Acid Mammoth – 'Caravan': A fuzz-tastic album!

Having recently caught them live at an earsplittingly loud show on the Temple stage, it's time to write about the latest release from the Athenian doom metallers Acid Mammoth! The record came out on 05/03/2021 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

The continuation of an excellent run

Having already released 2 albums and a split EP with the band "1782" from Italy, with whom they share a label, Heavy Psych Sounds, ACID MAMMOTH released earlier this year their third record in 4 years! Maybe the repeated lockdowns and the free time in the midst of a pandemic helped a bit….. Still, the band channelled its creative energy to put out yet another record paying tribute to the musical idiom of doom metal.

On the cover this time we find not one, but 5 mammoths walking like a caravan searching for a safe destination on an inhospitable planet. I don't know what the destination will be, but the journey is full of psychedelic doom melodies! The album consists of 5 compositions (as many as the mammoths on the cover) with a total runtime of just over 40 minutes, with the longest of them (the title track "Caravan") clocking in at 11 minutes and 7 seconds!

On the music

The record kicks off with the track "Berserker”. The distinctive laugh heard in its introduction creates an atmosphere straight out of noir horror films. It's the most "pop" track on the record, clocking in at 5 minutes, with a style that's characteristic of the rest of the album.

Second track “Psychedelic Wasteland” and the distortions of the intro give way to a slow-dragging, heavy rhythm accompanied by eerie drums that, together with the vocals -clearly referencing Sabbath's melodic lines- build a musical mysticism.

“Ivory Towers” is the third track on the record, and the guitar riffs seem written to bring down concert venues….Also very distinctive is the drumming, which ties the track's atmosphere together with a dash of doom magic.

The next song is the title track “Caravan” for which the band has released a psychedelic video clip running just over 11 minutes….The track is yet another doom anthem, while at points they flirt with post metal and 70s psychedelia, with the characteristic riffs repeating and taking you on a journey. The band themselves wrote about the track: “Caravan represents fully what the new album is about. This 11-minute giant features crushing riffs reeking of fuzz and elephantine drumming, mesmerizing vocals and mountainous bass lines. It is a product of witchcraft, a trance-inducing journey into the black void. Beware, for this horde of gargantuan beasts comes raging towards you with the force of a thousand black orbs!”

In the end, pure fuzz!

The last track on the album, the fuzz-drenched “Black Dust”. The intense fuzz on the guitars from the start of the track and the constant repetition of a genuine sabbath-esque riff accompanied by bursts (double kick blasts) on the drums complete the journey into the magical doom world of Acid Mammoth.

True to their principles

The Acid Mammoth they're not reinventing the wheel, but they're consistent about the sound they want to build and the musical idiom they want to serve. The album's production is quite a bit better than their previous work, and the compositions serve their purpose: to create a dark and mesmerizing journey into the void….

In conclusion: highly recommended for fans of doom metal and Sabbath-esque riffs!

Rate: 8.5/10