| Mammatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Carralitos, California, USA Santa Cruz, California, USA |
| Genres | Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock |
| Years active | 2005 - Present |
| Labels | Holy Mountain Records, Rocket Recordings, Spiritual Pajamas |
| Associated acts | Residual Echoes, Whysp, Wildildlife, Flood |
| Website | Heady Mental |
Mammatus are a psychedelic/progressive rock band from Corralitos, California, a small town within Santa Cruz, California. Their sound incorporates elements and influences from Hawkwind, Ghost, Green Milk From The Planet Orange and Acid Mothers Temple among others.[1] The band themselves describe their music as "New Mage Breath Metal", having released four studio albums since their formation in 2005.
The band's name stems from the Mammatus cloud, meaning "mammary cloud". It is a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud, typically cumulonimbus rainclouds, although they may be attached to other classes of parent clouds. The name mammatus is derived from the Latin mamma (meaning "udder" or "breast"). It is also identified as one of the heaviest forms of cloud.
History[]
Mammatus formed in early 2005, quickly playing their first show at the Silent Planet in Corralitos on 20 March 2005. Throughout their early years they played in living rooms and dive bars in Santa Cruz, sometimes opening for more reputable bands in San Francisco. With no money and no label Mammatus recorded four songs in their makeshift garage studio. The recording attracted the attention of Holy Mountain Records in San Francisco and Rocket Recordings in the UK, who both released their self-titled debut album Mammatus on 28 March 2006. The artwork was done by the Arik Moonhawk Roper, who also provided covers for such bands as Sleep and High on Fire. The band would tour for the first time that year alongside Residual Echoes. The band also toured Europe at some point.
Following that tour work would begin on a second record, releasing The Coast Explodes on 24 April 2007, further expanding on their loose style of psychedelic prog. The band would tour alongside Acid Mothers Temple in support of the record. The next year would see the band embark on a West Coast tour alongside Wildildlife along with sporadic shows sharing the stage with the likes of Orange Sunshine,[2] Magik Markers,[3] Glitter Wizard[4] and a other touring acts.
After being somewhat dormant for years barring the occasional show, Mammatus would announce a third album was in the works circa 2013, releasing Heady Mental on 26 November that year. A blurb on the band's official page would describe the record as "resting heavily in the moldy caverns of heavy metal history, but doesn't get too comfortable there. It quickly shows it's true colors: This is music for flight, music for the sky, and music for the things that lay beyond." while a blurb on Holy Mountain's page for Mammatus describes the record as the following: "one could start by imaging what The Fucking Champs’ IV would have sounded like if they had been more into the McLaughlin / Santana LP Love, Devotion, Surrender instead of Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind.".
Mammatus would follow up quickly with a fourth record in Sparkling Waters, released circa 20 November 2015 via Spiritual Pajamas. Described by the band as their most ambitious to date, Sparkling Waters is a double LP featuring four multi-movement pieces, each designed to recalibrate the shanga array in your mind. In order to achieve the highest levels of sensatory clarity, the group enlisted Phil Manley (Trans Am, Life Coach) as their guiding light throughout the studio production. As a result these tracks shimmer with a far out, casual glow, like an aural reflection of a Risan steam pool. Notably the band would make an appearance at Psycho California that year and later participate in the Psycho Road Show alongside Acid Witch and several other acts, their first performance outside of California in over a decade.[5] The band also notably shared the stage with Earthless,[6] Nik Turner's Hawkwind,[7] Sacri Monti,[8] Feral Ohms and Kinski[9] among others.
On 2 March 2019 Mammatus had confirmed that a fifth studio album was in the works. [10]
Discography[]
- Mammatus (2006, Holy Mountain Records; Rocket Recordings)
- The Coast Explodes (2007, Holy Mountain Records; Rocket Recordings)
- Heady Mental (2013, Spiritual Pajamas)
- Sparkling Waters (2015, Spiritual Pajamas)
Members[]
Current Lineup[]
- Nicholas Emmert - Guitar, Vocals
- Aaron Emmert - Drums
- Chris Freels - Bass
List of Known Tours[]
- 2006 North American Tour (With Residual Echoes) (2006)
- Crystal Rainbow Pyramid North American Tour (With Acid Mothers Temple) (2007)[11]
- West Coast 2008 (With Wildildlife) (2008)[12][13]