Lock up your daughters, burn your crops, and bury your treasure, MAMMOTH MAMMOTH are back in town. Australia's kings of Stoner Metal released their fifth full-length album, "Kreuzung" on November 8, 2019. Now, to tell you the truth, when I saw the album title (which translates to "crossing" in German) and watched the video which supports the title track, I thought, "Wow, it looks like the boys are getting deep." Then I looked at the song list. With tracks like "Motherf@cker," "Tear it Down" and "God's Gonna Hate Me," it's clear "Kreuzung" isn't a philosophical treatise on the human condition . . . unless the human condition is equal parts beer, spit, and leather.

If you are new to MAMMOTH MAMMOTH, they're like MOTORHEAD, ORANGE GOBLIN, and AC/DC all wrapped in one. And also, where the hell have you been? These boys have been laying down spleen cracking hard rock since 2008. If you are part of the initiated, you'll be pleased to hear that "Kreuzung" lives up its heritage. You're going to get a lot of mileage off this album.

The eleven tracks clock in at just over 40 minutes. These aren't long-winded ballads, weepy love songs, or naval gazing Prog pieces. For sheer rock 'n' roll velocity, highlights are "I'm Ready," "Screamin'," "Kreuzung," "Let Go," and "Lead Boots." "God's Gonna Hate Me" is also very good. My fear was it was going to try to be too clever, I mean there's a lot of expectation packed into this song with the title and the fact that it's the closing track on the album. Final verdict: The riff is groovy as all hell and rhythm section is deep-ended nasty. The chorus is infectious and, even though parts sound a bit like the opening lines of "Stfu" by BARBE-Q-BARBIES, the song very much stands up.

There are a few songs that come across as derivative like "Wanted Man," which sounds like it has one too many ingredients from the AC/DC cookbook, and "Mad World" which comes across a little flat and uninspired. Overall, though, it was a good day when I downloaded "Kreuzung." MAMMOTH MAMMOTH has a way of restoring your faith in gritty, hard rock. One listen will inspire you to put on your leathers, grab your Harley, and ride baby ride.