MAMMOTH

Wow! What a great album by a fantastic band. Granted I have heard little of Beardfish in the past but this album was one great introduction to them. The sixth album by Beardfish is a pretty good improvement from what little I had heard from their other albums. It mixes great jazz riffs with progy backings to really add to the overall feel of the album.

One reason why I really like this album is because of the jazz elements incorporated in it. Since I myself am a jazz saxophonist the jazzy elements really make this one special. I really like how Beardfish puts little samplings of jazz tunes into their music while still mostly staying in the prog range. One song that really shows this is "And The Stone Said" which, in my opinion, is the most jazzy on the album. Besides great saxophone melodies, David Zackrisson does a great job on guitars. They blend very nicely in with the rest of the instruments on the track, providing an overall smooth and laid back feel. And, if you are looking for and epic "And The Stone Said" is a great song for you. Topping out at around 15 minutes, it sets a good tone for the whole album. In the beginning of the song the guitars are absolutely superb and are right in sync with the keyboards, which are expertly played by Rikard Sjöblom who also doubles as the vocalist. It also includes a short but noticeable section where it sounds a lot like The Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour".

Speaking of vocals this album has much to offer in that category. Rikard Sjöblom's voice plays along well with the saxophone and guitar melodies in almost all of the songs. There are just a couple of places throughout the album where his voice seems okay instead of great. Like on the track "Tightrope" where a lot of the time while he is singing there is no one playing an instrument. For his voice, I think there needs to be at least something to back him up since it makes him sound so much better. But other than "Tightrope" his voice is very good, especially on the tracks "And The Stone Said", "The Platform", and "Without Saying Anything".

The production on this album is another great highpoint that really caught my attention. It makes "Mammoth" almost sound like an early to late 70's prog recording, which is to say that it is absolutely superb in almost every way.

"Mammoth", as I said before, has a great sound and feel to it that any prog fan would enjoy. I enjoyed this one much more than a lot of recent prog releases since I am a sax player and the production is absolutely awesome. Throughout the whole album the sax, keyboards, and guitars really pop out and are showcased perfectly. For a great release, Beardfish gets 4 stars.

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