Ufomammut
Godlike Snake (CD) 2000 Beard Of Stars
This is the first release from this huge woolly creature from outer space. Like their second release, 'Snailking', it is thick and heavy music with utterly spaced out, psychedelic elements. But one should expect a tad more stoner on this CD than on their second one. Actually you can expect a little less than 50% doom here. High-pitched ufolike synth sounds litter the tracks to enable the music to sound as interstellar as possible. The stoner/doom riffage and rhythm section is what stands for the intense wall of sound which Ufomammut creates. Imagine these two main elements drone along together with sparse distant vocals and industrial sound clips, then you'll have a pretty good image of what you can expect of this CD. A rather unique thing with Ufomammut is that the bonus tracks have a faint rhythmic sound in the space between the last main track and the bonus tracks. So in a way even if there is a vast gap between the tracks they seem to fade over into each other. It is also rather uncertain whether the bonus movie comes along with all the 'Godlike Snake' CD's, but I suspect they do as I've found no evidence of a re-release. Do you like 5ive, Electric Wizard, Pelican and/or YOB? Then this would probably be right up your ally. Just don't expect the music to sound like any of them. What you will hear here is basically in the same category as the aforementioned, but still they stand very much on musical ground that they have created on their own.	1. Ufo Pt.1 2. Satan 3. Oscillator 4. Snake 5. Zerosette 6. Smoke 7. Nowhere 8. Superjunkhead 9. Hozomeen 10. Mammut (Bonus Track) 11. Where? (Bonus Movie) (multimedia track) Approx. 57 minutes
Reviewed by: Arnstein H. Pettersen
Snailking (CD) 2004 Beard Of Stars
Having used many an hour of the last few weeks playing a computer strategy game called Masters of Orion III, I have simultaneously grown very fond of this CD. It is honestly the perfect soundtrack for any space movie or, as in this case, an interstellar strategy game. Indeed these guys live up to their name. The image I get from listening to this music is a huge mammoth covered in psychedelic colours, floating along in the vast open space. What better description of such a sound is the word Ufomammut? Somehow the men behind the project have managed to combine heaviness with a laid back sound. The way they do this is to take a truckload of stoner/doom, then water it out with a mixture of space rock, stoner doom and far out industrial elements. Actually while the riffs take care of most of the heaviness in the music, it is the industrial elements that give the final touch to create the void like feeling. This combination gives us a rather intense and loud experience. Much like you'd expect from 5ive, Starchild and YOB. Fans of other heavy, but laid-back stoner/doom bands (Electric Wizard for example) would for certain enjoy this as well. But don't think for a second that you can guess the sound of these guys just like that, because this is truly unique. So many would claim that these guys play stoner rock and not stoner/doom. With the really powerful stoner rock elements present I can see how people would feel that way. The band is indeed borderline, but since at least 60% of the songs are stoner/doom and almost all songs are doomy, I don't really hesitate to call them a doom band. Whatever you want to call it is basically up to yourself as it is probably correct either way.	1. Blotch 2. Hopscotch 3. Lacrimosa 4. Odio 5. God 6. Alcool 7. Braindome 8. Demontain Approx. 69 minutes
Reviewed by: Arnstein H. Pettersen