The Temporary Nature by Wooly Mammoth

doom scene has been revered for years now, so it is not exactly a shock that the first full-length from Washington, D.C.'s WOOLY MAMMOTH is 54 minutes of doom heaviness and trippy stoner rock jamming. With songs that range from the righteously rocking to the mind altering, "The Temporary Nature" falls squarely into the "solid" category for the genre.

The aforementioned mix keeps things interesting throughout the disc and the trio moves like a well-oiled machine from the first note to the last. As I have no doubt alluded to in the past, it is a beautiful thing when a trio is able to squeeze every ounce of emotion out of its instruments and fill up every nook and cranny of audio space. Vocalist/guitarist Zac Eller combines his catchy and soulful singing with fat chords and amplifier-blowing solos, while Phil Adler (drums/percussion) and Kyle Connolly (bass/keys) create an earth-shaking bottom, yet still remain active throughout the disc.

It is the little things that often make the biggest impact, such as Connolly's buzzing bass line to open the rockin' "Liberasaur" or his four-string rumble that supports Eller's acid-soaked solo on the 11-minute "Mammoth Bones", which also features guest guitar from the almighty Wino. Even this lengthy track of plodding doom-crush and KYUSS-esque atmosphere is arranged in a way that makes it far more than an exercise in the art of drone. The chant-like vocals of the pounding title track and the acoustic psychedelia of instrumental "The Middle Way" are just two examples of the album's more sonically mind-expanding material. "Slow Love" is nine minutes of quintessential blues-based doom crawl, while the mid to up tempo "Black Spider, Red Spider" features a little FU MANCHU in the main melody and echoing space vocals (similar to the early work of MONSTER MAGNET's Dave Wyndorf). "Head Full of Collision" and "From Meridian Hill" are classic mid-tempo doom burners. The group does a nice job of shifting tempos for maximum effect as well.

"The Temporary Nature" offers the listener numerous opportunities to rock out and trip out. And WOOLY MAMMOTH rarely leaves melody out the equation, making "The Temporary Nature" more than just an album of huge riffs and chemically altered jams.

Hellridemusic.com - Review of The Temporary Nature:

I don't remember listening to any CD this long before writing a review. It has been in my car CD player for so many weeks now, so I listen to it every day on my way to and from various destinations as required by the appointments of my meaningless life. Listening to this CD has probably prevented me from driving off a cliff into oblivion's waiting open arms. Music prevents me from acting on impulses that occur throughout the day. Music soothes the psychotic beast, plus, when it is this good, it is a soothing balm to my damaged soul.

Wooly Mammoth guitarist/vocalist Zac Eller is one of the most creative and talented musicians I have met in my nearly forty years of seeking elusive holy grail rock chords and phrasings. These tunes of awe and dread are definitely played deep in the key of doom, as Zac's guitar pounds diverse downtuned melodies of despair and his voice howls out the essence of his anguish, but there's way more than doom here in the details. There's a hardcore heritage and hard rock drive that gives Wooly Mammoth a richness and atmospheric beauty that's difficult to describe. Few singers translate and channel the intensity of such real feelings into lyrics and vocal stylings as clearly and profoundly as Zac. There is poetry in every line.

I have never heard a Wooly mammoth tunes that did not immediately grab my attention, and The Temporary Nature is their best recording to date. I was with Underdogma the first night we heard Wooly Mammoth many years ago, and we were just as floored then by their visceral punch as today. Every new Wooly Mammoth CD explores more of Zac's creative abilities. With brother Kyle Connolly hammering a thunderous bass underpinning, and Phil Adler's always perfectly precise percussion, Zac is free to fly above the miseries and disappointments of this troubled world and make the kind of music that would give the mythic gods of lost ages reason to stop and listen, hearing on the wind notes of sadness linked with those of glory as only the muses themselves can inspire in the hearts of mortal men. With enough hardcore drive to lift Wooly Mammoth above the too often encountered doldrums of "true doom", their music stands out as more intense and profound, with a quicker pace and more inventive melody reference way beyond the musical meandering of lesser bands. Wooly Mammoth is an artistic, creative, rock force, and The Temporary Nature is the latest salvo in their battle to put real feeling and talent back into rock music. This brings tears of musical joy to my eyes and ears.

Stonerrock.com - review of The Temporary Nature:

With the Night Letters split CD, Wooly Mammoth did the seemingly impossible � they held their own against The Hidden Hand. Not an easy feat, given that The Hidden Hand contains one Scott �Wino� Weinrich of St Vitus and The Obsessed fame. But Wooly Mammoth delivered. Hell, they did more than that. For this review, I went back and revisited Night Letters, and you know what � the Wooly Mammoth songs are better.

Those who�ve heard Wooly Mammoth and dug �em as much as I do have reason to rejoice � the Washington, DC, three-piece has finally recoreded a full-length. And a damn fine one at that. All the elements that made their two tracks on Night Letters are present and accounted for � the thick, molasses-like distortion, the bluesy, stoner riffs that have just enough classic rock to �em, and the hooks that creep up from behind and kick you in the ass. Wooly Mammoth is one of those bands that has a timeless sound � they deftly avoid coming off as a retro act.

They further spice things up with some more out-there psychedelic noodlings, such as on �The Middle Way,� and the doom stomp of the title track. With the last song, �Mammoth Bones,� they pull out all the stops, laying down an intensely heavy 11 minute Zeppelin-by-way-of-Sabbath groover that features none other than Wino on second guitar. It�s apparent that with The Temporary Nature, the band�s working from a wide range of influences. Even better, they�re taking those influences and channeling them into a cohesive sound.

They�ve got a good approach to the classic rock sound, and they ought to reach as wide an audience as possible. Once released, The Temporary Nature is bound to impress all who hear it.

Razorcake.com review of The Temporary Nature:

Ferocious, steamy, sinewy hard rock from this DC trio. First full length for a band that evokes the spirit of bands like Blue Cheer and Pentagram but adds their own sweat into the crevices. Songs like �Head Full of Collision� and �The Middle Way� have been honed in their live setting for awhile. But new songs like �Black Spider, Red Spider� bristle with energy as lead singer/guitarist Zac Eller wails �driving with the doors locked/highway 88/heading out to Carderrock/Are you ready to say goodbye?� Bassist Kyle Connelly and drummer Phil Adler do their part to expertly push the tunes into overdrive, especially on killer jams like �Slow Love� and �Liberasaur.� Why else would Wino lay down some guitar lick on the epic �Mammoth Bones?� Cause the extinct have risen and they will have their way with the living. Wooly Mammoth is leading the charge. Even Tony Iommi would give this �two-pinky�s� up!

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