ALBUM REVIEW: Caravan – Acid Mammoth

Stoner doom has seen something of a resurgence of late with more bands harkening back to that fuzzy, occult sound. Greece’s ACID MAMMOTH  are no strangers to this sound, going from strength to strength with their earlier albums. They’ve built a cult following based around huge BLACK SABBATH-esque riffs and calling back to the classic doom sound. Now on their third outing since 2017’s self-titled record following last year’s Under Acid Hoof and continuing their relationship with Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Caravan seems them continuing in their established vein but with a little more progressive flair in places and developing their songcraft further still. 

Opening with cascading fills and fuzzy riffing, first track Beserker immediately makes its presence known. Father/son guitar duo Chris Babalis Jr and Chris Babalis Sr lay down thick as tar grooves while Bablis Jr’s vocals are laconic and stylistically fit in the occult rock vein that’s become more popular of late. Following it is Psychedelic Wasteland that utilises slow, churning grooves that deftly avoid the problem of becoming stagnant as the band change things up at just the right time. The title track is easily the longest song on the record at over eleven minutes of spaced out riffing. The opening groove has a heft that CONAN would be proud of; it’s monolithic, glacially slow and evolves steadily but surely without feeling repetitious. 

If there is criticism to be had, it’s that the constant middling pace throughout means that if you do opt to use it as background music and zone out, songs do become somewhat interchangeable. Sure there’s lumbering grooves aplenty and it’s a good listen but they bring no new ideas to the table, instead re-treading old paths without varying their approach.

Throughout its forty minute runtime, Caravan stays true to the stoner doom ethos; play low and slow, utilising patterns of repetition and steady evolution to create a trancelike atmosphere. The band have refined what worked well for them before even with the lengthier songs this time around and only containing five songs. They clearly know how to craft a slow-burning body of work that, without bringing anything new to the table, does enough to hold attention. ACID MAMMOTH aren’t a complex beast; they’re here to play stoner doom with plenty of riffs and bong hits, all the while calling back to the forefathers of the genre. Despite not breaking new ground, Caravan is a fun listen and marks them as an interesting prospect in the oversaturated stoner doom market. 

Rating: 7/10

Caravan is set for release March 5th via Heavy Psych Sounds. 

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