Reviews for Neverland ...

Cosmic Lava

After listening to 'Neverland' during the last weeks, I have concluded that I need to check out their debut album 'Neolithic', because I find it pretty enjoyable what Finland's MANGOO has to offer here. Released by Small Stone Records in 2012, 'Neverland' is a refreshing take on riff-driven heavy rock which is saturated with fuzz. This is due firstly to the fact that MANGOO doesn't follow well-trodden paths. Here you will find some progressive leanings as well as keyboards that are perfectly interwoven with huge riffs, adding a nice psychedelic effect to MANGOO's pop-infected heaviness and atmospheric depth.

In this context, particular mention should be made of vocalist Pickles who ensures that the songs become more colorful. Although there are a few moments where he tends to overdo it, his entire emotionally charged performance suits the songs so well. They are so to speak the notorious icing on the top of an already good cake. Moreover, 'Neverland' remains exciting throughout its complete playing time of almost 61 minutes. 'Diamond In The Rough' sounds partly as if Tony McPhee (Groundhogs) had joined X-Ray Spex whereas 'Painted Black' is more symphonic and recalls the days of 1970's hard prog, without imitating that kind of sound.

MANGOO is no backward looking band. Of course, there are a some influences from the 1970's, but 'Neverland' is a modern sounding album. One of the best songs is 'Hooks' which is probably the perfect example for MANGOO's talent of combining the old with the new. Only the wonderful cover artwork, done by Alexander von Wielding, could have been from 1972 and it seems like a reminiscence to that period. So, I am pretty sure MANGOO will make new friends with 'Neverland'. They deserve it.

- KK

Metal Hammer UK

“Confounding Finns career trough the genre multiverse”

Formed in 2005, this quirky Finnish five-piece pricked ears from the off.

The quickly graduated to turning heads with the release of their first full-length album, Neolithic, in 2009, but if their debut bent genres like so much silly putty, this footloose follow-up really rushes in where categorisers fear to tread. Stirring up a bizarre brew of stoner, grunge and prog that by its rights should have concerned citizens calling the rock police, as a paper exercise, it’d never work. In reality however, it just does.

Rarely do cathedral-sized choruses and blighted ballads come together against an instrumental backdrop of such quixotic strangeness. Once the title track has dragged itself off the floor and wandered off into its own little wonderland, there’s no looking back. Light-hearted, black-heatred, pointed, pointless and quite enchanting, this is an album that threatens to go everywhere but ends up somewhere, poking your prejudices and messing with your head.

8/10

- Greg Moffitt

Downtuned Magazine

The comeback of the Finnish 5-piece band Mangoo is here and it's called "Neverland". Three years after "Neolithic", Mangoo has taken a new musical path, evolving their style into something more mature if you may. Whilst "Neolithic" was a blend of stoner-based melodies with fuzzy riffs and a noticeable amount of pop references (which made them fairly distinctive), Neverland is a set-off towards a more psychedelic era.

After a short intro, the self titled track is an introduction to their newborn identity. A marriage between good old psychedelic rock and beloved heavy riff with a few progressive touches, clearly states that Mangoo has something new to share. The third track is a mere apocalypse and allow me to say the top moment of the album. "Deathmint" is a wonderful tune with heavy ass riffs, taking its time to climax into a liberating vocal outburst and a redempting dramatic crescendo.

Those two little fellas held me captivated for an hour and a half before I decided to move on to the lunatic "Diamond In The Rough". I guess this is what you would get if you put Uriah Heep and Queen in a studio and then just let them go crazy. Heavy on the keyboards with an out of the blue, very Queen-like acapella treat towards the end, "Diamond In The Rough" is a 70's anthem mixing progressive influences with some fat stoner riffs. So their unique pop sound hasn't disappeared, it has just been genuisly camouflaged jumping on you in the least expected way.

The following "You", could be described as a badass love song, a dark ballad where Pickles' strong distinctive vocals are leading the way. Oh and let's not forget the guitar solos hand on hand with the spacey keyboards... "You" with the later on "Pointed Black" comprise the sentimental part of the album. Whereas "You" remains faithful to stoner kind, "Painted Black" goes into a whole new level. It's fair enough to say that Wasp's "Idol" would sound something like that if it was recorded today. An 80's inspired classic ballad vaccinated with a generous dose of heaviness, gives Mangoo the opportunity to show their skills' width both vocally and musically.

Between these two we find 5 completely dissimilar musically tunes. "Lose Yourself" a classic stoner rock song that contains QOTSA-like riffs. "You Robot" that starts off spacey in order to become a heavy and fuzzy 4 minute track with a brilliantly covered - but still there - usage of the keyboards. Following comes "Moom" short, fast and furious suitable for every respectable rock party, as you have heavy metal and fuzzy riffs all in a glorious punk package.

"Hooks" on the other hand comes right after "Painted Black" and is a perfect example of how versatile Mangoo can be. A different kind of ballad, low tempo, deeply bluesy and satisfying, miles away from the other two previously spoken of, ballads in the album. Which leads us to "Home"... I have to say "Diamond In A Rough" and "Home" are the two least expected songs in Neverland and in a way the release wouldn't just be the album that is without them. But man if "Diamond In The Rough" is a big lunatic, "Home" stands out in the album as mad as a hatter! An untouched 30's southern country song landed in the middle of the album. Mangoo have successfully trolled us and what a sweet trolling that is! Last but not least the album offers us closure with "Datzun" a whole 10 minute outsanding mixture of heavy fuzzy riffs and psyched out keyboards. You could say that it is Neverland's most Neolithic-like track, showing Mangoo's transaction between their two releases.

Neverland is given to us by "Small Stone Records". The production serves the album well without being too polished. It clearly demonstrates a more psyched turn to their orientation that doesn't hold back their dirty fury. It has songs that differ essentially in tone giving us a great whole. And of course one does not simply speak of Mangoo without mentioning Pickle's vocals, a stong vital instrument of its own, with unlimited hights and depths. It leads the way in each and every track and this album has given him the opportunity to show us what he is capable of. Tremendous vocals Neverland has to offer us; full of anger, despair or warmth. This album is fresh start for Mangoo, a step I'm glad they've taken. They have evolved, going on a heavier route, tracing new paths reaching to Neverland. All in all an album that waits to be explored having something well hidden to reveal every time.

- Maria

The Sleeping Shaman

Mangoo from Finland, despite having a name that sounds like something you’d find on the floor of a porno cinema, are something of an unknown quantity and have come out of nowhere to release their second album on the label that is the harbinger of quality, Small Stone. I had been vaguely aware of the band from their appearance on the awesome and extensive Planet Fuzz compilation “Cowbells and Cobwebs” but had heard little since until this album popped out of nowhere.

Mangoo offer up a sound that is a natural progression from traditional stoner rock and incorporates elements of psychedelia, space rock and, I hate to say it, pop rock in the vein of the Foo Fighters. Following a brief intro the title track hits us as the first track proper. It’s a brave move from the band as this is a sprawling journey through spacey psychedelia to heavy grind that maybe doesn’t grab the listener as instantly as you might expect from a lead off song where first impressions are so important. Not that it isn’t a decent song and given repeated listens it does start to unfold its goodies to you but you only get one chance to make a first impression. Things improve dramatically on “Deathmint” which showcases the band’s strong ability to craft a heavy yet pop like song packed with killer melodies and groove. From the onset it’s clear that one thing that really sets the band apart from so many of the stoner rock pack is their use of keyboards. Ivory tinkler and knob twiddler Nicke mostly steers clear of the expected Hammond flourishes to provide interesting and unusual analogue synth touches that give the band their spacey edge yet hark back to the days of 80’s New Wave.

The New Wave influence becomes even more apparent on the excellent “Diamond In The Rough” which mixes XTC with 60’s garage rock and some fat stoner riffs. It’s a unique sound that shows Mangoo have far more up their sleeves than they first offer. After a few listens it’s clear that this is the track that stands head and shoulders above the rest…the acapella breakdown is a move of pure genius that comes from the left field without any warning. The party doesn’t last long however and next track “You” brings the mood down starting as a mournful ballad before dropping some cowbell and heading off into chargin’ and chuggin’ stoner rock territory accompanied by some distinctly Hawkwind-esque synth warbles. It’s another decent enough song but doesn’t necessarily offer as much as it should after its predecessor. That said, the interestingly named Pickles is in particularly good voice here and nails some very tasty harmonies.

Next up Mangoo raid the stoner rock riff library on “Lose Yourself” in which the somewhat generic verses are saved by a strong, soaring chorus. In my best soccer pundit voice I’ll stick my neck out and say this is a song of two halves. If the verse was as strong as the chorus this could be a killer but does fall a touch short despite the rollicking bar room rock out of the middle section. “Interlude” is a largely pointless minute spent dicking around on the synth before “You, Robot” creeps in on some sinister warbling noises. Initially this seems like it’s going to be some sort of monstrous doom epic but the hypnotic, lockstep rhythm and vaguely eastern robotic riff that kick in show a return to form that has echoes of mid 80’s Hawkwind albeit with a far bigger and infinitely more hairy pair of nut sacks!!!

For a brief minute the drum intro to “Moom” sounds as though Mangoo are going to attempt a cover of Rainbow’s epic “Stargazer”, but no, this is a full throttle, four to the floor ass kicking of killer proportions and at barely 2 minutes, is a much needed shot of adrenaline. After this slap round the face, “Painted Black” rolls in on some strummed acoustics and mellow lead that doesn’t sound a million miles away from some of The Scorpions more balladic 80’s moments. Is this a good thing? The jury is out on this one. The band do increase the testosterone on the chorus but it does step a little too close to clichéd big rock balladry for comfort. That said it will probably get the hairspray and denim chicks a bit moist and give the crowds an excuse to waste their lighter fluid now that they’re not allowed to smoke indoors anymore!!!

By this point I’m kind of craving a bit of an ass kicking but instead Mangoo go all Pink Floyd on our asses on “Hooks” which comes over like an out take from “Wish You Were Here”. The squelching synth and the bruising, fat chorus do offer a lift from the drifting verses. In truth, this isn’t a bad song at all and the ebb and flow works very well, particularly with some welcome muted trumpet that adds a nice air of jazz and shows that Mangoo have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Just as you might be thinking Mangoo might be all about the fuzz they drop “Home”, a minute long banjo and voice porch burner that offers some welcome relief before “Datzun” assaults the senses for the best part of 10 minutes!!! Far from being the sprawling epic the subdued intro may suggest this is actually something of a pop rock tour-de-force sounding not unlike the Foo Fighters jamming with QOTSA…on mushrooms. A touch of editing could potentially make this a strong single choice and shows that Mangoo have a real way with a catchy melody.

It’s clear that Small Stone will never release a shitty album and this offering from Mangoo is certainly interesting enough to warrant some further investigation even if it may not scale the giddy heights of some of the labels other acts. Hopefully this is just the start of the Mangoo journey with the label as, although this is a good album with some real stand out moments, it does fall short of being a classic…and I think, with a little self editing and tightening of the songs these guys are truly capable of creating something incredible.

- Ollie Stygall

Heavy Planet

As evidenced by many of the album reviews and band offerings here on heavyplanet.net, as well as the wonderful podcasts and the newly established heavyplanet radio, a predominant number of stoner, sludge, and doom metal comes from Eastern Europe and the Scandinavian countries. There is such a rich and varied amount of top quality music produced in that part of the world it would likely take several weeks, or months, to get through the vast majority of the best of it all, which is a great thing when you stop and consider it.

Forged in that climate of abounding stoner and sludge of superb quality comes Mangoo, a band hailing out of Turku, Finland, that is rising and could soon take a place near the top of the metal heap. Mangoo is staking their claim to be among the best of the bands from that hoary corner of the globe with their second full length album, “Neverland”, the first from the superb label Small Stone Records.

“Neverland” does an amazing job of both exhibiting the requisite characteristics of stoner, fuzz, and psychadelia while having created an eclectic collection of disparation, songs that differ in tone and melody by a considerable degree, one from another, making up this unique and wonderful whole, an album offering of surprising depth and quality, rich in distortion, varied in melody, slick and powerful in delivery, intelligent in the intricate craft of each song, displaying those qualities throughout the entire compilation.

After a brief intro, Mangoo jumps right into a pschedelic number of incredible quality, a piece that haunts and overwhelms in an ethereal onslaught of trippy, heart pounding music that carries you off into a netherworld where time and space are ruled by the high energy emotion of Mangoo’s vocalist, Pickles, who, with his muscular and skilled vocals takes you on a cool and astonishing journey of grinding, groovy, and intense sound along with his and bandmate Mattarn’s guitars, as well as the hard driving and insistent bass of Igor, the super cool sounds that can only be prescribed to Nikky’s keys, all modulated by the piercing, deliberate rhythms of Teemu’s drums.

The next tune, “Deathmint”, can be more closely associated with so many cool and wonderful rock standards from the 70s or from the more recent resurgence of true rock associated with the stoner rock bands and fuzz monsters of the past couple of decades. But here Mangoo manages to imprint their own unique quality to the music with interesting sounds that dance in and out of their heart pounding, ass kicking riffs and hooks, all tied together with the strong, clear, powerful vocals of their lead singer, and made wonderful by terrific, well played guitar work.

“Diamond in the Rough” is heavy on the keyboard, sounding like some crazy kazoo mutation that perfectly complements the jaunty, fun tempo and full bore guitar work on this tune. Igor gets to stretch out a bit with a faster, more boisterous bass rhythm than what is usually used to temper most down fuzzed songs, while Pickles again reaches a vocal level that is pleasing and fitting, never coming up short when high, or bland when deep.

The beginning of “You” plays like a ballad, something we’ve all heard a thousand times before, while enjoying the best of what those past rock acts have offered. The start of the song showcases Pickles’ burly and melodious output as the sole instrument of effort before a wonderful wall of fuzz is unleashed, fleshing out the song as a wonderful example of what a power ballad can sound like when ensconced in the primal and proper genre of stoner rock. Mangoo firmly establishes here that they truly know how to make this sound work at the highest, most accomplished level.

Next up we are treated to another standard rock offering with “Lose Yourself”, a song that may have come from the glory years associated with Aerosmith and Zeppelin, or the later eras between QOTSA and Roadsaw, while being imprinted with some super groovy riffs, melodious hooks, and solos combining guitars and keyboards into something exclusive and unrivaled in quality, tone, intent, and power. This song is unique and familiar at the same time, intricate and catchy, fun to listen to, satisfying in its delivery.

Mangoo throws in a quirky little interlude by Nikky and his keyboards before kicking into high gear with the powerful, ass kicking “You, Robot”. Here the fuzz is full and fine, the tempo quick and toothsome, the instrumentation unyielding in its delivery and assault, with Pickles driving it all forward on powerful vocals that lead into the delivery of an all out onslaught from the rest of the these Finnish fiends. This is a tremendous song that delivers a knockout in the early rounds.

The tone set by “You, Robot” continues with “Moom”, where the experience is fast, furious, fun, and fascinating. Mangoo are in full swing here, giving it all and enjoying the process, feeling the power surge forth from the expert manipulation of their metal medium.

“Painted Black” is another power ballad, where Pickles again showcases the raw dexterity of a voice that can deliver at the extremes as well as in the meaty middle where he is rich in ability and pleasing in quality, adept at working his voice around the notes, hitting what he needs to hit with vocal dexterity, meshing it all together until it becomes a beacon lighting the way for his piercing guitar solo at the end of this soaring track.

“Hooks” is a haunting, powerful, melodious offering of huge, distorted, mashing guitars that begin as another ballad of sorts but eventually detonates into a wonderful duel between the two guitars and the bass that has to be heard to be believed. Not that technically any records are broken, or new ground uncovered, which works to the song’s favor in my opinion, instead delivering something deep and full, powerful and unyielding, rich, satisfying, and unexpected if not ground breaking.

The next song is as surprising and out of context as a song can possibly be . . . at least for me and my, what I believe to be, normal expectations for a stoner album that has heretofore delivered nothing but high quality metal music. We are treated to just a second shy of a minute of . . . old country blue grass style music in the track titled “Home”. The fact that it’s out of context and yet still played with skill and enthusiasm, and the fact that I do have a place set aside within my musical preferences for bluegrass from years past and memories long gone, lends itself to actually enjoying this quirky and unexpected interlude, that, just as with all tracks on this album, is rendered with ability, class, enthusiasm, and quality.

The album closes out with “Datzun”, perhaps the epitome of what Mangoo has to offer, belting out those tremendous, delightful vocals, blaring the fuzz to satisfaction, driving hard with the drums and bass, intertwined with the ever present and quiriky keyboards that add to the delight and signature of Mangoo’s superb music, setting an established tone for choice hooks and riffs, powerful and muscular in tone, skilled, unique, and admirable in effort and ability.

Over the past few years Small Stone Records has established itself as THE source for obtaining CDs or vinyl of many of the highest quality metal artists the industry has to offer. They represent many up and coming bands, most of which have not yet been established in the mainstream, so don't necessarily get to be rock bands full time, aren't recognizable by large sections of the paying public, and don't always have their music playing on your local radio station, which typically is accepted as a sign of success, along with the monetary rewards that accompany widespread notoriety. But there is one unique identifier for these groups that establishes them as having 'made it'. If they have been signed by Small Stone Records you can rest assured they are one of the absolute best rock bands you are likely to find cranking out stoner, sludge, doom, or psychedelic tunes of the highest quality. And of the available bands from Small Stone Records comes one of their newest signings, Mangoo, who rises to the absolute top of the heap of great and wonderful stoner rock bands. And with Mangoo’s first Small Stone release, “Neverland”, is delivered an album worthy of purchase, worthy of inclusion in any consideration for upcoming awards, and with any luck, or if it just happens to catch the right ear, maybe worthy of widespread notoriety and all the trappings that come with it.

HevyPetal

Finnish 5-piece, Mangoo, return this year with their 2nd album Neverland. The band have a reputation for being near enough indescribable. In the past they’ve gone under the labels of psychedelia, space rock and stoner rock. Regardless of whatever they may be, they’ve certainly brought something truly special to the scene with their newest record.

After a short intro, Mangoo start us off with the title-track. The riffs from the guitarist Mattarn are deeply reminiscent of the dread filled sound of Black Sabbath which brings out a slow and dark sound. The vocals are partially incomprehensible through the fuzziness of the guitars which is unfortunate but the unique use of instruments gets you too immersed in the music to notice.

Deathmint is possibly the best song on the album already. It starts off sounding slightly like Korn but swiftly moves into heavy psychedelic rock anthem. There’s a certain sense of anger in this song and the final moments of the song are filled with gorgeously orchestral strings. Diamond in the rough has some crazy-ass synth sounds about it. The majority of the song is made up of a rough rock riff possibly influenced by the Foo Fighters. The acapella part of the song breaks the conventional sound of the album for a second before launching into a solo that we’re not sure if it’s keyboards or guitars, but that’s Mangoo for ya!

You returns to the slower style of Mangoo. There’s a fantastic bridge in this song and even heavier riffs are used. Lead singer, Pickles’ voice is brought out fantastically here with heavy similarity to Maynard James Keenan of Tool. Lose Yourself brings some funk to the album and shifts the sound in a more rock influenced direction. Imagine if Black Sabbath came from another planet and you can get an idea of the sound of this song.

After a short robotic interlude, You, Robot yet again brings more, heavier riffs and a different singing style. Moom introduces a punk influenced riff and is an excellent example of Mangoo’s faster style. Painted Black slows us down again with a slower and more sombre tone. The instruments are left out a little to give the song a much more raw sound.

Hooks is the most psychedelic track on the album. There’s an interesting use of trumpet and the song seems to be extremely calm and tranquil. But that’s just the intro, and a heavy rock riff is brought in for the rest of the song whilst the keys ensure that the psychedelic nature is kept. Home is a very unexpected American country interlude played by banjo, just to keep you interested for the final part of the album.

The last instalment on the album is the 10 minute monster-track Datzun. The song closes the album with an excellent blend of rock guitars and psychedelic keyboards. The bridge back to guitars at one point is particularly impressive and ends with a slow, heavy in-sync blast on each instrument. Fantastic.

Mangoo are back strong with this new album. We highly recommend that you give them a look and pick up Neverland when it’s released!

- Sean Rafferty

Broken Beard

The strange, foggy prog of Mangoo’s second full-length album (and Small Stone debut), Neverland, is absorbingly complex, and a mere cursory listen would do it a great injustice. You need to remove your foil hat and step right into its tractor beam of ray gun fuzz and analog synth to experience what really lay beyond the flashing lights, and that’s some seriously heavy hooks and rowdy raunch n’ roll. Neverland is a blacktop spaceship running on intergalactic gasoline, driven by Finnish men in silver jumpsuits who know how to have a good time, even if it’s a totally weird one. Mangoo are the past and future all at once, neanderthals at a laser show, like Sasquatch playing 2112, but they make it sound so good, cohesive, and natural that you could put this one on at any point in space and time it would make total sense. While dominated by a cosmic-psych vibe introduced on the title track, Neverland does have some monumental brassy moments (“Deathmint”) and a quick hit of banjo (“Home”), but it’s the way songs like “Diamond in the Rough,” “You,” “Lose Yourself,” “You, Robot,” and “Moom” come together with the force of five meteors colliding that really defines this one. It mellows out near the end with wall melters “Painted Black” and “Hooks” before dropping one of the most epic closers I’ve heard in a long time, “Datzun”. It may take two or three listens to sort it all out, but Neverland eventually probes that sweet spot.

- Jeff Warren

Metrotimes - City Slang

Mangoo’s Neverland is the latest release from Small Stone Records, and the retro rockers have put out one of the label’s best releases in a while. The feedback-laden guitar sound is wonderful, though the overall vibe is prog bordering on orchestral. The vocals yelp all over the top of that, creating a glorious noise. Plus, the name is funny.

- Brett Callwood

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1. Intro
2. Neverland
3. Deathmint
4. Diamond in the rough
5. You
6. Lose yourself
7. Interlude
8. You, Robot
9. Moom
10. Painted Black
11. Hooks
12. Home
13. Datzun