Crookhead is the new EP from Italian doom/sludge/stoner merchants Ufomammut, containing three tracks totaling roughly 18 minutes of music. Now, if you are at all family with these guys, who have been around for over 20 years, they play a pummeling brand of slightly psychedelic, sludgy, and droning form of doom metal, complete with massive guitar riffage, creepy & trippy atmosphere, and the occasional odd filtered vocal effects. The title track, and longest song here, starts off this quick journey with gargantuan guitar & bass riffs from Poia & Urlo, as the plodding drums, weird synth noises, and effects-laden spoken vocals add to the crushing sonic brew that Ufomammut are known for. This is intense, powerful stuff, not for the faint of heart. "Supernova" is up next, slightly more upbeat at first, but then some soaring lead guitar and atmospherics kick in, showing a more expansive, before the pummeling doom riffs and weird effects fire back, leading for more conventional half-screamed sludge vocals. It's a cool track that takes you on a wild journey. Closing with "Vibrhate", the band go for more traditional heavy stoner metal, big thumping bass grooves colliding with massive riffs and bong-soaked vocals.
With many full-length studio albums to their credit, I'm not sure Crookhead is the best place to start with Ufomammut. Still, it's a fine addition to their catalog, as they continue to show their unique brand of heavy music to the world.
Track Listing
1) Crookhead (8:58)
2) Supernova (5:11)
3) Vibrhate (3:34)