Band:	Beardfish
Album:	Mammoth
Style:	Progressive rock
Release date:	March 25, 2011
Guest review by:	K✞ulu

Disc I
01. The Platform
02. And The Stone Said "If I Could Speak"
03. Tightrope
04. Green Waves
05. Outside/Inside
06. Akakabotu
07. Without Saying Anything [feat. Ventriloquist]

Disc II [Special Edition Bonus DVD]
01. Awaken The Sleeping
02. The Hunter
03. Destined Solitaire
04. Until You Comply
05. Without You
06. Green Waves
07. Roulette
+ Making Of "Mammoth"

Dear progheads, why the hell have not we been discussing this album? As far as I am concerned, Mammoth is the shit! This is a prog rock album that exhibits so much pure emotion, it is overwhelming. However, this is not the atmospheric Riverside type of angry/sad sentiment. This is more of a fun album, but the simplicity (how dare I use this word in a prog review) of expression just screams sincere emotion.

Beardfish have fun on other records of theirs, and on Mammoth they are in top shape. Everything is natural on Mammoth and of high quality, even though the formula for this album simply seems to be "sing and play from your heart." These guys definitely are not trying to impress with complexity or technique, but in the end one can hear a bit of both, and that is what draws me to this album so much.

Some songs are more complex and some are less, but all exhibit the spirit of just rocking out. Listen to "Green Waves": the first five minutes totally sound like a mix of Scorpions and Deep Purple in their heavier modes, but then the band goes full-on King Crimson/Camel/Yes and spews out 70's prog rock at its catchiest. The band bridges the two worlds on other songs and masterfully intertwines them. In the end, neither do they sound bland and outdated nor turn awesome songs into boring wankfest compositions; the balance is maintained.

Mammoth easily keeps the listener interested because it has the stuff that always works, albeit not necessarily in prog: them being riffs and solos, with those prog elements lurking behind and waiting to get their two cents in, and when they do, it still rocks. An extra amount of win is achieved by the use of saxophone on "And the Stone Said: If I Could Speak" and "Akakabotu," where it is present throughout the whole song and manifests itself in all the different lights. Ladies and gentlemen, this is prog rock at its best, so, in the name of justice, don't miss out on this album - well, and this band in general.