An Interview with Aye Mammoth

BuzzSlayers
2 hours ago
6 min read

A fresh EP release from Aye Mammoth delivers a raw energy that I haven't heard in quite some time, bringing together elements of doom, stoner, and experimental rock with elements of progressive, and all of it has the air of a live performance, as if they recorded this thing alive in a room all at once.

This is a record with a lot of drive and a brilliant sonic presence that blends a metal tonality with a fuzzier tone, a desert-rock-style approach, and it all works out pretty amazingly.

The release is called Universe, and they certainly don't waste much time getting things kicked off at the first track, "Empyreum", which introduces you to some of the vastness that the band displays.

The track starts off with a classic fade-in, and that's something that bands used to do back in the day. I grew up with a lot of bands in the '80s and '90s. The ones that were more progressive and heavy bands always had a few of those tracks that started with a fade-in.

When it all hits full swing, the riff is intense. You have this sort of horse trot style riff with a more straightforward drumbeat, so it sits deep in that pocket.

I love this because it just makes it feel heavier.

The drumming on this record is outstanding, and one of the reasons that the record has that spaciousness or almost ambient underbelly is because the way the drums were recorded or mixed adds a reverb effect to them. This distances a bit and makes the record come through with these layers and depth.

To me, this is also kind of a classic move, but it does bring up the intensity levels.

The bass guitar tone is rumbling with a fat low end, but it also has a bit of a crunch on the high end. I like this because it kind of gives you that final piece of fuzz-rock heaviness that you look for from a doom rock outfit.

The vocals are strong, belting out, but very melodic, giving you some great hooks even during the verses, in my opinion.

There's a great element of dark overtones in some sections of this track, with a huge, full-band, crew-style vocal performance also drenched in reverb, along with melodic and progressive riffs that evoke early Metallica records.

These guys definitely managed to blend a lot of different influences into one piece of work.

"Atherium" is the track that follows, and this is definitely even more driving, in my opinion. This one has a massive effort from the drummer, just smashing those crash cymbals and slamming on everything, giving the rest of the band a huge element of energy to push off of.

It does indeed feel like they recorded this whole thing live on the floor, and everyone involved was just feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.

Even if I'm wrong about how they recorded it, listening to the record makes you want to go see them perform it live, in your face, simply because if they can capture this kind of energy on record, then seeing it live must be a real face-melter.

And that's exactly what I would look for from a band like this. I want my face to be melted, and I feel like these guys would definitely pull it off.

They practically did it just with the recording alone.

You can clearly tell they have their own kind of approach to the genre. They want to have a little bit of rawness, a huge punch, catchy riffs that sort of bounce, but also have those deep pockets and closed-fisted metal influences shining through.

This track is a little bit more experimental, features some different styles of guitar work, and it's on this track that you get a little bit of lead stuff, along with the full understanding that this is a bit of a force to be reckoned with.

These aren't simplistic songs. The arrangements are awesome, they take a lot of time to build up to climactic moments, and they throw in a lot of the different elements of metal, alternative, doom, and experimental throughout the entire record.

"Elementare" comes right in with a shredding riff, blistering straight from the get-go, and when they burst into the chords and double-tracked guitars, it all has a fat, thick, almost grungy sound.

What is probably the catchiest track on the record is its closing track called "Great and Lesser Lights", which comes in with a warmer kind of riff. It's more pop-oriented, but still heavy.

This track in particular, sounds kind of like a radio-friendly grunge single, and everything about it sort of sits in a different spot than most of the rest of the record.

It's such a good song, super catchy, super fun, still very hard-hitting, loads of overdrive, edge, and attitude, but it comes through with a unique approach.

There are definitely sections that still hit the classic doom approach that the rest of the record holds, but that pop overtone is really cool on this track.

This is definitely an EP that you listen to all the way through, in one shot.

There are surprises around its corners, loads that you want, and it just hits with a massive feel.

Upon listening to this release, I knew I wanted to have a sit-down with the band. I just needed to know where this all came from, what it was about, and I wanted to touch on some of their influences, along with what may be coming up next for them

So, while you listen to this EP, have a read through of our interview with Aye Mammoth below.

Remember where you heard it first.

Where did this record come from and what was it about?

Conceptually, the release was inspired by the microcosm macrocosm analogy, which posited similarities between the universe and the human being. For example, the head represents the empyreum and is closest to the divine light of God. The first three songs of the EP follow along with that analogy, and the last song ends with a creation story of Earth that will bridge the gap leading into our 2028 release. Our previous EP, Return, as well as Universe and that aforementioned 2028 release are a trilogy of sorts about the creation of the cosmos and Earth, told from scientific, metaphysical, and spiritual perspectives. The cover art for Universe is even a modernized version of an antiquated sketch by Robert Fludd.

I hear a few different styles on this release. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Our initial foundation or sound since the beginning comes from rock and roll and metal of the 70s, but as we’ve moved from release to release each year, we’ve taken these small steps towards more recent eras into the 80s and now into the 90s. You have a keen ear to notice that in this EP. Who knows, maybe we’ll reach the argent metal stage by the 2030s.

Are you performing live right now?

We’re not actually playing a ton right now except when an opportunity comes to us, which translates to a couple shows a year. We’ve had a few setbacks the last couple years, and the current scene in our local area is in dire straits, with new and even beloved older venues closing up and a lot of pay-to-play spreading around our area. Quite a few of our friends’ bands have also been on hiatus or dissolved. In addition to that, we have little to no resources to tour around, which doesn’t seem to be too fortuitous for those of our friends who have done that lately.

How did this all start for you as a band?

This band originally spun out of a rockabilly surf project called Death Ray X. Phil, who I knew from back in our local scene in early 90s, was itching to do something, so we recorded some mostly instrumental rockabilly surf music. I had also accrued a bunch of music and song ideas that were stacking up over the years that were significantly heavier than DRX, so Phil and I naturally shifted gears into that, just a different styling of rock and roll.

Did you work with a producer on this album, or was this all you?

This was all us. For better or worse, we’ve recorded and produced all our music ourselves internally since the beginning. It’s resulted in a lot of exploration and learning experiences, but we’ve improved as we’ve come along. We have had three releases in the past that were mastered by fellow local musicians.

Did you record this at a big studio, or more of a home setup?

Every one of the recordings thus far has been home studio and lots of trial and error.

What's next for you? Working on more new releases?

We are halfway through tracking for Beasts Returnal that will be out in 2027. It’s not new material but a re-recording of our 2018 release Beasts Infernal. Then the 2028 release mentioned before as well as another 2029 release are already all written and ready to go.

What kind of advice would you give to other up and coming bands or artists trying to get heard?

Have the courage to put yourselves out there. It’s better to take a swing and miss than never swing at all and live your life full of what ifs and regrets.

What can people expect to hear on this EP?

Spacey, cosmic semi-prog rock with hints of heavy metal and punk.

Before we go, what would you want to express to fans of the music?

An overarching theme throughout all of the storytelling in our music is about light overcoming the darkness. That’s an important narrative for us.