I remember reviewing another band named MAMMOTH MAMMOTH for Temple, and I really like that album "Volume IV - Hammered Again" very much, and that caught me wondering, with another sludge band with similar name, what are the chances of me not liking it? Well, MAMMOTH SALMON's debut full-length, "Last Vestige Of Humanity", that was released independently last August, is an interesting album for many reasons. Why? Read on.

The opening song, "Ad Nauseam", starts with a stoner-sludgy riff, before getting much thicker and heavier and the riffs are very catchy, as you would expect in genres like Sludge Metal. The thick riffs just get thicker and juicier and the bass is used to the optimum extent, as is the case usually with these kinds of bands. "Acid Casualty" starts with some thick heavy bass being played in a tunnel, before the song turns into a proper song. The considerable increase in the length of the song is felt at 4:30 min as the song goes back to its original 'just bass' sound, and the occasional guitar solos. As the song progresses the listener is taken to a doomy place with just the atmospheric bass and the slow drum beats in the song towards the end. "Last Vestige of Humanity" is full of haunting horror riffs even as Paul Dudziak screams his way out the lyrics here and there in the song. The interesting part of the vocals in this album here is that the pace of the vocals sync with the rest of the band's pace, something very few vocalists in Doom or Sludge bands do, and it works greatly here. "Memoriam" is another mid-tempo sludgy song with the vocals screaming in the background. The vocals in all the songs almost feel like they are being sung from a very faraway place, compared to the rest of the band. The bass and the drums create some unique song structures and the listeners have some headbang-able moments in the song, and the song increases the pace and turns really heavy towards the ending of the song, before dying down. The song structures and the production here in this album is top notch in my opinion. "Shattered Existence" is full of chugging sludgy riffs that make you surrender to the music as you headbang. And like the core of the band's music, the song is not about speed, but about heaviness and the slow torture. A torture that only Sludge and Doom Metal fans will find it beautiful to undergo. But the song does have its pacey moments in the middle and they don't disappoint either and in fact provide variety and flavor to the song. The lads literally make the guitars cry in the last song of the album, "Believe Nothing", as the riffs sound crazier than ever. They are made to sound eerie and haunting, and the song elongates to more than 10 minutes, and is filled with some very innovative and juicy riffs, making it a one incredible experience with the song oscillating between heavier and lighter parts. It's an excellent way to finish off the album. Trust me when I say this, I almost felt being chocked while listening to this song. It's the Sludge Metal that I have been waiting to listen to in a long time.

Flavored with haunting atmospheric parts, MAMMOTH SALMON's debut full length "Last Vestige Of Humanity" is full of thick and juicy riffs, and is sure to please more than just the seasoned fans of the genre. It is 46 minutes full of dirty sludgy doomy riffs that can only be best experienced by listened to them. The fact that the album was released independently makes this even cooler.<