ALBUM REVIEW: Yn Ol I Annwn – Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard

The Welsh doom metallers MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD are back with their latest release Yn Ol I Annwn which is the third instalment of their trilogy that began with 2015’s Noeth Ac Anoeth and 2017’s Y Proffwyd Dwyll.

Ignoring the strange electronic introduction track that opens the album, the first real taste of new music from the band comes in the form of the track The Spaceships Of Ezekiel which shows the band continuing to drip feed strange electronic samples in to be music but drowning them out rather quickly with anvil-heavy, low end guitar riffs and dense bass lines. The vocals from Jessica Ball are hauntingly beautiful as they sore over the top of the doom metal dirge like a siren song luring and enticing the listener in and work wonderfully as the contrast to the metal sound that makes up the foundation.

The following track, Fata Morgana, is a completely different monster that clocks in at almost thirteen minutes. Fata Morgana burns incredibly slowly, adding layers and textures as it goes with its clean, echoed folk inspired guitar parts from Paul Michael Davies and Wez Leon along with the other-worldly voice of Ball once again adding a chilling melody to proceedings. The distortion creeps in to the track gradually at around the five minute mark before really kicking in to the band’s trademark doom metal stylings. The song then picks up in tempo and pushes onward, guided by an incredibly strong performance from drummer James Carrington who has managed to create a beautifully warm drum sound and uses his cymbal work to allow the track to flow expertly.

A late album highlight from MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD comes with The Majestic Clockwork. Tremendous in scale, the electronic elements of the song almost resemble the soundtrack to Danny Boyles’ landmark 2002 horror film 28 Days Later. The band introduce an assortment of string instruments to the arrangement of the song here to devastating effect. It almost appears at this point that the band have a seemingly endless supply of ideas that they can take and use at their will. Granted, they are not the first and will not be the last band to use stringed instruments, but they way in which they do is truly unique and it plays off against the vocals in such a way that is impossibly beautiful and elegant. The guitar tones from Davies and Leon sound absolutely monstrous and the fuzz-heavy, distorted sound has been engineered and mixed to perfection to ensure that none of the power and weight is lost in the production.

Yn Ol I Annwn is the perfect example of a band who have truly hit their stride when it comes to writing music. MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD have found their muse and are experimenting in all of the right areas in order to grow their sound in a way that feels truly organic. There is no sense of forced ideas or cliches to be found here, and the band are still in their relative infancy. At this rate the future looks very bright for MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD and it is with true excitement that we await the next chapter in their musical story.

Rating: 9/10

Yn Ol I Annwn is out now via New Heavy Sounds/Tapeworship Records. 

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