Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Yn Ol I Annwn (Review)

This is the third album from the impressively named Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, a doom metal band from the UK.

I really enjoyed the band’s striking 2016 debut record Y Proffwyd Dwyll, which saw the band offer up an intoxicating blend of psychedelic sludge/doom metal. In 2018 they unleashed a mammoth, (ahem), split with Slomatics called Totems, which demonstrated in no uncertain terms that the talented delivery we saw on Y Proffwyd Dwyll was no fluke. This split saw the band developing longer songs and a greater confidence of delivery, both of which have made their way onto Yn Ol I Annwn, only more so.

The progression the band have made on Yn Ol I Annwn, and the quality of the resulting music, is staggering. I loved Y Proffwyd Dwyll originally, but Yn Ol I Annwn makes it seem primitive and unformed by comparison.

65 minutes in length and divided into 8 tracks, Yn Ol I Annwn sees Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard spread their wings wider than ever before. Accompanying the core of colossally heavy doom metal that the band were forged on, we get increased introspective thought, psychedelic sludge, atmospheric depth, acoustic wanderings, space rock explorations, progressive leanings, electronic experimentation, and cinematic scope. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard have fully embraced the talent that was apparent on their early releases and crafted a monster of an album that’s highly emotive and extremely compelling.

Textured and multifaceted, it sounds as if the band are pushing themselves to see what they’re capable of on Yn Ol I Annwn, while still remembering what made them such an enjoyable proposition in the first place. There’s a range and scope to this music that was absent in the band’s past work, and the songs on this new album can easily rub shoulders with the biggest and best that the genre has to offer. Having said that, however, it should be noted that these days although Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard undeniably fit into the roughly doom metal category, there’s way more than just that here. The band clear have ambitions, (and capabilities), that transcend mere doom and sludge.

The ethereal clean vocals of the band’s singer are better than ever too, and her exquisite voice glides across the music like a wraith offering beauty and death to all that encounter her. Her voice is luscious and rich, with a power and depth that suits the evolving music perfectly.

Expansive, emotive, and with an assured delivery that comes from a practised mastery at their craft, Yn Ol I Annwn lives up to, (and exceeds), the clear and obvious promise that Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard have ably shown themselves to be full of in the past. Although the band’s previous material was very strong, Yn Ol I Annwn is on another level entirely.