Australia’s Mammoth Mammoth have been serving up their particular brand of deep-swagger rock & roll since 2008, with four monster albums and a couple of tasty EPs under their belt, and a bad-ass attitude to boot. They fit in smoothly with the stoner rock resurgence that has exploded in the past decade, standing shoulder to shoulder with modern idols like Kadavar and Witchcraft on a pure quality level.
Kreuzung (German for “crossroads”) is their first recording since 2017’s Mount The Mountain, an album that raised an already-high bar for the band, and this one somehow does more of the same. Their sound and direction on here are as simple and straightforward as their riffs (heavy rock & roll with catchy choruses and a Sabbath low-end) and clearly the band are not planning to change anything this far into the game. The Motörhead-worship is as strong as ever, the songs all have their own personality and groove, the dynamics swing from acoustic intros to furious headbangers in the blink of an eye. Indeed, the band are tighter than they have ever been, and the record is simply too damn tasty.
Mikey Tucker on vocals is still the focal strong-point in Mammoth Mammoth, allowing his Lemmy-growl to soar when the songs require it and utilising everything in his range to add colour and dimension to the already-banging tunes, but the rest of the band are all firing with gusto on their respective cylinders. Highlight songs like opener ‘I’m Ready’, ‘Screamin’’, and the final number ‘God’s Gonna Hate Me’ (great name!) are at the top of a sweet pile of hummable tracks that will all become solid, standard staples in the band’s set, where they will receive that sexy fire that can only come through playing live.
There are no qualms whatsoever with Kreuzung – this is a strong album made by a seasoned and confident band that know what they want and how to produce it. If you’re looking for no-frills, kickass hard rock with cojones and longhair middle-fingers in 2019, look no further – y’all just hit the jackpot.
Kreuzung is released 8th November via Napalm Records and can be purchased here.
Words: John Morrow
