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#31 2011-02-18 12:05:07

Hugo F.
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From: Netherlands
Registered: 2008-11-09
Posts: 278
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Re: Mammoth!

Ordered my CD/DVD and LP/CD through Amazon.de. It's unlikely I can get it cheaper anywhere else. Especially since postage is free above 20 Euro big_smile

Bring it on!

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#32 2011-02-18 12:09:49

Hugo F.
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From: Netherlands
Registered: 2008-11-09
Posts: 278
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Re: Mammoth!

And Amazon lists yet another release date: March 25
We'll see.

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#33 2011-02-18 21:43:18

Kazza3
Member
From: Albury, Australia
Registered: 2009-12-26
Posts: 51

Re: Mammoth!

Maybe March 8 is digital release, while the 25th/30th is physical?

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#34 2011-02-19 15:52:22

ProgSphere
CEO at Prog Sphere
Registered: 2010-04-11
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#35 2011-02-19 15:53:27

ProgSphere
CEO at Prog Sphere
Registered: 2010-04-11
Posts: 186
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Re: Mammoth!

InsideOut says it will be released on March 28th in Europe.

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#36 2011-02-19 15:54:14

ProgSphere
CEO at Prog Sphere
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#37 2011-02-19 19:57:49

Kazza3
Member
From: Albury, Australia
Registered: 2009-12-26
Posts: 51

Re: Mammoth!

Digital release, eg just releasing it for download at first, before the cd comes out. Think what Radiohead have done with tKoL.

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#38 2011-02-20 13:00:14

ProgSphere
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#39 2011-02-20 14:51:45

Hugo F.
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From: Netherlands
Registered: 2008-11-09
Posts: 278
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Re: Mammoth!

It is.

The digital release date is also late March:
http://www.amazon.ca/s?_e....=Beardfish

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#40 2011-02-20 19:01:51

Kazza3
Member
From: Albury, Australia
Registered: 2009-12-26
Posts: 51

Re: Mammoth!

Mm, was just a thought. And possibly just me trying to salvage the prospects of an early March release. sad

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#42 2011-02-20 20:05:11

Hugo F.
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From: Netherlands
Registered: 2008-11-09
Posts: 278
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Re: Mammoth!

In the meantime there's two reviews over at Progarchives. I'll post 'em here for convenience sake wink

http://www.progarchives.com/static-images/4stars.gif review:

I'll start by saying that if you're a fan of Beardfish, stop reading now and just go get this album.

Unless you want to read something about how they are advancing in their musical path, how they have progressed and changed somewhat in their writing, but still sounding like a bearded fish. While the music is quite accessible, I needed several listens until the album reached me on a more emotional and personal level. This is a personal issue obviously and will vary from individual to another. However, once I "got" into it, I could enjoy the music so much more. But my point is that even prior to that emotional contact, I could very well acknowledge that this is a well done album, with clear and solid musical themes and fine execution.

This is the sixth album by this busy and talented band (they released their first album, Från En Plats Du Ej Kan Se, in 2003), and they seem to be getting better and more ambitious with each one. The band's sounds get denser, richer and fuller. There are walls of guitars and keyboards filling my ears in opener song The Platform, but this doesn't diminish the melodic line that drives this track. Actually, all the songs here have a stronger backbone in the form of the keyboards; these create a vast thick basis for the rest of the music to rely on, something that wasn't always there in prior albums. I must also point out the clarity of recording and how lovely it is to hear the efficient bass work. Moreover, Rikard's vocals seem to be better controlled here, as at times, in previous albums, he seemed to reach a little out of his range occasionally. In any case, his vocals are quite recognizable by now and they are very special and are a superb fit for this style of music. In Green Waves he takes his voice into places he's seldom used before; practically screaming in a very hard-rock manner (but not in an unpleasant way), he serves us his raw and savage side, introducing an additional layer of meaning into the lyrics.

If Epic is what you're looking for, you've got plenty of it here. Fantastic lengthy tracks with stellar instrumental sections and compelling solos of guitar and keyboards. One can hear the influence of King Crimson (Red-era) in parts of the second song, And The Stone Said". Beardfish manage to serve up epic-ness not only in long songs but also in more compact mode such as in Tightrope with its charming melody wrapped as a lovely 60s psychedelic rock package but with so much more hidden inside it. The aforementioned Green Waves is one of their most angry and savage sounding songs. Here we meet a side of Beardfish we didn't see much of previously and it's a welcome one. They unleash power here, raw intensity that is not devoid of beauty.

The tunes on Mammoth, like in their previous albums, take their influence from various rock music landscapes: hard, psychedelic, 60s etc; but to my ears they seem to know how to create music that has their own sound, while one can still hear the influences. Their identity is not lost, even though it is in debt to the past. I also have to mention the stellar instrumental piece, Akakabotu, with its heavy keyboards sound a-la Uriah Heep and cool jazzy feel, provided by the saxophone. Their interaction in the middle of the song provides for one of the most exciting songs on the album, and a classic-sounding prog-rock tune. The closing song, Without Saying Anything, shows to me again that Beardfish has a knack for writing catchy exciting songs with a melody that gets stuck in your head. But this song is more than a simple ear candy. Its intricate structure, rich layering and expansive volume are part of what makes this one of their most charming songs.

The way I hear it, Mammoth is Beardfish at its creative peak. This is an album by a band that knows what they want and know how they want to sound and know how to achieve it. Mammoth is another successful in a string of wonderful releases by this Swedish band.

http://www.progarchives.com/static-images/3stars.gifreview:

'Mammoth' - Beardfish (6/10)

While I gather that this will be an instant love for many of the fans that have been waiting to hear what Swedish prog rockers Beardfish next have in store, the band's sixth album 'Mammoth' feels a bit undeserving of its title. Although having quite enjoyed what I had heard from the band prior to this, I would not consider myself any such avid fan of the band's work, instead preferring to tread where their best work lies; being their peak double-work 'Sleeping In Traffic'. While 'Mammoth' again engages the listener in an impressive mix of vintage progressive hard rock and keen musicianship, the album lacks both the magic and edge of their greater works, resulting in something that retraces steps already taken, with the same skill but much less conviction.

Perhaps it is Beardfish getting a bit too polished for their own good, but I no longer hear the edge or grit that one could hear in the hard rock band's more successful material. While the band seems very content to use vintage equipment in their music, the production (and even some aspects of the performance) are too neatly refined to mesh well with it. Chief among these performance issues are the vocals of Rikard, who is still a great vocalist with a warm voice, but many of his cleaner parts feel as if they are far too concerned with hitting the right notes at the best possible pitches, as opposed to letting the raw emotion get through.

Although not a new issue to the band's sound (and- on that note- likely not a problem to begin with among many fans) is the fact that the band typically rests on the sound of 1970's hard rock, while tending to offer little fresh or modern to the sound. That being said, Beardfish works with this style remarkably well, and with such fifteen minute pieces as 'And The Stone Said' to boast here, parts of 'Mammoth' should do the retro-prog scene proud. Quite a few of the songs here feel a tad too derivative from their sources, although the best material on the album is quite fantastic. The piano piece 'Outside/Inside' (which seems to act as an intermission between heavier rock numbers) is an absolutely beautiful respite from the heavier songs. Then there is the instrumental 'Akakabotu', which stands as being overtly retro in nature, but throws in some charming saxophone parts and melodies to make it stand out from the rest. Then- of course- there is the fifteen minute cornerstone of 'Mammoth', 'And The Stone Said: If I Could Speak', which opens and closes with a powerful melodic lead reminiscent of Santana, before breaking into some great Hammond organ work.

Suffice to say, 'Mammoth' is indeed, a mixed bag of the great, the decent, and the mediocre. As talented a band as any other, Beardfish does the retrogressive hard rock very well, but if this album is any clue, they need to rekindle some of their organic quality they had with 'Sleeping In Traffic' to get back on par.

Also, over at Progressiveears.com there's a thread about this album. I wonder who started that one wink

http://www.progressiveear....cID=129309
I hope that link works. Otherwise use the search function on the main page:
http://www.progressiveears.com/

Waiting and anticipating...

*cough* I think it'll leak before the release date *cough*
Has happened before...will happen again. Will we be able to resist? Let's wait and see!

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#43 2011-02-20 20:31:36

SteveA
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From: UK
Registered: 2008-06-05
Posts: 1860
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#44 2011-02-21 05:23:27

Kazza3
Member
From: Albury, Australia
Registered: 2009-12-26
Posts: 51

Re: Mammoth!

As impatient as I am, there's no way I will succumb to any leaks.


Mammoth's on internation Amazon.com now, but it's not very descriptive:
This seems to be the cd by itself, release March 29, and this (the 'limited' version) seems to be the cd + dvd, release April 5.


SteveA wrote:

I love the idea from jkl2000@PE that this may be the artwork...

https://www.progforums.com/ForumImages/BFmammothSS.jpg

wink

I highly approve. big_smile

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#45 2011-02-21 11:54:30

ProgSphere
CEO at Prog Sphere
Registered: 2010-04-11
Posts: 186
Website

Re: Mammoth!

Why there are no vinyls? :I

edit: By the way, I got my promotional copy, so just wanted to share that with you, fellas big_smile

Last edited by AstralliS (2011-02-21 11:55:18)

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