Essential doom
Released on 29 March 2018 through Black Bow Records and reviewed by Stefan P
Welsh Doom wizards Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard have joined forces with Northern Irish Doom/Sludge heavyweights Slomatics to release this 5-track split EP entitled Totems through Black Bow Records, the label founded by Jon Davis of the mighty Conan.
The first of the two tracks from Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, ‘The Master & His Emissary’ slowly builds up with an imaginative and alluring synth part which would not be out of place in a John Carpenter score. And while the guitar and low-end bass notes hit like tectonic plates crashing against each other, the psychedelic and tantalising vocals of Jessica Ball swirl and smooth their way through the heady, heavy mix. With ‘Eagduru’ Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard take a less indulgent approach, Ball’s vocals enriching and enhancing the repetitive, hypnotic doom-laden riffs which, like the preceding track, make for a mesmerizing experience.
The first of three Slomatics’ tracks, ‘Ancient Architects’ is expansive and chilling, the chugging guitars, the free-flowing drums and the haunting choral vocals of drummer Marty are enhanced by the droning, foreboding synths. ‘Sliver Ships into The Future’ is predominately a piano piece aided by subtly nuanced synth parts, the song standing in wonderfully haunting and atmospheric opposition to the two tracks it sits between. The heaviness returns with final track ‘Masters Descent’, its weight swallowing you whole and crashing you into that deep crevasse of pure doom. Compounded with layers of thick, bleak guitar and traumatic vocals, this is by far the best of the three tracks
In short, Totems is great. Both bands are great and they deliver the doom and deliver it well. Essential listening. Highly recommended.
Track list:
- Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – The Master and His Emissary
- Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Eagduru
- Slomatics – Ancient Architects
- Slomatics – Sliver Ships into The Future
- Slomatics – Masters Descent
