ALBUM REVIEW: Elektrik Ram – Ruff Majik
The great South African city of Pretoria is the country’s administrative centre, as well as being home to SEETHER. Also hailing from Pretoria and administering a delectable mix of fuzzed out riffs, gothic imagery and a reckless abandon towards genre-mixing is the experimental yet old school quartet RUFF MAJIK. The band’s quirky genre-bending has earned them plaudits globally, and following on from their lauded albums – 2019’s Tårn and 2020’s The Devil’s Cattle – Elektrik Ram is an audible feast of gothic splendour and bluesy vintage rock with stoner sensibilities. Even though RUFF MAJIK are renowned for their eclectic tastes, Elektrik Ram demonstrates a further evolution of their unique sound.
One of the first things you notice about Elektrik Ram is how wonderfully eccentric it is. With a selection of curious soundbites dispersed throughout the album alongside the band’s insatiable appetite for genre-hopping, the quirkiness is what gives this album its magic. RUFF MAJIK have been pioneering their brand of rock since 2012, and over the last decade they have honed their sound while expanding it significantly. Elektrik Ram is a prime example of this musical journey coming to its climax, the fruits of their exhilarating experimentation have finally come to bare in the most spectacular of ways. What separates Elektrik Ram from its predecessors is there is more of a gothic element to it. It has been noticeably simmering underneath the riffs and melodies of RUFF MAJIK’s previous releases, and now it has been given its moment to shine.
Elektrik Ram is luxuriously artistic by nature; the colourful elements of vintage rock with kaleidoscopic psychedelia and slices of gothic doom create a vivid musical portrait, with each song leaving its own unique brush stroke on the final product. As the album progresses the songs get more and more anthemic, layer upon layer of rich melody, synth and bass grooves will enrapture you. Eventually it will lead to something akin to a fuzz-soaked spiritual experience. Drenched in the sepia tones of the golden 1970s era of rock yet refreshingly modern, RUFF MAJIK have certainly hit a sweet spot. The vibrantly strange magic feels like it would be most at home amongst the Voodoo/Hoodoo practitioners of New Orleans. This is rock with a charismatic swagger and a top hat.
The selection of film snippets that the band use gives the album a strange universe in which to exist, whilst also offering up some semblance of a narrative for you to follow. With that in mind, Elektrik Ram gives you the opportunity to wander off into your own imagination, seeing a plethora of strange characters and scenarios in a chaotic, uncanny dream world. There is also a surprising amount of soul imbued in the album, and fiery passion exudes from it. With so many varying elements and layers you have to perform as a tight and cohesive unit, RUFF MAJIK have succeeded in this area expertly and comprehensively.
Opening track Hillbilly Fight Song is all the vibes of Halloween in one song, kicking the album off with a fast-paced number with an intensely catchy chorus. It’s the song you play when you’re hurtling to the haunted mansion in a modified hearse. She’s Still A Goth keeps up the high energy, but adds a TYPE O NEGATIVE vibe that carries over into the slower Mourning Wood, the latter being a splendidly gothic number that’s packed with creepy melodies and swirling guitar leads. Rave To The Grave has a garage rock/punk vibe that will get your body moving – a real foot tapper with a driving rhythm section and power chord focused riffs. Delirium Tremors has a strange introduction about Philadelphia being a tricky one on a global tour that will “rock the socks off of Budapest”. Nonsensical aspects aside, the track does what it says on the tin, with a dizzying four minutes of organised chaos.
Cement Brain slows things down a little but has an infectious shuffle rhythm laid down by Steven Bosman while Cowboy Bez and Johni Holiday’s guitar melodies seem to duel with each other in the harmonies. Title track Elektrik Ram ramps up the energy once again yet keeps the dizzying nature of the previous songs. Queen Of The Gorgons, A Song About Drugs (With A Clever Title) and Shangrilah Inc make up a trio of epic songs at the album’s climax; everything has led up to these three songs and each is as explosive as the other. The album finishes with the soft, psychedelic ballad Chemically Humanized that brings proceedings to a gentle close.
RUFF MAJIK once again push the limits of their sound and come out with something so beautifully crazy that you can’t help but fall in love with its quirkiness. Elektrik Ram is brilliantly eclectic and is easily the most colourful chapter in the band’s already vivid discography.
Rating: 8/10
Elektrik Ram is set for release on April 28th via Mongrel Records.
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