Release Date: October 31st 2023. Record Label: Supernatural Cat Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl.
Crookhead - Tracklisting
Crookhead
Supernova
Vibrhate
Members
Poia – Guitars/FX
Urlo – Bass, Vocals, FX and Synths
Levre – Drums/FX
Review
Legendary Spaced Out Doomsters UFOMAMMUT return with Crookhead. A deliciously aggressive new EP which sees the band return with a slightly vicious sound that harks back to their EVE days. The EP offers three tracks running around nineteen minutes in length. UFOMAMMAUT play their classic style of down-tuned Space Rock driven Doom/Stoner Metal grooves that has a stunning Psychedelic Fuzz Rock backdrop if more distorted than ever which you can feel within the confinements of the opening title track.
Opening track Crookhead runs for nearly nine minutes with UFOMAMMUT spending the first couple minutes laying down the heavy Psychedelic and Sci-fi based instrumental groundwork before the robotic vocals appear and glitchy soundbytes allow the song to become a more powerful DOOM METAL entity with flashes of Occult based gloomy sounds appear. With this UFOMAMMUT, the progressive sludge elements are never too far behind with an eerie waves of Sonic Distortion and sludgy acoustic guitars shows a more creative flair from the band. The song is one of the strongest musical compositions the band have written in some time with how the musical uptempo changes into different flavours of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.
Second track Supernova is what everything you would expect from UFOMAMMUT with this being a full-on Sonic Doom experience with the band once again delving head first into their earlier albums with perhaps a more modern flair heard on their critically acclaimed last album Fenice. There's more focus on experimentation with the vocals with Psychedelic Sludge grooves being more powerful despite the "LESS IS MORE" approach with their delivery for this song alone. Flashes of Post-Doom and Post-Metal sonic trickery work amazingly well with this being my favourite track on the album. The underbelly of Industrial Rock/Metal can be heard in certain places with UFOMAMMUT experimenting with different styles of Sci-fi based Ambient Metal with a thrilling blast of intense instrumental grooves and ambient beats.
The final song Vibrhate is the more experimental based track on the EP with long extended moments of Distorted Drone and pummelling Sludge Metal sounds. This track has the standout vocals on the EP which is also perhaps one of the most intense vocals from the band for a very long time. The Ambient/Psychedelic parts of the track are amazingly deep and intense with the different levels of down-tuned Sludge, Stoner and Doom Metal grooves that accompany this Sonic based journey.
Crookhead despite its short running time is another standout release from UFOMAMMUT who have gone from strength to strength over the last few releases. With first rate production values which is what you would expect from the masters and perhaps true innovators of the Cosmic Doom/Stoner Metal scene, Crookhead is a must-have release to add to your UFOMMAMMUT collection and perhaps one of the best EP's released this year.
I'm hoping there's a new full length album from the band. As Crookhead shows an exciting brief glimpse on what to expect from UFOMAMMUT in the future.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to All Noir PR for the promo.
Crookhead will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Supernatural Cat Records from October 31st 2023.
Links
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