By: Pim Latuny
Album Type: Full Length
Album Type: Full Length
“The Harvest” CD//DD//CS//LP track listing:
1). Oblok Magellana
2). The Harvest
3). Interstellar Wrecking
4). Logic Bomb
5). Betrayal
6). Altamira
7). Let’s Send These Bastards Whence They Came
8). Strontium
9). Moon Rise
The band formerly known as Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard are going through changes. They shortened their band name and they aren’t using their usual enigmatic Welsh language to name the album. It’s just “The Harvest” now. After the trilogy in Welsh, they’re now making a trilogy with English album names? What’s going on in the MWWB camp? Is everything ok? Well, it is now.
The album release was delayed by a year because guitarist Paul contracted Covid and suffered a stroke. Fortunately, he has recovered and what this record represents, is a testament not only to Paul’s undoubted talent, but the bands’ ability to write colossal grooving riffs and create interstellar anthems.
Two things that have always stood out on an MWWB record, is their use of sound effects/synths and the vocals of Jessica Ball, and “The Harvest” is no different. Without the sound effects, the imagination of ‘we are somewhere in space’ would be a lot harder. With them, they take me back to the soundtracks of old John Carpenter sci-fi movies (‘Interstellar Wrecking’) and playing Mega Man II (‘Let’s Send These Bastards Whence They Came’). Those influences make this album more vivid and cinematic. Especially when the vocals come in. Jessica’s vocals have that shoegaze smokiness, which is always a delicacy to hear. Layer by layer she builds these harmonious waves that submerse you completely in the cosmos of the Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard. Listen to the title track, “Logic Bomb” and “Strontium” if you want to be submerged.
What makes this record so great, is the blend of retro synth music, shoegaze and stoner doom. It just works. “The Harvest” is a grand stonerdoomgaze sci-fi opera. It’s a journey through the past, the future and everything in between and outside of it. It makes me remember the magic of listening to concept albums again.
“The Harvest” is available HERE
