The Mighty Nimbus – The Mighty Nimbus
Candlelight Records/Threeman Recordings – February 8th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I’m not sure who funds the cloning factories, but there are a lot of them: Swedish death, metalcore, NWOAHM, derivative black metal, sludge, I could go on. In any of the aforementioned cases, there are several bands paddling in an attempt to reach land, but few are able to achieve more than the forging of a circular route. That’s basically how I feel about
The Mighty Nimbus’s debut. I like some of it, but ultimately it’s of no consequence to the genre as a whole.
With members of
Alabama Thunderpussy and
Sixty Watt Shaman on board,
The Mighty Nimbus begin their trek with “Everything I See.” It’s a slightly attractive tune, and the inclusion of cowbell is very cool; just in case you haven’t noticed by now, I’m like Christopher Walken when it concerns the cowbell. The music commences in a subtle fashion with “I’ll Never Weep.” Better than average grooves are manifested on the latter, and so is the case with “Broken Hoof.” “Drinkin’ on a Pile of Skulls” attempts to enter the scene more slowly than its brothers, while “Fenrir” is completely different stylistically from what most of
The Mighty Nimbus holds. On “Fenrir,” in fact, piano is at the forefront, and the track only lasts for a minute and forty-five seconds. It’s a decent interlude, though. “Raising the Mammoth” (
Explorer’s Club anyone?) utilizes the sludge motif once again, “Impose My Will” has an overt penchant for bass guitar, and “Sacrament of the Sick” begins with an aptly sick riff and growl. “Eclipse” is in no danger of being eldritch, but – as luck of the draw would have it – “Sacrament of the Sick” and “Eclipse” are the best songs on the album. “Born Too Late,” a cover of
St. Vitus, finishes the record.
I don’t really have much to comment on here in the wrap-up. And, I apologize for the lack of polysyllabic words in the review. However, between all the sludge bands and
The Mighty Nimbus, I’d say that quite a few sludge purveyors have the upper hand on the young band.
The Mighty Nimbus aren’t so much mighty as they are, uh, nimbus.
7/10
Official The Mighty Nimbus website
Official Candlelight Records website
Official Threeman Recordings website
