Mammoth Volume – The Cursed Who Perform the Larvagod Rites
Release Date: 19th August 2022
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner Rock, Progressive Stoner.
FFO: Graveyard, Kyuss, Elder, Truckfighters, Boss Keloid.
Review By: Rick Farley
Stoner rock by the mid-nineties was something fresh, cool, and beginning to catch serious fire in Sweden. A number of notable bands emerged from the early scene and began gaining notoriety. One of those bands Mammoth Volume immediately thought to differentiate themselves from the pack by adding proggy sections, jazzy breaks and melancholic ballads to the psychedelic desert rock, doomy metal influence of Kyuss and Sleep; two bands who are regarded as pioneers in developing and inspiring the style just a few years prior in California. After finding success and critical acclaim with the release of their third album, A Single Book of Songs by, the band went on a long hiatus. Fast-forward twenty years later, MammothVolume are set to release album four on Blues Funeral Recordings of genre-straddling hazy stoner prog fusion, The Cursed Who Perform the Larvagod Rites. An album that the band, themselves, promise is nothing like the fans could even imagine. “It’s not metal, it’s not Nordic folk, it’s not retro prog; but everything in between.” They are absolutely correct.
The album kicks off with The Kuleshov Effect, an earworm song if I’ve ever heard one. This track is undeniably catchy, you’ll be hooked in like you’ve been staring at a blacklight poster for far too long. The track is a pot-pourri of grunge, stoner, and seventy’s rock with its hooky six note guitar stomp, to its lush progressive chord structures and gigantic chorus all the way to its slinky solos. Vocalist Jörgen “Aston” Andersson goes from a soft falsetto, nasal tonality during the verse to dramatic highs with a bit of twang during the chorus, showing some serious vocal chops. This is a great album opener with plenty of swagger.
To further show off the band’s versatility, Osteoporos is a hypnotic ballad, complete with acoustics, shimmering keyboards, melodic low-end runs by bassist Kalle Berlin and fuzzy distorted guitar choruses. It’s a grunge feel that puts me in mind of something off Alice in Chains Sap EP, in terms of overall structure and mood. An excellent clean toned guitar solo from guitarist Daniel Gustafsson who also handles all the keyboards on the album really heightens the emotions. This song has a lot of layers, a pensive soundscape that’s deeply rooted in solemn murkiness.
The Lightwedge 60’s Race, Zombie Piccolos and the German shows its seventy’s rock quasi-metallic boogie influence in spades. This retro drenched hard rocker is a rousing reminder of days gone by. Days when rock music sounded adventurous. Drummer Nicklas Andersson bashes and grooves his way towards a psychedelic final minute of slow-moving bass, heavy synth melody, with slithery clean guitar solos and brush stroked snare. A dynamic within the song that works incredibly well.
The Cursed Who Perform the Larvagod Rites is a solid album that’s chock-full of seven really great songs, marred only by two other tracks that just don’t quite live up. Both tracks are a little north of unique to just outright weird and just don’t gel with me personally. There are, however, seven other unbelievable examples of fuzzy proggy greatness here. As much Yes and King Crimson as it is Kyuss and Dozer. Infectious melodic bouncy grooves, trippy synth textures, gnarly heavy riffs, and propulsive beats all with rich vintage tones ready to smoke down and enjoy the genre-bending vibes. Definitely worth checking out. 
(3.5 / 5)
