Big fuzzy riffs with tons of bass and melodically shouted vocals. It’s a style that’s well established for very good reasons. It really connects with a lot of people who enjoy high energy fun with a little spacey vibe. On top of that, it’s great from the music creator’s standpoint, too. The sound is pretty easy to replicate while also putting your own spin on it. But since the sound is so popular, you have to do something special to make yourself separate from the pack. If you don’t sound unique in some way, it’s going to be hard to get that foothold you need to really break through.
Acid Mammoth is just such a band pounding out that classic sound. The Athens, Greece quartet have clearly studied the great of the genre and come up with their own version of fuzzy stoner doom. The band has a kind of amalgamated sound, spanning from the upbeat version of stoner doom akin to early Black Sabbath to the slowed down psychedelia of Electric Wizard. It can satisfy the needs of anybody who just needs that big fuzzy riff fix. Under Acid Hoof, the band’s sophomore record, is filled to the brim with good jams in that area.
The record overall is an enjoyable one if you like these kinds of sounds, but it runs into the issue that a lot of bands run into in their early days. Every once in a while, you get a band that is really polished and doing something new and original right off the bat. Other bands have to mature over time. They have to practice, play, and write together a lot. It’s a lot like aging wine. It has to mature to an age where it can be really enjoyed. Otherwise, you just have weird grape juice.
That’s where Under Acid Hoof comes in. This record sounds like a band off to a really good start. They have a style they commit to and an aesthetic to match. It doesn’t necessarily make you lose your mind over its awe-inspiring nature, but it feels familiar and sounds fun. Fun and familiar are things you think of with records you come to love, and everybody has their own version of that. While Under Acid Hoof isn’t something we’ll talk about when we talk about the next wave of metal, it’s something you can enjoy like watching a favorite movie.
Think of Acid Mammoth and Under Acid Hoof this way: if you wanted to listen to a bunch of bands and songs like another band, Acid Mammoth is perfect for that playlist. If you were going to see a Conan or Sleep concert, “Them!” would be a perfect opening track for a perfectly planned tour. If the band will commit to stylizing their music even more, they could be one of the best Heavy Blog Is Heavy bands ever. They make music that intrigues me as a fan of this genre. For that, I think it’s worth listening to. Be one of the people who can confidently say, “I’ve been listening to them since Under Acid Hoof”.
…
Under Acid Hoof is available Jan. 24 via Heavy Psych Sounds Records.