Bull Elephant - Bull Elephant

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BULL ELEPHANT, the band, is an anonymous collective. BULL ELEPHANT gives the sci-fi storytelling realm a go with their hot off the hard disk 7 song tome Bull Elephant. Mystery ensues … who are these loxodontans (look it up) from trunk-schwingin London and why have they decided to list themselves simply as Anonymous? Progressive private  pachyderms … the hell you say !

To quote their Facebook page, “ Bull Elephant is the story of a slain African elephant that occultist Ahnenerbe SS attempted to bring back from the dead as a new form of battle asset. However, before re-animation could be completed it was intercepted by a mysterious witch-shaman, pursuing her own agenda and redirecting the undead creature’s purpose. Think of the background concept as Raiders of the Lost Ark set to a progressive doom soundtrack where Judeo-Christian mythology is replaced by the even more sinister universe hinted at in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft …. with Nazi assault wolves.” Yup. I dig it.

This aural parade blows my mind right from the self-titled track #1 Bull Elephant … I reckon there are three distinctly different voices .. 2 doom (vocal fry) voices and a Mike Scheidt – Yob style siren voice. I count meself in the coven of sabra vocálbra-lists and this ability to sing in various voices shows talent and creative possibility. Just count the various voices that Mick Jagger summons and tell me I’m wrong. Schizo-genius.

"Communion" carries on with the double bass dirge and a vocal that haole goat-damit reminds me of the gone but not forgotten Wendy O Williams before tumbling into a U2 chorus … jeeze and all this in 7 minutes. Listen and tell me I am hallucinating, my droogs. "Winterfist" track #6 rolls on and for me, drives us to the Globe that this just ain’t no recording Willis, this is a story and a right interesting fable. Cool metal guitar accompaniment abounds.

Progressive as in PORCUPINE TREE-progressive humps the sonic treasure here and always reaches for the high-hanging fruit at the top o’ the tree. Bull Elephant does not lean on any one musical style for very long … metal, post metal, progressive rock, Doom, Death, speed metal, maybe a bit of dub step… its all on display and beautifully mixed. I, mere mortal music junkie that I am, stream Tidal for almost everything, but if you get the Bandcamp download it will include a gorgeous 9 panel digital .pdf of release artwork. If you kick down for the physical compact disk you get a 26 page artwork and lyrics book, a real printed hardcover book printed on FSC certified paper (touché) … Neat-o ! Neat-o like having a vinyl LP from 1970 with gatefold art.

Kudos to Jaime Gomez Arellano (Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Ghost) of Orgone Studios, Bedfordshire, UK  who recorded, mixed and mastered Bull Elephant. I notice production and this is great music production. What is in the watta over in the UK? Why are the bands and the scene there so bloody fascinating? Mates?

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 9
Production: 10