Occasionally, a band name is all you need to gauge what something probably sounds like. Truckfighters and Acid Mammoth are two great examples. Here’s another: Lord Elephant create an absolutely huge sound throughout their second album ‘Ultra Soul’. The record’s seven instrumental numbers often find the Italian band in a weighty frame of mind, bringing a world of riffs that blend doom, stoner metal and deep psych in a way that invites favourable comparisons with Earthless and Karma To Burn, as well as drawing influence from the instrumental elements of Down and Eyehategod – only making those influences feel more intense.

The way the opening track ‘Electric Dunes’ fades in, mid performance, gives the feeling of eavesdropping on something improvised – as per the work of labelmates Yawning Balch – and with its wavering melodies underscored by heavy toms, is a perfect fit with its given title. After a minute or so of hazy soloing with a heavy wah-ed guitar, the band breaks into more definite groove. The lead guitar takes on more of a blues based stance; the drums punch through with a pleasing edge but without being too dominant, and a heavier bass signifies this band could carry a lot of musical weight – all without breaking away from a trippy desert-based sound. Without a pause, this flows straight into one of the album’s early highlights, ‘Gargantia’, which weaves a live drum sound in and out of really dirty guitars and a thundering bass, resulting in something that sounds like ‘…And The Circus Leaves Town’ era Kyuss – only a bit heavier. Despite the sheer weight of everything, it’s clear this band also knows a lot about the importance of “swagger”, and the main riff that drives this tune is just as interested in setting up a great groove. Then, once the musicians figure their audience has a handle on that, they take an unexpected twist into more of a desert rock sound where a huge Yawning Man influence allows for a slightly spacey feel, and a very bluesy lead guitar takes a central role. In terms of stoner metal sounds, this presents an almost perfect six minutes.

By opening with solo guitar sharing a doom blues riff, ‘Smoke Tower’ begins rather ominously. Then, following a deafening snare crack, the rest of the band work through a heavy as hell doom riff that’s made to feel even heavier with the presence of a sludgy tone due to the live recording. Within about a minute, this captures Lord Elephant in full, uncompromising flow, sharing a slow and brilliantly dense riff for the bulk of the next six minutes. Despite the sheer weight, the audience shouldn’t ever feel drained, however, since the sludge is offset perfectly by some fine bluesy lead guitar, and much like ‘Gargantia’, there’s time enough along the way to experiment with something lighter; something that falls somewhere between heavy blues, deep psych and proto metal. Occasionally sounding like a more reflective Black Sabbath here, the marriage between Edoardo Di Nardi’s weighty bass work and Leandro Gaccione’s bluesier guitar tones set the perfect stoner friendly listen in place. By this point, if you’re at least halfway invested in the Lord Elephant sound, it’s pretty much a guarantee you’ll love this album.

Another stand out track, ‘Black River Blues’ gives a lot away with its name. Quickly latching onto a heavy blues drenched riff, Lord Elephant summon a sound that comes across like a proto metal band channelling the more melodic aspects of Clutch. This, naturally, allows Leandro to adopt a slightly more accessible tone at times, and really shows off that Lord Elephant sense of swagger. The quieter moments really highlight his guitar playing in a way that demonstrates far more at stake here than classic stoner-doom fare, but those who like things on the heavier side get more than enough to enjoy too, since the latter part of this jam takes a sludgier turn, fusing the guitar with some heavy as hell drum work from Tomasso Urzino. Stretching out a little further, the nine minute ‘Astral’ takes some rather obvious Sabbath-isms, applies extra sludginess to the bass, and shows off the genuine power in this power trio. In many ways, the number doesn’t offer anything new to stoner-doom devotees, but the playing is exceptionally tight and the live in the studio sound brings a real energy to something that might’ve sounded leaden in lesser hands. With some great drum fills dropped into a stop start riff, and the presence of some furious lead guitar work, the first half of this number is a doom blues jam with a genuine spirit. The second half, much like ‘Gigantia’, finds the Elephant briefly reaching for something a little more mellow when kicking off with some desert infused sounds. It doesn’t last: pretty soon, they’re back into heavier climes, but working a classic doom riff where the guitars and bass interlock, the no-nonsense element of their sound has rarely sounded better. There’s then a push an pull between the desert and doom influences, which definitely showcases the full range of their talents. If not approached in the right mood, this may feel a little long, but there’s no denying there’s a great presence in the main riff.

In some ways, the album peaks there, but listeners who aren’t in need of a breather will definitely find plenty of entertainment in the final pair of workouts. The heavy ‘Mind Night’ favours far more of a traditional doom-sludge approach at first when delivering the main riff, but crank your ears past that monolithic sound and you’ll hear Leandro offering some great bluesy fills, before taking centre stage over an almost funky groove, complimenting a sharp rhythm with a heavy wah-wah applied to his lead work. In closing, ‘Leave’ dispenses with some of the band’s heaviest traits to explore a desert rock sound that, once again, is akin to the mighty Yawning Man. The relatively cleaner tones bring a welcome variety, and even when things inevitably do take a heavier turn, there’s a wealth of 90s infused stoner melodies rising to the surface, ending this journey with a few riffs that feel familiar, even from that very first spin.

There are no two ways about it, when it comes to creative forces, Lord Elephant obey the riff. The best moments from ‘Ultra Soul’ genuinely feel as if they were born out of pure improvisation, but even without the aid of “songs”, there’s nothing here that ever seems unfocused. This is a fine album, absolutely bursting with heavyweight grooves, ready to drive some great sounds into its audience’s skulls. Lord Elephant’s gift for taking a few tried and tested influences and truly bringing them to life really comes into its own here, making ‘Ultra Soul’ an unmissable affair for even the most cynical stoner/doom-head. It’s not necessarily easy to get through in one sitting, but this is a highly recommended listen.

January 2026