Free Nelson Mandoomjazz – The Shape of Doomjazz to Come

Those who investigate the bleak and heavy terrain of Edinburgh jazz/metal fusionists Free Nelson Mandoomjazz will find a lot to enjoy. The guitarist's powerful riffage obviously derives from a love of classic heavy metal in the Sabbath vein, but its when all three – drums, piano, and caterwauling saxophone – let loose that the real alchemy happens, the nails-down-a-blackboard intensity of the sax underpinned with feral guitar noise and clattering drums. It's like John Zorn's wildest excesses pared down with a tight, hook-driven rock sensibility.

Most of the tunes clock in at about 7 minutes, but don't overstay their welcome, as long as your brain can continue to accomodate the sheer intensity and pitch of the saxophone's unearthly wail. Hints of post-rock's expansionist vision creep in on No-one Fucking Posts to the UAE, and fast bebop trades licks with hardcore on K54. Deeply experimental, the raw power of Free Nelson Mandoomjazz is hard to deny. [Bram E. Gieben]