Sweden's Mammoth Volume has been delivering their brand of fuzzy 'stoner-by-the-way-of-progressive rock' music over a couple of albums now, and with their latest release Raised Up By Witches, their vision seems to have really hit its stride. Borrowing from such acts as The Doors, Graveyard, Hawkwind, and All Them Witches, Mammoth Volume delivers bluesy, often times proggy garage rock that drifts in and out of genre classification that keeps the listener guessing where they will go next. There is plenty of fuzz on the hard rocking opener "The Battle of Lightwedge", but then some trippy synths and psychedelia come out alongside Jim Morrison's styled vocals on the dreamy "Black Horse Beach". "Scissor Bliss" is another hard one to figure out, as one-minute big stoner riffs collide with psychedelic synth noodling and Mothers of Invention-style weirdness. "Diable III: Faces in the Water" is full-on homage to fellow Swedes Graveyard, a furious mix of '70s blues rock and Scandinavian stoner...killer track, with some cool twin guitar harmonies thrown in for good measure. The band take a dip into 1960's psychedelic pop with "Lisa", and once more toss the listener into synth-heavy prog on "Serpent in the Deep". The hard rocking guitars come out on the frantic and complex "Cult of Eneera", one of Raised By Witches' heavier tracks, more psychedelic garage rock permeates "A Tale About a Photon", while closer "SÃ¥ngen om Ymer" is quirky Scandinavian progressive rock, dripping with folky atmosphere and containing some nice guitar noodling and synth elements.
To be honest, it's taken me quite a few months to warm up to Raised Up By Witches , and even as we near the end of 2024, I'm not sure I've fully grasped all that is going on here even after living with this for a good chunk of the year already. It's definitely one of 2024's more eclectic releases and so hard to describe musically, but I think anyone who loves Scandinavian rock music probably expects that anyway. Give it a try, and see what you think...Mammoth Volume will certainly keep you guessing every step of the way!
Track Listing
1.
The Battle of Lightwedge 04:00
2.
Black Horse Beach 04:55
3.
Scissor Bliss 06:49
4.
Diablo III: Faces in the Water 02:57
5.
Lisa 05:05
6.
Serpent in the Deep 04:19
7.
Cult Of Eneera 05:10
8.
A Tale about a Photon 05:30
9.
SÃ¥ngen om Ymer 06:37
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
