Release date: March 19th 2021. Label: Electric Valley Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
The Fire Above - Tracklisting:
Heal (7:10)
The Sun (4:10)
Shadows (7:39)
Rise (6:43)
Blade Runner (6:30)
Walk Towards That Blinds You (Blood Bong) (6:59)
Members:
Scott Fisher - Vocals, Guitars
Scott Wilson - Drums
Luis Lipovac - Bass, Backing Vocals, Organ on “Shadows” and “Rise”
Review:
The voluptuous and gradual opening done in an almost deliberately ceremonial path already foreshadow the size of the trouble that comes directly from Australia with the trio Amammoth. "Heal" is just the opening of "The Fire Above", Amammoth’s full album debut, and takes more than half of the duration to introduce the urgent and soaked in desperation Scott Fisher's vocals. But it’s also already introduces a good notion of what the work of these guys is about with a constant and standardized development, which serves the purpose of introducing in a measured way the terror like a veil that gradually disappears revealing an indescribable threat.
With a official release (or “invocation” if you prefer) scheduled for March,19 by the Italian label Electric Valley Records, “The Fire Above” is a compendium of good results and a sum of efforts that can be attributed to a band that dominates with good accurately how to manage their resources. Transiting between elements linked to Sludge Metal and Doom and mainly highlighting echoes from bands like Dopethrone, Eyehategod and Bongzilla the material meanders languidly and excruciatingly like a ceremonial dagger, lashing out mercilessly with their fuzzy punctual and dense riffs.
"The Sun" may denote the brightest and most vivid side but it can also be interpreted as the most terrifyingly hot and incinerating face of the Astro-King in the form of a Sludge / Doom epic through the Eyehategod’s influence. With methodical measures of shredding riffs and hammering drums interspersed by Fisher's sick vocals the track progresses in their hypnotic and resounding path. "Shadows" is the third and longest track of the work and again takes the due time to insert an introduction in a patient and calculated way, a totally necessary element to prepare a good Doom Metal track. Scott ( not Fisher, but Wilson) does a very proficient and commendable job on the drums with the exact measure of fit in the atmosphere on the track, adding to a great work of mixing and balancing of the segments.
In the final segment of the work we have the equally good "Rise" and "Blade Runner", being "Rise" perhaps the most gloomy and deeply cavernous track on the album, with certain atmospheric addition and endowed with a exotic melody in the ending; and "Blade Runner" introduces the final stretch of the material with equal solidity and density being succeeded by the ultimate "Walk Towards What Blinds You (Blood Bong)", which closes the material at a high level with punctual accelerations of progress.
I would say it’s very hard to point out any element that makes possible to affirm that “The Fire Above” is not a great debut material, and quite the opposite: if it doesn’t overflow in originality the new album of the Australian trio Amammoth released by Electric Valley remains in great care, technical quality and refined in all possible segments giving a enjoyable and dense hearing for the most demanding fans of Sludge, Doom and Stoner.
Words by Matheus Jacques
Thanks to Qabar PR for the promo. The Fire Above will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Electric Valley Records from March 19th 2021.
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