Steel Mammoth — Atomic Oblivion

Much like the subgenre of metal that it draws influence from, the NWOFHM (New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal) represents to me unadulterated, blitzkrieg heavy metal, the sort of thing that jumps up and pummels you into submission while wearing its battle jacket. The influences are all there to be heard, Venom, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Witchfinder General, Motorhead, Witchfynde etc all mixed with the rawness of classic punk rock bands like The Damned and The Ramones. Steel Mammoth are at the forefront of this new Finnish metal movement, yet their humble beginnings were as a psychedelic/ stoner rock band up until they released Radiation Funeral and Nuclear Rebirth in 2011.

The album opens with the track Heavy Muscle Tissue, this one has a bit of a thrash metal vibe to it, the riffs are reminiscent of Nuclear Assault in places but there is a real sense of the influence of bands like the Circle Jerks or Bad Brains, especially in the vocals. In fact, the whole album melds metal and punk with great aplomb. Shit Testament is up next and definitely leans more heavily on its punk side, I was reminded in places of the Circle Jerks later material, particularly the track Beat Me Senseless. Radiation Poetry is a slower, more heavily metal inspired track, there is a definite hint of Venom to the riffs and the demented vocals would be closer to their style. Clearing of Frost heads back into the punkier side of things. Armageddon Speed sticks to similar territory, never really breaking out of the mould set by the previous, a mid-tempo blast of punk rock.

The second half of the album immediately picks up the pace slightly with the track Shadow Sanctuary. Gimme Gimme Nothing is however more of the same punky rock with barely a hint of metal. By the time we get to Quantum Slave the album is set firmly in a rut of average punk rock with barely a hint of heavy metal. After an opener that promised so much more the album seems to have sunk into mediocre punk rock. Shadow Behaviour, and The Beyond Beyond the Beyond add nothing to the mix, before the title track Atomic Oblivion closes the album. This represents a step back towards the metal side, however it is at best average and it’s far too little too late.

Overall, this is a very average album, that never really ignites. Generic punk rock influences are all over it and there is barely anything of the much vaunted metal side of the band. On the few tracks where their metal influences take precedence they sound better, but they are still a long way from excelling in the metal field. A disappointing album that really doesn’t do enough to justify any further listens from me.