Idolum

Ufomammut are one of those special bands; beloved in very small circles and completely overlooked/ignored/unaware anywhere else. In the communities that keep the spirits of stoner rock and doom alive, Ufomammut are a best kept secret. Nobody even comes close to sounding like them or trying to emulate their brand of sludgy psychedelic doom.

They've been around for a few years now, Idolum is their 3rd album. Dense, heavy, thunderous riffs, echoing vocals and swirling psychedelic textures is the order of the day eith Ufomammut and they don't do it by halves. They capture a sound chanelled from somewhere else; it's otherworldly.

To a listener who isn't used to sludgy metal or doom Ufomammut would be a very difficult listen. They use relentless repetition and such a dense sound they could be perceived as dull to the uninitiated but we know better don't we! I can safely say that Idolum is on a par with their previous monster of an album; Snailking. It's not as immediate; it crawls at a slower pace and the tracks usually take longer to develop but it's worth the patience.

The biggest surprise comes in the form of `Ammonia' featuring Rose Kemp supplying wordless guest vocals. The song is quite suspenseful and subdued rather than suffocatingly heavy but Rose Kemp's vocals lift it to a higher plane altogether & make it one of the highlights in their entire discography. It's actually a fair comparison to Great Gig in the Sky by Pink Floyd - but a doom version of course!

I'm also not going to leave without mentioning the final track; Void...Elephantom. My word! I've not heard anything so colossally heavy in quite a few years! The way it erupts into that massive universe destroying riff after 4mins is utterly cathartic. The rest of this epic 27min workout traverses heavy doom riffage and subtle ambient electronic textures I think a lot more successfully than Snailking's equivalent; the 28min Demontain.

I thought Snailking would be impossible to match, especially as it's one of my favourite doom albums but Ufomammut, like all good bands have done it easily and with style.
For those into seriously heavy music and for those who want to hear something new, fresh and exciting. Album of the year for me? Long live Ufomammut!

Heavy stoner metal at its best. I am listening to it now and have the base turned right up. It is shaking the whole house with its power riffs. If you like your music heavy, then this is for you.