Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Noeth Ac Anoeth

Possibly the most potent thing to come out of Wrexham since a Mark Hughes volley, the gloriously named Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard present their heavy, heavy monster sound on this three-track, 50-minute 'mini'-album.

Taking its title from an ancient Welsh phrase meaning 'an abode of existence, or Hades crossed with nothingness,' this hypnotic slab of doom metal certainly leaves the listening gulping for air amongst its dark, cosmic sludge of riffs and monolithic drums.

Offering light in the gloom are the angelic vocals of Jessica Ball, whose mesmorising voice lends MWWB’s cosmic soundscapes the ethereal quality of Cranes or My Bloody Valentine on opener Les Paradis Artificiels. 

Closing proceedings is the 30-minute-plus space opus Nachthexen, which contains passages so lumbering and prehistoric it’s a wonder the band do not actually become extinct before the track fades out. Dark, spacious and mysterious, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard are the real deal. [Jamie Bowman]