In an era where musical innovation often feels like a race to the next fleeting trend, Blu Mamuth’s debut album Ka Ora! stands as a defiant testament to the power of fearless experimentation. Released on February 21 via Octopus Rising and Argonauta Records, this Italian duo – comprised of V. and Z., erstwhile architects of the avant-prog outfit Zirkus der Zeit – has undergone a startling metamorphosis. What emerges is a work of experimental industrial music that fuses the primal with the futuristic, crafting an auditory experience as disorienting as it is captivating.
Ka Ora! is a sonic landscape where tribal rhythms and electronic textures don’t just coexist – they collide with a force that feels almost elemental. The album pulses with the hypnotic thud of percussion that could have been lifted from some long-forgotten ritual, only to be jolted awake by the harsh clangor of industrial noise: grinding machinery, fractured beats, and static-laden drones. It’s a sound that evokes a world both ancient and dystopian, as if the ghosts of prehistory were haunting the circuits of a malfunctioning mainframe. Yet, beneath this raw intensity lies a surprising elegance – electronic instruments, keyboards, samplers, and computers weave shimmering synths and glitchy fragments into a tapestry that’s as intricate as it is abrasive.
The vocals, drenched in effects, are a revelation in themselves. They drift through the mix like disembodied spirits – sometimes a whispered chant, sometimes a wail that cuts through the din – serving as both anchor and guide in this uncharted terrain. Stripped of traditional lyrics or melodies, Ka Ora! speaks what the band calls a “New Language,” a mode of expression that sidesteps the cerebral and burrows straight into the gut. It’s music that doesn’t ask to be understood so much as felt, urging listeners to peel away the layers of modern life and tap into something more instinctual, more human.
There’s a lineage here, a nod to the sonic pioneers who’ve walked similar paths: the dark, ritualistic pulse of Fever Ray, the emotive heft of Zola Jesus, the cinematic unease of John Carpenter’s scores. You might catch whispers of Lamb’s atmospheric grit or the brooding intensity of Swans’ Jarboe era, but Blu Mamuth doesn’t linger in homage. Instead, they distill these influences into a sound that’s wholly their own – a meticulously constructed journey that balances chaos and control with an almost alchemical precision.
Ka Ora! is a demanding listen, one that thrives on its ability to unsettle and provoke. But for those willing to surrender to its pull, it offers something rare: a chance to lose oneself in a world where the boundaries between the organic and the synthetic, the past and the future, dissolve into irrelevance. This is music as an act of transformation – not just for V. and Z., who’ve shed their avant-prog past to birth this bold new entity, but for anyone brave enough to step into its depths.
With Ka Ora!, Blu Mamuth doesn’t just announce their arrival – they stake a claim to a corner of the experimental industrial realm that feels entirely theirs. It’s a debut that lingers, gnawing at the edges of your perception long after the silence settles.
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Released by Octopus Rising on February 21, 2025
Music source for review – Grand Sounds PR
