offers a warm smile at Stigma's end, we know that they know: they fucking nailed it.

On the documentary's end of things, the band's formation and initial lineup changes quickly give way to explanations on why they've remained a power trio. And when one former keyboardist sounds all at once vain and jealous while another dons a Lucha Libre mask and offers odd praises, it's hard to argue the band's decision to keep the fat trimmed. But where the doc most excels is not in what it historically explains, but in how it offers the explanation. Malleus delivers simple, straightforward, and chronological reflections on Ufomammut's evolutions. Much like their songs and, later, their albums, Ufomammut developed slowly over time. Godlike Snake was rough, they say. Snailking was an extension that received no promotion, and Lucifer Songs offered the band a chance to transition their sound. But oh, what followed...

This is just as Ufomammut has always been. The commitment to evolution and progress is evident throughout their catalog, and this is both directly and indirectly outlined here. Even as they discuss their early works and the accomplishments therein, the band is quick to acknowledge their shortcomings and resulting strides. It's also refreshing to learn a band as accomplished as this is open to criticism, is engaging with audiences of any size, and holds true to the roots they set down fifteen years prior. They honor fans and touring support as much as they honor their own sound, and they insist on doing it all them-fucking-selves. Awesome.

XV essentially offers two films. Magickal Mastery Live is low-slung sludge jams laced with a visual haze dripping from every moment's borders. At times, the band appears swallowed and any epileptic should turn back now. Jumpy, nervous, and laced with ancient symbols, there's no better supplement to one of the world's finest psychedelic doom acts than these eighty minutes. The visuals blanket the sounds with malevolent imperfection, crafting a full-circle experience that's a trippy cocktail of dark warps and burned retinas.

Of course the interviews are more sobering, though they're hardly less interesting. The band's DIY ethic runs a ribbon through 2012's double-album Oro (Opus Primus / Opus Alter), essentially one riff expanded into ninety minutes. The band delves deepest here, and not because the double album is their most recent. It's assertively their most complex and mature, another in a series of statements and stomps forward. Vocals are another instrument, something most Heavy Planet readers would acknowledge. But it's the visual element that's developed into the missing link, the emotive corner the band truly polished over time.

For fifteen years, Ufomammut have strung a series of increasingly expansive and fluid sounds, all interwoven and fortified with the threads of unmatched heaviness. So when the band's members deflect accolades and attempt to acknowledge the luck they've experienced, it's difficult to buy. These three men have become Ufomammut, and Ufomammut has become these three men. They set out to "play the heaviest stuff in the world." XV holds three-plus hours of footage illustrating just how they managed to pull this off.

Site | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Supernatural Cat | Neurot Recordings | Malleus

Seth's Top 12 of 2012

ZAC: "Dad? Dad?! Hey Dad!"

REG: "WHAT?! Goddammit!"

ZAC: "How come Seth gets to make two lists this year and we only got one? Sludge, non-sludge... who gives a fuck?!"

TOBY: "Yeah, Dad. Totally not cool. He just whines and gets whatever he wants all the time. "

REG: "That's not true, it's just that..."

KEN: "Oh, COME ON! Ever since he flunked 7th grade you've taken this new age, Montessori approach to dealing with all his bullshit, so he just does whatever the hell he wants."

REG: "Who's the parent here! I am! Lee and Mark turned out alright, didn't they?"

TOBY: "Dad, we haven't seen them in months."

REG: "They've just been in the basement."

ZAC: "What about Misha?"

*Silence*

REG: "Alright, look. It's no secret your brother's always been different. He asked if he could make two lists, and I didn't want another argument. I mean, he was raised in the Midwest, he seems to do alright so long as he's not..."

KEN: "Fuckin' typical, Dad!"

1. The Midnight Ghost Train - Buffalo

I was disappointed when Karma to Burn had to pull themselves from a Chicago show with Truckfighters in March. I hung around the merch booth and tried my best not to be "that guy." Ozo and Pezo were approachable and warm, so when I spoke of missing KtB, they immediately assured me I wouldn't be disappointed. The Midnight Ghost Train took stage and Steve Moss immediately commanded everyone's ear. You'll hear about Buffalo being the next closest thing to TMGT's live show, and it's a safe assessment of David Barbe's excellent production.

The reason I've chosen Buffalo as 2012's best album is because it fucking was. Call it stoner-rock, delta blues, or grit-groovin', muddy soul, this stomper has it all. Every track ties into the album as a whole, though the themes aren't lost when examining each song in itself. I love the fuzz, but that's not enough to craft one of the finest stoner-rock records I've ever heard. Moss is true to his roots, whether they be in Topeka or Buffalo, and you can hear every calloused, bone-stiff blue collar American in this thirty minute trip. I guess the simplest terms and most convenient definitions boil down to this: Buffalo is 100% homegrown.

2. Pelican - Ataraxia / Taraxis

Ataraxia / Taraxis demonstrates both Pelican's fidelity to longtime loyals and their open arms to fresh ideas. The band does more in these eighteen minutes than most bands do on a double-disc greatest hits compilation. Here, Pelican reach their pinnacle with a balance of technical and absolutely fucking beautiful, an accomplished and sand-caked progression toward ever-escalating volume and scope. Ataraxia / Taraxis is only the most recent in a string of assertions that Pelican lead the pack of instrumental outfits. At times illusory and other times heavy, this EP is considerably expansive for its brevity. Contrasting moods and harmonies will have listeners enthralled, while Pelican's musicianship remains simply unmatched.

3. Wo Fat - The Black Code

Riffs. Endless fuzz. It's The Black Code's thickness that sets it apart from the balance of 2012's stoner metal releases. Wo Fat have reached their apex, jamming with a psychedelia that keeps the swamp teeming with sin. The songwriting finds the band at their best (so far), and the fuzz is no detraction from the craft. Dissect this disc from any perspective and you'll find reason to keep coming back. This chewy release is moldy Texas Toast slathered in bourbon barbecue glaze. Fucking delicious.

4. Greenleaf - Nest of Vipers

Composed of accomplished musicians from accomplished acts, it'd be easy for Greenleaf to ride their own coattails and trust that fans of Dozer and Truckfighters would buy the record anyway. It's impossible to deny these songs, and all of Nest of Vipers is timeless and nearly flawless. Our buddy Lee made heavy mention of the record's drumwork, and I'd be a fool to leave it out of this endorsement. I loved this album for adding up to more than the sum of its parts. Exceeding expectations is no easy task. Greenleaf breeze through it.

5. Ufomammut - Oro Opus Primum

It took Oro Opus Primum for me to fully embrace Ufomammut's supernatural, ultra-expansive space-metal. But hallelujah, holy shit... the deceptive tranquility builds toward cosmic doom, all the while the band exercises an incredible use of dynamic progressions. I had a hard time even approaching Oro Opus Alter, simply because I was so stunned by Primum. The natural pacing alone puts this album among the year's best, but Ufomammut's execution and songcraft cement their status as otherworldly luminaries.

6. Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

If I learned anything about my tastes in 2012, it was that I succumb to drone as easily as I fall for sludge. There's something cathartic and melancholy about drawn out progressions hovering as they snag my sensibilities and make others question my tastes. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II was 2012's first album that I played incessantly. These five songs perfectly complemented any mood, lending themselves to whatever I was feeling on that day. At times minimalistic, at times incredibly instrumentally proficient, it's easy to see how Earth inspired countless acts. These experimentations are more powerful and memorable than what many bands take years to construct.

7. Nate Hall - A Great River

I'd heard Nate Hall recorded A Great River in the span of one night, and I believe it. Taking an evening away from U.S. Christmas ended up being far more layered and pained than you'd expect from one man with one guitar. Hall plunges himself toward some heartbreaking depths, taking listeners with him. If these songs don't pluck your heart strings, your blood has finally gone cold.

8. Horseback - Half Blood

Well, here comes that weird chill. That chill that only the finest drone metal can inspire. The atmospheres of Half Blood are enough to complement those vocals you can't ignore. The keys and chimes are surprisingly effective, and the guitar layers showcase a band committed to doing things however they feel. Experimentation? I can't say. But I'm hearing more and more with each listen. An album that evolves is an album I can't leave alone.

9. Christian Mistress - Possession

I've got a soft spot for female vocalists in a genre heavily dominated by gruff, aggressive frontmen. When metal's catchy, I get nervous. But when Christine Davis harmonizes over old-school heavy metal hellfire, it's impossible not to get lost in the hooks. The best part? I burned a copy for my wife (a fan of Heart and Joan Jett) and introduced her to 2012's finest nod to NWOBHM.

10. Alice Tambourine Lover - Naked Songs

Alice Tambourine Lover immediately took me on the most bare and basic of trips. The songs are organic and stripped to the bone. Sometimes a woman's voice hits deeper than anything, and pairing Romanelli's guitar warble with Albertazzi's hauntingly sexy vocal is a recipe for some cool jams. I immediately swooned at the stoner slides, but that voice will set you adrift.

11. Snarf - Arrak Bisa Ular

Zac called this album "a prolonged sense of paranoia." This spooky set left me removing my headphones and checking doors and windows. Sprawling and patient, Snarf stuck with me for days. The hypnosis i entered was never a comfortable one, but it was never one I could pull myself from.

12. Pilgrim - Misery Wizard

Alright, let's slow things down. If you struggle to remain patient with your children, leave this album alone. But there was no way this album, what I would call the year's finest classic doom release, wasn't making an appearance. I love the plod, I love the patience, and I love that Pilgrim doesn't care if I love it or not. There are Sabbath nods, and there are hardly any tempo shifts, but I could plug away with Pilgrim all day. Straight-forward and at times completely malevolent, I loved every second. Every weepy, drawn-out second.

Album Review - Ufomammut - Oro - Opus Primum

Weekends at music festivals are trying times, amidst the over-priced crap, the touristy families with parents who are clearly too old to still be doing it, and the people who are clearly there more to do drugs, than to listen to the music that they are meant to do drugs to (sweeping generalization, but you get jaded after a while.) Luckily i'm a music lover, so with that in mind I spent my previous weekend in the belly of the beast at a Grateful Dead inspired festival known as Gathering of the Vibes. I'm not one to sport the "Steal your Face" emblems to begin with, but there were some tremendous funk/prog acts playing- so I got to catch some amazing technical and experimental music aside from all the spaced out jamminess. Oh, and one little super-weirdo band called Primus played - new buttholes were torn. Inbetween the tremendous bass grooves, I could not help but notice their incorporation of ambient sounds into their music. Hippie fest aside, some wonky tripped out husamawhatsit noises were definitely out there in the context of the environment. It does make one think- if Primus can get away with such things- is it wholly impossible for other psychedelic groups to blow minds in the festival environment?

One such group could be Ufomammut. These Italian doom-manglers have been with us for over a decade and a couple months ago put out Oro - Opus Primum, the first 5 movements of a 10 movement double CD work. Since then, they've been touring, hitting up metal festivals and mothers alike in support of the record.

The 5 movements are as follows :
1. Imperium
2. Aureum
3. Infearnatural
4. Magickon
5. Mindomine

"Imperium" - The first work brings to light the ominous synth motif which is present in other parts of the record. This drones on for a good while, with spacey noise penetrating listeners until the underlying riff comes to full fruition around 8 minutes and plods for a while with continued indulgence into freaked out high pitched sci-fi synth effects.

"Aureum" is a big bombastic war-march into the depths, starting out with droned Dopesmoker-tinged riffage. This song is a demonstrator of what one could think of as the "riffball effect", having a riff that starts slow and grinding until it eventually gains more drive and punch till becoming a sludge bonanza - that's what's going on here. It goes on until around 8:10 wherein the bass echoes and the introduction is reintroduced.

"Infearnatural" - A slow droning tune. Stays the same pace for the entire song. The guitars grind and fluxuate with the bass- and there are a couple wild synth effects thrown on top (in the beginning they allude to vocals.) The synth provides a swirling set of modal images which are layered atop the drone. This isn't your yogi's tambura drone!

"Magickon"- The main theme is brought backOv and looped. Adjoined by synth swirls until the bass doubles the melody an octave lower at around 4:45. Minimalism and Doom - can't be bad for you!

"Mindomine"- The final track on the record evokes a sort of creeping doom - laden with eerie vocal squelches! The opening riff once again grows in intensity over the course of the song- beating out a 7/4 followed by a 4/4 rhythm. This tune kind of evokes the atmospheric density of Isis (sans the vocals of course) and continuously lurches forward. The guitar kicks in around 3:22 and adds textural support until unleashing a brazen sludge bridge until seaguing back into a drone. The theme is pounded out by all members with colossal intent until grinding to a ferent end tailed out by off-kilter reverberations.

Overall, the record is a must-listen to for any fan of the atmospheric, drone-doom, or funeral doom paradigms. It's much more enjoyable to listen to in a single sit-down, the songs are meant to segue into one another and create a world for you to stomp around in (and prevent the dead heads from getting to you)! Stay tuned for the final five movements on their September-bound release Oro - Opus Alter. 

Ufomammut is

Urlo - Bass, Synths, Vocals

Poia - Guitars, FX

Vita - Drums

((facebook l website l twitter l bandcamp ))

Heavy Planet's Top 20 of 2010: #5 to #1

Well, as you have anxiously been anticipating, here are my Top 5 albums of 2010. At this time I would also like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and look forward to hearing some great new music in the upcoming new year.

#05. Ramesses-Take the Curse (Ritual Productions)

I couldn't wait for this album to come out, and after listening to it through the first time I had no doubt that it would be a perfect fit in my Top 10. Unfortunately, there were four other albums that hit me a bit harder than this fine release, otherwise it would have been ranked higher.

What others had to say:

Mike Kemp, (Rocksound.tv)

"Hailing from the darkest depths of Dorset and featuring the original Electric Wizard rhythm section, Ramesses don’t piss about when it comes to delivering weighty slabs of pure, malignant doom. Their second full-length, ‘Take The Curse’ is as dark and claustrophobic as they come, bursting at the seams with massive sludge riffs and enjoyably camp soundbites from 70s horror flicks. The production is appropriately dank and musty, adding an extra layer of unpleasantness to numbers like ‘Black Hash Mass’ and ‘Baptism Of The Walking Dead’, the latter sounding like an Autopsy record spinning at the wrong speed. Doom the fuck out."

Doommantia.com

"I first heard the tracks off "Take The Curse" almost a year ago now when a friend sent me their CDR promo that was circulating at the time, it was such a killer collection of songs that i lent out the disc to another so called friend and never saw the CD or that dude ever again! Finally after nearly a year of waiting i have the album back again and it was worth the wait. Released on the Ritual Productions label, it is due for a official release on April 19th. The CD comes in 2 alternative covers with glossy artwork and the first 200 copies comes with a exclusive limited edition collector's art card set, made especially for this release. What is remarkable about Ramesses is they have become a big influence to a lot of bands but have only ever released one previous full length album which was "Misanthropic Alchemy" released in 2007. They have released a couple of split albums with other bands and a couple of EP's including last years brilliant "Baptism of the Walking Dead". The power doom-trio have a originality that is hard to compare with anyone else which is the band's strongest point and on "Take The Curse", they have taken their sound to the next level of sonic extremes and accessibility." Read more...

Listen

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#04. U.S. Christmas-Run Thick in the Night (Neurot)

After the release of their brilliant 2008 release "Eat the Low Dogs", I did not believe that album could be surpassed. On "Run Thick In The Night", the band continues to explore the boundaries of music: dark, brooding, spacey, trippy, chilling or whatever you want to call it, USX simply puts out some truly phenomenal music. I think they just might be one of my new favorite bands!

What others had to say:

Evan, SwanFungus.com

"A few months ago one of my friends was hanging out at South By Southwest (you all know how I feel about that shit, my friend is lucky I still speak to him), and I made him promise me that he would check out U.S. Christmas. I think they were playing a Neurot showcase. I don’t remember. He sent me a text mid-way through their set saying that the band’s percussionist was frying on mushrooms, and that the band sounded incredible. For the first time in my life, I was actually jealous of somebody at SXSW. I guess there is a first for everything." Read more...

Jon Neudorf, Sea of Tranquility.org

"Purveyors of Hawkwind and early Floyd should be interested in Run Thick In The Night, the new album from space/psych rockers US Christmas. It is their fifth release to date and the follow up to Eat The Low Dogs. US Christmas has been around for about ten years but I have to admit this is the first time I have come across the band's music. Band members include Nate Hall (words, voice, slide, electric and acoustic guitar), Matt Johnson (electric guitar, synthesizers), Meghan Mulhearn (violin, voice), Josh Holt (bass, drones, synthesizers), BJ Graves (drums, percussion), Justin Whitlow (drums, controlled feedback) and Chris Thomas (guitar, bass)." Read more... 
 
Listen 
 
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#03. Ufomammut-Eve (Supernatural Cat)
 
 

Usually I am not really into the critically aclaimed albums because frankly I just don't understand what all the hype is about but this album is worth all the hype. It is a tremendous result of how well an album can be constructed. If you have never heard anything by this band, Eve is a great place to start.

What others had to say:

Matt Mooring, MetalReview.com

"“Ufomammut are gonna make a big splash with this album."

Seems like I’ve been saying that since 2004, when I first heard Snailking. But for whatever reason, these Italians still seem to be flying under the radar of most doom fans. Maybe it’s their peculiar moniker or the fact that you may have to search a bit to find their releases. But really, there’s no good reason that the doom faithful would miss out on a band capable of chest rattling riffery worthy of Electric Wizard, the hypnotic incantations of Om, and ensnaring ambient intensity of Neurosis and Isis. Of course, Ufomammut don’t actually sound like any of these bands. They don’t actually sound like ANY band. But the trio have honed their attack, forging their own lethal brand of psychedelic doom, and Eve may well be their finest hour." Read more...

Deafsparrow.com

"The line between art and entertainment is totally blurred with Eve, the sixth recording of Italian psyche-doomsters Ufomammut. This new offering is a slow burn and as such, it may require too much from the average listener to enjoy. Others, wiser, more patient and with more sophisticated taste will realize that even though this is best consumed in one sitting it may take several listens to discover and get engaged by the hidden grooves and the slow ascensions presented here. For most, Eve may be too artsy. Hence, not entertaining, nor rocking enough. For others, most already familiar with Ufomammut’s past works, this will be a trip worth ingesting and digesting." Read more... 
 
Listen 
 
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#02. Droids Attack-Must Destroy (Crustacean Records)

After the release of Droids Attack's previous effort Fatal/Error, I didn't think the band could get any better, man was I wrong. Although the band incorporates some pretty silly lyrics into their music, I could seriously care less. I just want to fuckin' rock, man and these guys do not hold anything back. This album cured my urge for some serious classic stoner rock riffage with a dash of punk thrown in for good measure.

What others had to say:

Jay Snider, (HellRide.com)

"You’re not likely to get more bluesy riffs and swagger on any other album this year. Droids Attack have again pushed all the right buttons, when it comes to my love for big, classy riffs and Must Destroy will probably end up on my next, horribly disfigured “year end best of list” as a result of their groovy prowess."

DeafSparrow.com

"Life’s not fair, you know. While most bands spend all their years in existence trying to write one good song and a not so sizeable portion of others manage to do so and live off it, others, like Droids Attack, make it seem so easy and write whole albums of high quality chutzpah and high energy music. What’s more infuriating, they make it seem like a joke. A good joke. I mean, they have a song called "The Unforgiven 4" for chrissakes! Taking a look at the digipack you can tell these droids aren’t about getting deep and making you think sad thoughts. Yeah, they may be dressed as soldiers in the second world war but that robot mascot – named Robo – is beyond cute and apparently he is an enlisted stoner fanatic too" Read more...

Listen 
 
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#01. Barn Burner-Bangers (Metal Blade)

While not critically acclaimed, the album gained some pretty decent reviews. This album was one of the first releases of the year and I just couldn't get enough of it. It is just one of those albums that gets your blood flowing. The band deemed themselves “the 3 headed love child of Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and Fu Manchu“. A pretty accurate statement I must say. I also hear a little C.O.C. influence in there as well. After reading that statement I knew it would have to be great.

What others had to say:

OneMetal.com

"Montreal, Canada-based 4-headed riff machine Barn Burner don’t believe in beating around the bush. Album opener ‘Holy Smokes’ comes roaring out of the gate with a direct aggressiveness that lays out the band’s stall in no uncertain terms – no atmospheric intro, no acoustic lead-in, hell, there’s not even a hi-hat four count – from the second you press play, you’re blasted by guitars, bass and drums in full hell-for-burnished-leather mode. Self-described as “the 3 headed love child of Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and Fu Manchu“, the band’s commitment to dirty, sleazy riffage mingled with a punkish rawness and a hard-partying attitude is undisputable. The fifth track, ‘Runnin Reds’, in particular sounds like it could slot neatly onto Black Flag‘s Damaged II album, while mid-album 6:38 epic ‘Brohemoth’ showcases a more thunderous, mid-paced side of the band’s musicianship, barrelling along on crashing, discordant riffage and downtuned stomp." Read more...

The Klepto

"It's easy to write a lot about a band that is bad, or a band that has lots of ups and downs, but for the acts that are solid throughout, unless you listen to the album repeatedly - enough to fully digest it's complexities - then it is damn difficult to make a decent article about it. Barn Burner is one of those acts. Their debut (I believe) album, Bangers, is a solid rendition of rockin' and groovin' stoner metal. They play the blues-tinged, funk-riddled style of the genre which is my favorite. Every song - while great - sounds similar to the one previous and the one after, there is no way to pick the stand-outs, no song falls behind either, all are of the same caliber, all of them rock!" Read more...
 
Listen 
 
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Honorable mentions:
 
Kylesa-Static Tensions
Monster Magnet-Mastermind
Venomin James-Crowe Valley Blues
Fatso Jetson-Archaic Volumes
Yawning Man-Nomadic Pursuits
Brant Bjork-Gods & Goddesses
Dax Riggs-Say Goodnight To The World
Loimann-Towards Higher Consciousness

Read #20-#16 here
Read #15-#11 here
Read #10-#06 here

CD Review: Ufomammut - Eve

As seen on The Klepto's Guide:

Ok, I am now just getting the message that countless others before me have realized: Ufomammut is awesome! Their style of doom is a great rendition of the genre. Slow and menacing, heavy but minimal, with long songs (well, song) and few words, Eve is a powerhouse of an album.

Eve is the only album I have heard by Ufomammut so far, so while their Wikipedia page has them listed as 'experimental,' I only know them as doom, and perhaps a bit sludge, but only in the rare section. Eve is a massive tale; one almost 45-minute song, split (on some versions) into six sections/tracks, with each part bringing it's own little flourishes to the song. Because of the complexities in reviewing an album of this caliber (it is almost impossible to tell where one section ends and another begins), I cannot really give a decent - or long - review. Just know that Eve is an excellent display of new doom, with a splash of stoner, sludge, and psychedelia thrown in for flavor. There is supposedly a message in there somewhere, and I missed it, but it really doesn't matter. The music carries on where the lyrics fall short. I really want to hear more from Ufomammut, and because I have all of their discography (five more albums), I can have that chance.

...but not until the new year.

Official/MySpace/>Facebook

Ufomammut Returns to the Stage

Ufomammut will be performing live this July 19, along with Morkobot, at the Why Not? Festival.

July 19, 2008: Fiorenzuola D`arda, IT - Why Not? Fest at Zona Stadio, with Dyskinesia


Also, Ufomammut`s performance at Magnolia is now online. You can view the show, which features tracks from Idolum, here.

Listen To the New Ufomammut "Idolum"

Listen to the entire new album, Idolum, due out May 7 here. The bonus track from the vinyl edition, “Hermeat,” can be downloaded from that site also.

Track listing:

1. Stigma
2. Stardog
3. Hellectric
4. Ammonia
5. Destroyer
6. Nero
7. Hermeat
8. Elephantom
9. Void

Ufomammut to Release New Album

"Idolum" is the title of the upcoming new album of Ufomammut. It`ll be licensed by Supernaturalcat in April 2008. Release dates are: April 22 (Italy)and May 7 (US/Europe). Recorded in Milano at Magnolia studio and mixed and mastered at Locomotore Studio in Roma, the album proudly features Lorenzo Stecconi as SoundLord.

"Idolum" is a new chapter in the sonic adventure of Ufomammut, presenting a sensible evolution in the sound and in the structure of the songs: dark atmospheres, simple and mastodontic song frameworks, a different idea of psichedelic rock.

"Idolum" is a Latin word meaning "ghost" and "idea" at the same time, representing the massive and hidden presence as the main concepts of the album.

Rose Kemp astonishing voice will be guest in "Ammonia," while Lorenzer of Lento has provided powerful sonic waves on "Elephantom" with his six strings. You can listen previews of some songs on www.myspace.com/ufomammut.

"Idolum" will be out in a first limited and numbered edition of 500 pieces. This edition will include double 180gr. black vinyl and CD.

The package will be on heavy cardboard hand-silkscreened by Malleus Rock Art Lab.

For more info, visit www.supernaturalcat.com

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