Russell HughesMammoth Mammoth – Mount the Mountain (Napalm Records)
Genre: Dirt Rock
Australia has a habit of churning out old school rock ‘n rollers with for the 21st century and Mammoth Mammoth comfortably fit in that criteria.
There must be something about the expanse of the outback, the dust and the heat that turns people toward electric guitars and gritty music.
Mount the Mountain follows on from Volume IV: Hammered Again and brings that old school feel to the fore with the eponymous opener that features plenty of fuzzy guitar and vocals gruffer than Crocodile Dundee.
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From the name of the band to their album titles, it’s clear that Mammoth Mammoth have a good sense of humour and that’s evident when they describe themselves as ‘being more awesome than God’s tits’ and their song writing style as ‘four guys in a boxing ring with no referee’.
While the Lord above might have something to say about the former, there is a rugged homegrown feel about the Melbourne band’s songs – especially on Hole In The Head, a song that consists mainly of melting guitar solos and Mikey Tucker rasping ‘I don’t need it, I don’t it, I need it like a hole in the head’.
This is a band who have been banned from two venues in Melbourne because their shows are too raucous and this album is the sonic equivalent of that. It goes hard 100% of the time, even during the surprisingly good cover of Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Outta My Head.
For all Mount the Mountain lacks in dynamism it makes up for by wearing its heart on its sleeve. Mammoth Mammoth don’t seem like the type of guys to pull any surprises on their next album, but that’s okay too. Sometimes the world just needs to get down and dirty with two guitars, a drummer and a singer.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 7/10 A good time, not a long time
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