The return of Mage; that high-octane, beer-guzzling riff machine that sits, gnawing upon the bones of doom and stoner bands from deep within the heart of the Midlands; is always worthy of celebration. Following on from the ecstatically-received Green, the enigmatically-titled key to the universe is the first album to be written entirely without the much-missed Ben Aucott, although his spirit looms large in the arcing riffs and pummelling percussive blasts that remain the band’s stock-in-trade. Mastered by James Plotkin, the blazing power of Mage is given admirable heft on this seven-track record and it’s clear that the band have pared things back to the bone, ruthlessly self-editing to deliver what is arguably their most concise collection of songs to date.
Wasting not a moment, Mage unleash a gloriously gnarled riff of Monster-Magnet-Esque proportions upon the startled listener on opening number Zen Blues. With Unerring precision, the band nail the dark melody at the heart of the track, but what really stands out is Mark’s nimble bass-work as it weaves around Woody’s savage riffing, and it makes for compelling listening that passes by in a fraction of it’s five minute run-time. The band keep things tightly-plotted with You Hate Speech, a track that recalls Down with its venomous vocal delivery and bluesy soloing. A sure-fire mosh-pit killer, it sees Mage doing what they do best, raining down riffs with such unholy abandon you wonder the ceiling of the studio didn’t cave in. However, it’s not all fire and fury. The spacey intro to the album’s first epic, facts, underscores a subtle Pink Floyd influence, albeit filtered through the sludge metal of 5ive’s Continuum Research Project (further underscoring the James Plotkin connection), before Woody tears out a molasses-in-winter-thick riff that sets the speaker cabinets reverberating against their fittings An album highlight, facts may just be the best thing Mage have yet put their name to, and it will absolutely slay on vinyl (surely the band’s natural format).
After the epic facts, Mage wisely don’t attempt to compete against themselves and, instead, offer up the chrome-plated blues of grind. Classic stoner in the vein of Slo Burn and more recently, the likes of Grifter, grind is a cool song, but it pales in comparison to the rampaging title track. Built around a riff of thuggish, sabbath-esque intensity and imbued with a blistering vocal performance form Tom, key to the universe is enough to give the listener an instant contact high and, as Andy slowly reduces his kit to matchwood, so the listener feels the almost-physical rush of the music. Played loud, it’ll give the neighbours a headache, and yet the band play with expectations, introducing female vocals to deliver a track that becomes increasingly enigmatic is it progresses. Things (somewhat remarkably) get darker and heavier still for the St Vitus-esque Le Destin Tragique. Crushingly slow, it seems to gain weight as the track presses on, slowly grinding the listener into the darkness as riff piles upon riff. The album’s second epic (and final song) black totem, brings this immensely satisfying record to a suitably momentous close. Opening upon an acoustic note, it’s not long before the band untether Woody, and the riffs are flowing freely once more. With Andy once more proving adventurous around the kit and Mark pushing his bass into a distortion so savage it threatens the foundations of the very building in which you sit, black totem is pretty much a seven-minute summation of Mage’s considerable strengths and it allows the record to spin to a halt on a massive high.
Mage are an inevitable highlight of any stage they grace and key to the universe is all the evidence you need as to why. The production is spot on, James Plotkin’s mastering top drawer and the band have really pushed themselves to deliver seven epic pieces of doom metal that hit hard. There is not an ounce of fat to be found anywhere and the record flies past, despite its bowel-loosening heaviness. Mage are rapidly becoming indispensable and key to the universe is a phenomenal piece of work by any metric you care to use. 9.5
