Band:	Ufomammut
Album:	Ecate
Style:	Doom metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	March 2015

01. Somnium
02. Plouton
03. Chaosecret
04. Temple
05. Revelation
06. Daemon

Italy's three-piece doom/stoner/psychedelic group Ufomammut have returned with their latest offering of spacey, quirky, heavy-as-hell brand of ritualistic sludge metal. Ecate is another benchmark in Ufomammut's timeline, arriving on the heels of their latest magnum opus, the two-disc epic journey Oro. Ecate is a bit different in that it's very accessible; a barrage of quiet, ambient phases tied together in a rudimentary way with mind-melting, dense, and crushing dynamics.

When I think of Ufomammut's discography the first thing that comes to mind is that the music really is a complicated listen. There are so many moving parts and different reaches into metal sub-genres that I can't blame metallurgists for taking a pass. Ecate is a whole new approach for Ufomammut. Simplifying song structures, gone are many of the cerebral elements. Instead the focus seems to be on rough and unpolished sludge-style idiosyncrasies. Although this may seem like a downgrade, if you listen well enough, Ecate still infuses many propulsive and constantly engaging soundscapes. A genius maneuver because this variety allows the heavier parts to be more accentuated and made out to be more tangible. It almost seems like Ufomammut wanted to give our brains a rest and let the music be absorbed with our heart, soul, and fists.

The production and overall presentation is done perfectly. Sparingly used but varied and effect-ridden post metal-style screamed vocals are securely encrypted underneath the immense wall of sound. Layered, down-tuned guitar sequences and heavy bass and drums generate the backbone for the album. Black Sabbath influenced riffs are at the forefront, further demonstrating accessibility on Ecate and many of them are memorable. Their are plenty of atmospheric subtleties that come along with any Ufomammut album; ambient and spacey sections generated by other-worldly keyboards and synthesizers in maximum effect - how the hell do they make all of those weird sounds? The last song, "Daemons", is the best example of all these elements in perfect synchronicity and my favorite song (it contains one of the best riffs I have heard in a long time) on the 45 minute-long album.

Metal fans complain about their favorite bands getting monotonous, re-making the same album over and over. Although Ufomammut still use some of their trademark tendencies on Ecate, the album is a welcomed change from anything they've ever done. It's a different kind of wide, sonic content and a humble accession to hallucinogenic spaciness found in their music. Kudos to them, I love when bands mix it up a bit.