Lee Speaks About Music… #49

 Innate – Mammoth

Introduction…

Well since I received this bands latest album Deviations for my birthday from my good friend Dirk Radloff I very much had to checkout Mammoth’s back catalogue and was quite blown away by their 2nd album release Innate. This album impressed me that much, that it was very much a must to have for my album collection.

There is no doubt that the 3 piece band Mammoth have gone through quite a few line-up changes since they surfaced back in 2012. Innate is an album that was made with their most consistent line-up.

                  Wes Thrailkill; Guitars             Aliyar Kinik: Drums          Chase Bryant: Bass

This line-up of the band first featured on the bands 3rd release Polymorphism released back in 2014. The bass player Chase Bryant also featured on 1 track on their 2013 release of Dimension of Inversion.

The only change to the line-up from 2014 up till now is the bands bass player. Though Chase Bryant did also get to feature on a guest spot on 1 of the tracks on their latest 2016 album Deviations.

Innate Album In Review…

The album Innate by Mammoth was released on the 19th of May 2015. It’s perhaps a mini album in that it only contains 5 tracks over a playing time of 28 minutes, but never the less even in terms of most Digital EP’s being around the 24 minute slot and albums being around this short time slot in the 60’s and 70’s. For the benefit of the doubt I shall refer to it as an album.

To be honest most of Mammoth’s releases are over these type of shorter distances, some even shorter than this which are EP’s. Their longest album is their latest which weighs in at the 41 minute mark and is entitled Deviants.

The band maybe struggling to write material in some ways when you look at how short some of their releases are. But this is quite common with this type of music has it is very complex and takes a lot of working out.

I myself do p[refer the old time slots for albums of around the 30 to 40 minute mark. Simply because 1. Being that you can give them more attention, especially if you have a large record collection like myself. The album is over that much quicker so you can devote a lot more time to your record collection and not let them gather dust so to speak.

2. Simply because most albums around the 60 to 80 minutes mark are often filled with gap fillers just to make it look like your getting more value for your money. It’s a lot harder to make solid albums over the longer distance, and there is no need to use up all the space on a compact disc just to try and squeeze your money’s worth out of the disc.

So now let’s take a look at the 5 tracks in further detail here and see what you’re getting for your money so to speak.

Track 1. Innate.

I have to confess that the albums self titled track should by rights merit the top spot on the album award. It’s purely a superb track that goes in all the right places I would expect it to go. It’s also a very exciting track and speaks highly to myself as well.

My only gripe here is how it’s been mixed more than anything. Though I will also state that my personal gripe is also very minimalistic and nowhere enough to spoil the thrills and joys of hearing this marvellous piece of music.

To be perfectly honest my little gripes are quite tedious and to many people they most likely will not see my little niggles as being valid and worth bringing up in the first place.

For example if you listen to the overdubbed little guitar notes around the 1:16 – 1:26 mark. I have no real problem with the overdub itself, it’s just that for my ears I think they are a bit of tad to forward in the mix and do not seat that well. They perhaps stand out too tall is perhaps what I am trying to say.

This video of the band playing a run through of the track is very well done and oddly enough that little gripe I had, I cannot hear on it. Maybe it’s down to being more focused on the band playing there parts.

Innate (Band Play Through)

Without a doubt the self titled album track “Innate” is very much one of the highest contenders for the top spot on the album. It’s very much a piece that has a very exciting blistering pace about it and goes up and down in the right places with how it weaves in and out of its styles of prog rock and jazz fusion. It’s a super very well constructed piece of work that has bags of diversity and progression along its path.

Track 2. Ceremonial Design.

The 2nd track on the album starts off at quite a pace and then it paces itself out in style with the jazz fusion they have so well crafted and blended into it all. It certainly has the flavour of the band Brand X and even artists like Alan Holdsworth about it all. It’s very much another excellent well crafted piece of music and it’s what I would even call Class.

“Ceremonial Design” is without a doubt a classy piece of work and so very well structured and written piece of music, that it merits my top spot on the album award. Though I will say that with this album, it’s certainly difficult to make such a choice. Because every track is so well written, and for me personally this whole album is pure class.

Track 3. Repetition in Regression.

Another pure class piece on the album that weaves it’s way along in and out of superb styles. The interplay between all 3 band members is so superbly done and it features some super lead guitar from Wes Thrailkill with really great contrasting tones with whatever guitar effects he uses. Even the tones Chase Bryant gets out of his bass is to die for.

This superb piece is another very high contender for the top spot on the album, and out of the first 3 tracks on the album its perhaps so damn difficult to chose a genuine real favourite because they are all so equally highly addictive and very well done.

Track 4. Dispositional.

The shortest track on the album and one that is built up of overdubbed rhythms on the guitar. This piece does not feature the whole band and was most likely done by Wes Thrailkill himself. His guitars are very well blended together and the piece works well as a nice little more subtle come down section on the album.

Track 5. Paradigm.

The final track on the album sees the band back together and it’s a very powerful track. It’s perhaps the rocker of the album yet still goes through some great progression with its great well worked out structured riffs on the guitar. It ends the album off superbly and is another contender for the top spot I feel too.

Summary…

The album Innate by Mammoth is a very solid and exciting album that has bags of diversity and progression, it also has plenty of adrenalin and style and contains some very well crafted complex written pieces of music along its path. Personally I cannot fault anything on the album, and it works very well with everything you have here.

The highlights of the album would have to be the self titled album track “Innate“. “Ceremonial Design” and “Repetition in Regression“. These tracks are very much sheer class with how well they have been structured and written. There is no doubt that the band Mammoth consists of 3 highly skilled musicians.

Speaking of the band’s name. I have just recently noticed from the latest post on the bands Facebook wall, that they intend to change it next year. Their decision to do so may very well be down to them reading my previous review of their latest album Deviants I published 4 days ago and sent to them.

I also read that they are also working on a new album for next year and I shall certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for that.

Conclusion…

The album Innate by Mammoth maybe short in that it’s only 28 minutes long, but for me personally it’s the best album the band have made. It’s also the most solid one with the material that’s upon it. The album tracks are all very well placed too, and great care and attention has been applied to the placement of all the tracks on the album.

It’s an highly addictive album and one that I feel for everyone out there who enjoys prog rock combined with jazz fusion should have in their record collection.

Considering the album can be obtained for only 5 dollars which is peanuts. I certainly think it’s the best 5 dollars I have spent on music this year at this price. These guys can certainly play and are crafting out genuine quality music that will give you countless hours of enjoyment.

Check out the album for yourself. It comes with my 100% recommendation…

You can listen to or grab your own personal copy of Innate here : https://mammothprog.bandcamp.com/album/innate

The album track listing is as follows:

01. Innate. 10:11.
02. Ceremonial Design. 3:26.
03. Repetition in Regression. 6:01.
04. Dispositional. 2:58.
05. Paradigm. 5:25.

Lee’s Album Rating Score. 10/10.