The German metal scene is often derided for being full of unoriginal bands – ignoring the obvious big bands that we know really well, such as Kreator, underground metal fanatics can each think of a list of bands from Germany that are workmanlike, generic and uninspiring. Of course, this is the case in almost all metal scenes the world over, but rather unfairly Germany seems to get a lot of criticism.
Mammutant have arrived from another planet (via Germany) to unleash their second album upon us, and blow that unfounded theory out of the water! Looking rather like a bunch of wrestlers and fetish models who have narrowly escaped being assimilated by the Borg (Star Trek fans should know what I’m on about), these alien mutants combine all sorts of different elements in their music and image to create something rather original. Purely science-fiction themed metal is quite a rarity in itself, and so writing metal that sounds like it fits in with that concept must have been an interesting challenge. The band have definitely succeeded in that sense – their brand of metal contains a lot of dramatic keyboard elements that wouldn’t be out of place in an epic sci-fi film. They have also included quite an industrial element in the music, with repetitive chugging riffs and a stomping, hypnotic feel. Vocalist and guitarist Gabul uses a somewhat robotic effect on his roaring voice, which also adds to the apocalyptic, sci-fi feel, and combined with a rather doom-laden guitar sound and all the elements I mentioned above – the music succeeds in being heavy, darkly atmospheric and pretty unique.
The overall sound of the band reminds of several, diverse bands all at once; we have the chugging, staccato stomp of bands like Prong, combined with the twisted, dark riffing of modern Candlemass and Krux (some of it really reminds of Leif Edling’s more experimental moments), the sinister overtones of Slayer, with various doses of death, thrash and industrial metal thrown in for good measure.
The first few songs stomp along very satisfyingly, full of dark pomp and circumstance, and make for good headbanging material. `Kutulu Rising’ in particular has some excellent twisted riffs, which might even be described as catchy.
However, the novelty does start to wear off after a while unfortunately. Despite the combination of musical elements, the theatrical image and evocative song titles, the album starts to drag after the first few songs. It’s mostly a question of pace; all of the songs are slow to mid-paced, and very hypnotic. After a few minutes of headbanging, hearing the same riffs over and over again can leave the listener cold. By the end of the album, you can’t help feel that all the songs have merged into one mid-paced 45 minute jam.
One other thing that struck me; I don’t know whether it’s the production, or the fact that the drumming is so basic and repetitive, but drummer Sardukh really does sound like a drum machine, and after a while this gets irritating. I’d love to hear more dynamism in the songs, as he is obviously a skilled drummer but here he is not given a chance to shine.
On the whole, I think Mammutant show a lot of promise – they have a fairly original concept and sound, and are no doubt very entertaining live. If only they could put more effort into their song writing, I think they’d be a lot more popular.
http://www.myspace.com/mammutant
