Ufomammut-Oro: Opus Alter

Neurot
2012

Ufomammut released Oro: Opus Primum earlier this year and I was blown away by the the mountain of sound that crushed my ears as I tried to soak in all that album had to offer. I had enjoyed their previous albums and marveled at their talent, but Opus Primum was even more adventurous than their prior work. No sooner had I written my views on this album then I came to find out that a second part of the Oro series was going to come out in the summer. So less than half a year later here we are and part two Oro: Opus Prime falls into my lap. It has some giant footsteps to follow in because the first part was nothing short of spectacular. So once again we get five tracks although the total running time is shorter on this album. The overall sound is similar between the two albums. "Oroborus" opens up as a heavy treading beast with a simple rhythm fueling it's course, but underneath various expansive sounds are simultaneously swirling around as well. It's an exercise in technical skill, but instead shows the band's ability to multi-task and create numerous layers of sound to suck you in. "Luxon" follows a stripped down path with simple notes and beats leading the way plus the spaced out echoes keep the track on course. "Sulpherdew" emerges amidst science fiction induced swirls with a tightly coiled riffs plowing forth pulling support around it as it gains steam growing and mutating into an entity that grabs and holds your attention. This track is heavy and simple by this band's standards, but it's still an amazing song. "Sublime" is a very calculated track where the sounds trickle out in due time. You have to wait for it, but your patience will be rewarded with some very focused bursts that eventually pull you in. "Deityrant" is a creation of pure fuzzed out volume during the first couple of minutes and eventually it launches into buzzing stellar mist that spins around yet still has you ready for what's next. What's next is some ominous hums that signal the end of the album. In many ways this album is more basic than it's predecessor yet it may be heavier and it's just as powerful. This is a certainly a worthy companion piece to the album they released just a few months ago. I am not sure which of these two albums is better but I guess that is something I will have to figured out in a few months when I figure out my top 25 favorite albums of 2012.

Labor day reviewathon count-10 down and done

*I needed to review ten albums by the end of Labor Day or I would have had to listen to Warrant's Cherry Pie. So I dodged that bullet by knocking out all ten with a day to spare.