Mamuthones — SATOR
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.