Mamuthones — SATOR

‘SATOR’ sits between thick & mysterious ritual whisper lined mood scapes, and macabre to discordant Fender Rhodes slightly guitar barbed freak-outs. It sits in a strange sonic place between smooth yet puzzling ritualistic airs & churning lite psychedelic rock work-outs. Like a strange ritual that’s organised, sleek & sensual; yet debauchery lined, primal & off-kilter at the next turn.

Mamuthones is the solo project of Italian mood maker Alessio Gastaldello who has in the past collaborated with the likes of  highly respected Italian drone maker Fabio Orsi & Italian psychedelic rock  project Jennifer Gentle. ‘SATOR’ is his first purely solo album & it’s takes it’s concept & title from  mysterious engravings found in many ancient Roman ruins and Middle Age European churches. The key and most predominant element through-out the album is the layers of vocals & whispered textures  which appear on both the more mysterious & sensual ritual ambient drifts in their more haunting, layered  form. As well as in the more mildly pump-up organ led psychedelic work-outs; where they flit between ritual chanting & quite fevered incantations. The rest of the albums make-up consists of: drifting synth textures, analogue like effects peddles, various organ tones & textures, mainly subtle psychedelic guitar elements, ritual percussion & more stuck kraut rock grooves.

On the whole its a fairly enjoyable & consistent album with Gastaldello managing to summon up quite a nice and often dense ritual air. Through at times I felt the switch between the more psychedelic rock work-outs & ambient ritual elements felt a little random & possibly ruined some of the tracks atmosphere & the general flow of the album.