ALBUM REVIEW: The Harvest – MWWB
Whilst MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD have undergone a re-brand in recent times to the much less tongue twisting name of MWWB, their return and new album comes from a place of poignant significance. The Harvest was originally scheduled for release in March last year, but due to COVID the band’s guitarist Paul Michael Davies suffered a life threatening stroke and given his significance to the band, MWWB decided to delay the release. After defying the odds, Davies has pulled through and now MWWB have presented the world with a dark, heavy and cinematic new album that is sure to enrapture fans as we join them on their next space mission.
Hailed by the band as the album they always wanted to write, The Harvest is a sequence of finely crafted ideas, formed into an ominous and haunting narrative. As each song flows into one another, the powerful narrative alongside the eerie vocals conjures up imagery of apocalyptic proportions that would not be out of place in a blockbuster sci-fi film.
The band seized this opportunity to hone and refine their sound whilst allowing for creative experimentation; as a result The Harvest has been masterminded to be as seamless as a classic film score suite. The ghostly melodies are supported by thundering rhythmic riffs, and swirling synthesisers transport you to distant, vast and unknown intergalactic places with Jessica Ball’s mesmerising vocals as your guide.
Whilst the Welsh doom masterminds are known for an expansive, heavy and celestial sound, MWWB’s cinematic direction and sci-fi focus demonstrates an exquisite attention to detail in their song craft. With moog and mellotron synths in tow, it feels as though The Harvest is the product of a salacious weekend away in the depths of the cosmos between John Carpenter and PINK FLOYD.
The gradual building of tension and suspense is characteristic of this album, with suspense around every corner alongside the usually dose of black hole opening heaviness, you can’t help but feel completely immersed in the turbulent space tale that the band present to you. The mesmerising nature of the album as a whole comes down to the build up of these synth layers, elegantly woven between the low tuned riffs and the juxtaposition with Ball’s beguiling, ethereal vocals. Almost neo-folk in their nature, Ball’s vocals are sweet yet clandestine, which perfectly encapsulates MWWB’s crystalline dynamic.
Obłok Magellana opens the album with spine chilling atmospherics, setting the scene for the vast array of emotions that will wash over you as you experience this record. With distorted vocals offering a reading of doom wrapped poetry, you feel a sense of fear build inside you. Once the slow build up of the introductory track gives way to the title track you are thrust into this tempestuous narrative with a sinister grandeur, as horns mount up around you to play a menacing dirge. Interstellar Wrecking is a small interlude packed with intense Carpenter-esque drama before exploding into a fuzz-laden slice of SABBATH style riffs and groove. Betrayal channels the dark synth wave revolution of modern times, with unnerving reversed spoken word elements.
Altamira is the most psychedelic sounding track on the album, as it hadron collides the sensibilities of dark dream pop and razor edged metal. Let’s Send The Bastards Whence They Came offers up the only slice of hope in the album, a moment of subtle layers building up in a triumphant manner that makes you believe that there is a chance to escape this cosmos hell-scape. However, you are promptly launched straight back into the turmoil with Strontium, a hulking, brooding track that will void you of all optimism. The album is rounded out with the deeply reflective and emotive Moonrise, which strips back the fuzz and complexities, offering up a melancholic catharsis to see the album out.
MWWB have crafted an exquisite album, a rich indulgence into film scores and doom, all delivered with blistering passion and haunting storytelling. Given all that the band faced going into this, it is poignant that this album, despite its melancholy, stands for a moment of triumph in the face of adversity. With power and grace, The Harvest is a stunning reminder of how good this band is.
Rating: 9/10
The Harvest is set for release on March 25th via New Heavy Sounds.
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