Mammal - The Penny Drop (2024) Hi-Res

There aren’t actually all that many albums coming out these days that offer a pure, unadulterated, uncompromising wall of raucous rock, but that’s what we have here. Melbourne’s Mammal threatened to take the nation, and then quite conceivably the world thereafter, by storm in the late 2000s, before splitting asunder in acrimonious circumstances, leaving a gaping hole of unresolved promise. A decade and a half later, they have returned. And boy, are they back in a big, big way.

The live shows they’ve done since their reformation, and now this album, prove that the passage of time has not blunted this band’s sting one single iota. In fact, their edge has been sharpened, and they are arguably even bigger, bolder and badder than ever. And that’s saying something!

The great thing about this particular wall of rock is that it doesn’t resort to wallowing in the type of basic, garden-variety, four-on-the-floor hard rock that AC/DC perfected about half a century ago and has become increasingly tired and overused since. Mammal inject a vigorous, grooving dose of funk and even hip-hop into the rockin’ mix, which helps keep things fresh, current and interesting.

The tsunami of funkified rock n roll surges at you until you hit track six, the mid-paced, emotive, but still subtly powerful ‘Doubt’, proving this is far from a one-dimensional, fist-to-the-face rock album. Nor is it a frivolous throwaway, with frontman Ezekiel Ox’s powerfully delivered lyrics typically full of meaning and message, speaking to the poor, marginalised and downtrodden in a more valid way than any politician or media figure could.

Further dynamics are provided by the moody slow-burn of ‘Maybe’, before the album returns to funk-injected, high-octane rawk for blistering closers ‘Make it Count’ and ‘Five Days’.

There is zero filler amongst the 12 tracks on offer here, but the best song award must go to ‘Bottom End’, featuring a brilliant guest spot from Melbourne artist Fresh Violet, who makes the absolute most of her brief but compelling cameo. The song is all rock, all hip-hop, all slammin’, slappin’ funky bass and just a joy for the ears, encapsulating everything that the album is about.

Capturing this band’s scintillating live energy and vibe on a recording is more or less impossible. It’s like catching thunder and lightning in a bottle. But this album makes about as good a fist of it as is possible, and for that much of the credit must go to the production team, local legends Forrester Savell, Jimi Maroudas and Tyson Fish.

The Penny Drop is a potent, heady mix of blistering rock, funk, punk, hip-hop and atmospheric moodiness. The music veritably bursts with charisma, with all four members injecting their own idiosyncratic personalities into said mix. All four members are elite-level players, and yet the whole more than amounts to the sum of its parts.

When this album drops, fork out your pennies and grab it. Then go catch a show, if you haven’t already. Live, they are like nothing you will have seen before.