Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - Y Proffwyd Dwyll

Welsh doom outfit impress on second album just nine months after debut full-length

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard’s sound is pretty befitting a band with such a name. What is unexpected, however, is how deadly serious the band and their music is. While their name could almost be a parody of typical doom band names (all that’s missing is the word “bong” somewhere), their music is a sincere exploration of the doom genre, that drifts through crushing stoner metal, spacey doom and, occasionally, unusually accessible groove.

In true doom fashion, hypnotically repeated riffs of the huge and devastating variety comprise the Wrexham group’s sound, with lead guitars providing gloomy undertones, but that’s far from the only tool in their arsenal. Jessica Ball’s ethereal vocals, that occasionally stray into pop-ready melodies, are a far cry from the muscular bellows of doom monoliths like Conan or High On Fire, and the use of spacey synths on the likes of ‘Gallego’ are more reminiscent of Hawkwind than Sleep.

Mostly, though, the band are content to stay confined to lethargic but brutal doom, refusing to fully indulge their more accessible edge. For pummeling doom with just enough fresh ideas to stand out from the crowd, look no further than Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard.

8.5/10

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