Mammoth Caravan‘s journey continues.
Just one year after their first high-quality EP, the band comprising Brandon Ringo (bass/saturated vocals), Robert Warner (guitar/clean vocals/keyboards) and Khetner Howton (drums) unveil Frostbitten Galaxy, their debut full-length.
Absolute Zero’s soaring sound plunges us into this haunting atmosphere before saturation crushes us without warning, bringing heaviness to this intoxicating slowness. The vocal parts confirm the sound’s aggressiveness, which will eventually accelerate while remaining in a heavy approach, but also slightly psychedelic with leads before returning to melancholy on the introduction of Cosmic Clairvoyance. A few backing vocals attempt to soften the build-up, but it’s obviously only a matter of time before the rhythmic ignites, guiding us to the hypnotic soothing final and then on to Tusks of Orion, where the howls and the ominous touch return. Double kick and jerky riffs trample us with fervor, slowing only to let the trio finish the composition and make way for Siege in the Stars, where we briefly rediscover the airy accents before being confronted once again with that fat, abrasive sound. Once again, we find ourselves captivated by the thick rhythm, which slows down only to let the guitar develop its solo, before giving way to Prehistoric Spacefarer, where the three instruments merge with the saturated vocals to advance in a single step to the break, where the clear sound is reborn in its turn. The lull is short-lived, however, as the final erupts in violence, creating a contrast with the opening moments of Sky Burial, where clean tones and reassuring vocals blend to create the first part of the track, which eventually progresses to saturation, blending the two worlds and voices to offer us an apotheosis final.
Mammoth Caravan offers us the continuation of its adventure with a determined step, but always anchored in this heavy slowness. On Frostbitten Galaxy, we find elements of the previous EPs, but also a touch of icy intensity thanks to the clean sound.
85/100
