Second full-lengths are excellent opportunities for just about any band or artist on the planet simply because it shows us that they can very well do so much more than just throw down something that’s halfway decent in any scenario. When I first dove into the debut from Acid Mammoth not too long ago, I was quite impressed with what I heard, and I was very interested to see what they could bring to the table in a follow-up. In no small way, they absolutely smashed it!
It’d be easy for any doubters of the style like this kind to see a band name like Acid Mammoth to immediately dismiss them as a band that shouldn’t be taken too seriously or just heeds to the generic sound of whatever style they’ve listened to for years, but it’s here with “Under Acid Hoof” that this band proves those doubters to be incorrect from many angles. That’s not to say that Acid Mammoth doesn’t adhere to plenty of the tropes that their sound has become known for, but they do no less than immense justice for it with “Under Acid Hoof” being darker, heavier, and slower than its predecessor in such a way that truly elevates this work above what I initially expected to find. It’s with only five tracks that this album gives to us, but it’s in each and every track that a fuzz-wreathed set of riffs is brought to our presence with such potency and power the likes of which we can see on full display without a shred of fear from showing us their excellence that’s just as heavy as it is awe-inspiring. “Under Acid Hoof” clearly thrives on the strengths of what the style has done before it, but it’s obvious throughout this work that Acid Mammoth proves their desire to become much more even as they bring forth those tropes in such a way they capitalize on each one of them gloriously to no end. It culminates in a listen that’s just as infectious as it is unyielding, and Acid Mammoth should be damn proud of what they’ve created.
This is very much a work made for people who are already fans of the style with just about everything going for it, but it’s also those exact strengths that can entice newcomers in a true instant. Right to the very end, “Under Acid Hoof” is a tremendous work that does not just entertain but also delivers true excellence like few others can provide in such heaps.
“Under Acid Hoof” releases on January 17th via Heavy Psych Sounds!
LISTEN to an advanced track from “Under Acid Hoof” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Acid Mammoth on Facebook here.
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