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Beardfish - Mammoth CD (album) cover

MAMMOTH

Beardfish

 

Eclectic Prog

3.95 | 656 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

J-Man
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Since their inception in 2000, Beardfish has gained a reputation as one of Sweden's finest progressive rock exports - surely no small feat when one considers the shocking number of quality prog bands from the country. Mammoth lives up to (and often exceeds) the expectation that Beardfish has established for themselves in their decade-long history. This is yet another stellar effort from this great band, which should come as no surprise to their dedicated following. Whether or not this matches up to their previous efforts depends on the listener; all I know is that Mammoth is one hell of an album and a warm recommendation from this reviewer.

For those who know Beardfish, Mammoth is unquestionably their work. Expect symphonic progressive rock (in the vein of Yes) intermixed with jazzy Frank Zappa influences and hard rock-tinged riffs. Songs like "Akakabotu" show the fusion-influenced side of Beardfish - this is also a style the band also has down pat. There are also some sections where I'm reminded of Van Der Graaf Generator (maybe because of the semi-dark atmospheres with saxophone solos). Beardfish may not be the most revolutionary band out there, but they deliver their style better than most acts for sure. Every song here is a memorable prog rock tour-de-force filled with stellar musicianship across the board. In terms of musicianship, I especially have to applaud Rikard Sjöblom. His use of vintage keyboards (particularly the organ and mellotron) is simply irresistible for a keyboard freak (such as myself), and his vocal performances certainly aren't shabby either. In addition to the vintage instrumentation, the production also sounds a bit "retro" to these ears. The production is polished and professional sounding, but maintains a clean and somewhat-raw atmosphere throughout. That's how I like my symphonic prog to sound.

Beardfish has been delivering quality prog rock for over a decade now, and Mammoth is definitely another "mammoth" effort from these seasoned Swedish veterans. Fans of the band will want to make sure this gets in their collection, and people who are new to Beardfish may also want to give this a shot. Mammoth is a great album and I'm sure it'll be making its way into many "top 10" lists of 2011. 4 stars are well-deserved for this remarkable achievement.

J-Man | 4/5 |

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