Great Metal Albums of 1989: Mammoth

British band, Mammoth, first came to my attention via a compilation album which I’m going to cover in the very near future. The song represented on that album from this debut is “Fatman” and it was a good choice as for me, it’s the best song on the debut. It’s a good heads up rocker and I get the impression that the band are laughing at themselves with it, in a good way of course.

Of course, we got to ask about the rest of the album. If they were looking for Top of the Pops chart success, then the opener “All the Days” would be a prime candidate. It does open with a pop oriented intro but never gets too heavy for the delicate ears of the top 40 brigade. However, there is a cool guitar solo in the middle. Mac Baker is a decent guitarist.

Like with so many bands on their debut albums, some might say that Mammoth were trying to discover what they were. True, on the album songs go in a variety of directions but they mostly stay with the hard rock formula. “Can’t Take the Hurt” is another mid tempo rocker which also could have been released as a single. With the video, maybe it was as it’s the closest they come to a true ballad. The history behind the band is vague at best.

They prove they can rock on tracks like “Bet You Wish,” “Long Time Coming” and “30 Pieces of Silver.” These are good hard rocking tracks and “Bad Times” is a steady melodic one. However, they venture into more progressive metal territory on “Dark Star” and the closer, “Home From the Storm,” and they sound pretty good. I put forward the argument that Mammoth weren’t necessarily trying to find their sound as opposed to the belief that they just wanted to make music.

Track Listing:

1. All the Days
2. Fatman
3. Can’t Take the Hurt
4. 30 Pieces of Silver
5. Dark Star
6. Bet You Wish
7. Long Time Coming
8. Bad Times
9. Home From the Storm

Mammoth

Nicky Moore- vocals, keyboards

Mac Baker- guitar

John McCoy- bass, guitar, synth guitar

Vinnie Reed- drums, percussion

Additional Musicians:

Bernie Torme- guitar

Kenny Cox- guitar

Rob Fisher- keyboards

David Lloyd, Mark Williamson- backing vocals

Steve Sidelynk- percussion

Mammoth was one of those bands who came and went without getting much notice. According to sources, they wouldn’t release another record until 1997. Shame, because with this debut, they were certainly heading in the right direction.

Next post: Dream Theater- When Dream and Day Unite

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