Mammoth takes the best of classic progressive rock and fusion elements to deliver us a truly hairy beast, Polymorphism.

With such a band name, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to The Explorers Club’s Raising The Mammoth album, which is a gem of modern progressive rock. Mammoth are definitely more on the technical side of things, with more instrumental songs, more intricate instrumental parts and less directed towards creating an atmosphere, what The Explorers Club mainly did on their latest album, most notably on their 21-minute, 16-part suite Gigantipithicus (Prog-O-Matic), which is every bit as epic as it sounds. This doesn’t mean that Mammoth the band isn’t able to create a tangible atmosphere with their music, not at all actually, rather that they don’t focus or rely entirely on this to make their music interesting.

From the swingy bass riff that opens the album to the fast-paced, almost Abasi-esque guitar tapping riff in the opening of “Hallucinogenic Hummingbird, it’s clear that the guys know what they’re doing. “Resistance Met” and “Rüya” are the two more mellow, atmospheric center of Polymorphism, the former being a strings-only dissonant piece, while the latter is a soft prog rock piece full of melody. The album closes on “I Am Error”, a 12 minute prog rock epic with tasty chops all over it, with a really due drum solo (finally!) And it’s a dedicated one at that, lasting a full 4 minute, fulfilling your needs of drum porn for the day. Then, Polymorphism finishes on a beautiful, dreamy sequence with a final hint to the song’s overture.

In the end, Mammoth‘s Polymorphism is a great progressive rock album, and those who prefer more instrumental-focused music will be delighted by this one!