For those who don’t already know Mammoth Mammoth they are a dirty, heavy and immense sounding rock band hailing from Melbourne – Australia who have had their fair share of pub brawls and survived shoot ups in Strip Clubs. A fan once described their music as: “Motörhead doing mushrooms with Black Sabbath backstage at a Butthole Surfers concert!’. This is quite an accurate description as Mammoth Mammoth like to take their listeners from doom, stoner and punk music to psychedelic rock and even some glam is thrown into their musical Molotov bomb. With a fair dose of sexual tension oozing through their music they had controversy surrounding their first video which was banned for using vintage real European porn but managed over 1 million views before being taken off.
The band got their formidable “Dirty Harry” reputation as a live act playing gigs in Melbourne and received plenty of media attention which led them to success abroad signing with European label Napalm Records for their 3rd album Volume III: Hell’s Likely. In the last couple of years they have also opened up for bands such as Kyuss, Hellyeah, Sleep and Black Label Society and they are about to release this, their 4th studio album titled ‘Mount The Mountain’ later this month.
At first listen ‘Mount The Mountain’ is a beast of an album with the self titled opening track feeling like the soundtrack to one of those Aussie horror movies where a road-trip in the desert goes hideously wrong. “Spellbound” is mystical but also raw and would fit in well with a Ronnie James Dio record from the 80’s. “Hole in the Head” has an infectious blues guitar melody and takes a completely different turn musically to the opening first two tracks yet it still maintains the same aggression. “Kickin’ my Dog”falls straight into “Ace of Spades” territory with fast pace drum beats and hell for leather guitar riffing. “Procrastination” shows their true Aussie spirit not just with the inference of the title but by sounding just about like an AC/DC tribute band. “Sleepwalker” sounds like trashy rock n’ roll which is definitely a mantra of Mammoth Mammoth’s musical vocabulary. “Epitome” is epic with vocalist Mikey Tucker roaring with total conviction and the band playing dangerously and sounding absolutely filthy. “Hard Way Down” repeats the same formula that is present in the entire album, pure angry and minimal hard rock with speed and directness. “Wild and Dead”has rock anthem written all over it just like most of the songs on the album do but by this stage in the proceedings it’s also sounding a little too predictable. “Cold Liquor” is one of those songs that would sound great if you’ve had too much to drink and are ready to pass out; this is evident in the lyrics when Tucker sings: “I can’t get up without a drink in my hand” perhaps in tribute to The Doors’ “Road House Blues” alcoholic spirit. The bonus track on the album “Can’t Get You Out of my Head” is a standard rock-ditty and is just that,a bonus track as there isn’t really anything special about it.
The verdict on ‘Mount The Mountain’ is that it’s just a really cushy listener with simple rock jams that might get you motivated to go out and have a good time but there’s nothing sophisticated or original about the music. Its mighty riffs are its strength and they certainly know how to write catchy rock tunes that leave you battered and bruised. However Mammoth Mammoth only know how to write in one simple but effective style. This album is certainly no masterpiece but to a certain extent it grabs you by the throat and forces you to pay attention to its powerful riffs and catchy hooks. Go ahead and listen to it for yourself “but being that it’s supposed to be like a 44 Magnum, and should blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?”