MAMMOTH VOLUME are best known for being a Swedish hard rock group, hailing from Lysekil. It is safe to say that the band have been through some challenges, as well as successes throughout their time as a collective. They split up in 2008 after twelve years together, before reforming in 2020. MAMMOTH VOLUME released their debut studio album in 1999, titled "Mammoth Volume". Following this, the band had a large six-year hiatus before revealing the two full length releases "Noara Dance" and "The Early Years" in 2005. However, MAMMOTH VOLUME are well and truly back with a vengeance. In the last few months, they have revealed the three promotional singles "A Lullaby Of Doom", "Diablo IV" and "The Kuleshov Effect", which all feature on their fourth studio album "The Cursed Who Perform The Larvagod Rites", which was released on August 19^th, 2022, via Blues Funeral Recordings.

The first track on the album is "The Kuleshov Effect", which impresses me from the get-go. The NIRVANA style sludge rock instrumentals and melancholy vocals from Jörgen Andersson just make this track what it is! Even though the subject matter is pretty depressing, I somehow still feel quite uplifted from it, strangely enough. As I venture into "Diablo IV", I am met with more sludgy, grunge style riffs that are just fantastic. "Medieval Torture Device" is up next, which features an interesting riff from the start, which successfully carries me through until the end of the song. Unfortunately, there is not really anything else redeeming about this track. "Want To Join Us? Come Back Later!" begins with an equally funky guitar riff, before leaping straight in with Jörgen Andersson's vocals. Saying this, the song eventually ends up being quite repetitive and lackluster.

"Osteoporos" is next, which changes things up nicely with a softer, acoustic vibe at the forefront. However, as the song evolves, it seems very similar to the rest, unfortunately. "The Lightwedge 60's Race, Zombie Piccolos And The German" is a lot more upbeat and livelier in contrast, with some unique instrumentals leading the way. "A King And A Tyrant" starts off with a groovy instrumental segment, which is memorable to say the least. This is probably one of the better tracks on the album. "A Lullaby Of Doom" begins with a distorted guitar riff, which instantly grabs my attention. There is not much else to say about this track, it's a little dull. The final song is "Diablo V/ Lanternsong", which contains a beautiful, almost calming guitar picking rhythm. Sadly, this track goes on for quite a bit longer than I initially anticipated. The use of the wind instruments throughout remind me very much of JETHRO TULL, which is something that I didn't expect in this track. This is probably one of the best songs on the compilation.

MAMMOTH VOLUME's "The Cursed Who Perform The Larvagod Rites" is nowhere near the best album I have ever heard. With the only redeeming feature of the compilation being the unusual album title, I certainly wouldn't dream of recommending this body of work to anyone. Every single song sounds pretty much identical to one another, with no real dissimilarities between them aside from a few more instrumentals. Give this one a miss!