Fornjot was a giant closely associated with fire and thunder in the Nordic mythology. It was killed by Thor for some reason but now it has risen thanks to Swedish doomsters Mammoth Storm on their second full length offering. The band impressed me with their debut album “Rite Of Ascension” which was released early last year. Now it’s time to prepare for the next step.
This album truly feels
like a big step forward and the doom is strong in this one. The melodies are
more beautiful than ever and the riffs are heavy as Scandinavian mountains. I
first fell in love with the whole doom thing back in 1987 when Candlemass
released their second album “Nightfall”, and Mammoth Storm manage to awaken the
same feelings I had back then. There is a strong bond between Candlemass and
Mammoth Storm on this one I think. The album’s dark and relentlessly heavy but
still fragile and beautiful.
The album starts with
a brewing storm of guitars in the 11 minute long “Agurs Echo” that builds up to
those thunderous riffs and drums which serve as bedrock for the feedback of a thousand
guitars. The doom continues in “Vultures Pray” with a riff that is so heavy
that the ground cracks under its weight, and vocalist Daniel Arvidsson delivers
a stunning performance with a surprisingly catchy chorus. “Sumerian Cry” is a nice interlude with an
eastern touch that binds together the albums two half’s in a cool way. The
title track is up next and it’s a nine minute long epic journey into the
landscapes of the Nordic gods with one of the more memorable riffs of the
album. Epic stuff. This journey continues on “Horns Of Jura” and then the
finale “Hekla”. Named after the largest
volcano on Iceland,
the title is a perfect fit for this titanic monster of a song spanning over
thirteen minutes that just consumes you in flames as it slowly crawls forward
in all its doomish glory.There is nothing that is small or down sized on this album. Everything is done on an epic and gigantic scale. The riffs are made out of black rock and the tempo is crushingly slow. I love every minute of it and Mammoth Storm manages to keep it interesting throughout the whole album. With this album the band will forever be part of the great hall of doom in which we all will gather and worship Mammoth Storm as the Vikings worshiped their gods.
- The Void
https://soundcloud.com/napalmrecords/mammoth-storm-augurs-echo
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