The celestial pulse of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, quickened by the circular, rhythmic thrust of Can and Neu!, have, for almost two decades, sent Ufomammut’s Sabbathian riffage straight towards the cosmos. Their latest odyssey, titled 8 but metaphorically aligned to the infinity symbol, is presented as an ouroboric form, its eight songs acting in singular force – much like 2010’s meditation on the origins of humankind, Eve. Recorded live with overdubs for mantric vocals, synths and minor embellishments, Ufomammut have never come as close to capturing their stentorian live sound in the studio as they have here. Time and space are warped through the massive reverberations of opener Babel, as its need for velocity eventually consumes its contemplative passages. Zodiac’s gnashing riffs also benefit from the magickal live energy. However, it’s the titanic tandem of Fatum and Prismaze, both replete with Sleep-bong-huffing-with-Helmet syncopations, which hit the hardest. This leads to the nightmarish pummel of Core, where tension is wielded like a weapon by musicians who are naturally attuned to different sonic and spiritual frequencies than most. Evidently, Ufomammut’s shamanistic understanding of groove and tonality continues to improve with each passing album. As 8 assimilates, another interesting revelation is how the Italian trio occasionally allow you to melt into a mesmeric groove aided by astral electronics only for them to swiftly change direction with startling momentum. This is best exemplified by the mid-point jolt of closer Psyrcle, one of the more disorientating and heady tracks of their lengthy history. Such subtle sleights of hand, together with immersivesongwriting, will keep you fixated and maintain Ufomammut’s standing as leading figures for unearthing metaphysical pathways through the tranformative power of psychedelic doom.
Ufomammut - 8 album review
Italy’s astral doom trio go beyond all bounds

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

“Justin Hawkins has got a crazy brain. He kept giving me all of these great lines”: How The Darkness persuaded a Hollywood A-lister to appear on their new album

“Our manager said Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck were in the crowd. I had to put it out of my mind and play”: The epic story of Living Colour, the band that revolutionised 80s hard rock

“We were a bit drunk, and I slurred to Ronnie, ‘Do you fancy doing an album?’ It was as simple as that”: How Heaven & Hell resurrected Black Sabbath’s other classic line-up with The Devil You Know