Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis
Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis
Church Road Records
Release Date: 26/01/2024
Running Time: 39:27
Review by Rory Bentley
9/10
Buckle up bredrin’ the hype train has pulled into town and the first AOTY contender has landed. London based Progressive Rock trio Mountain Caller are back with a sophomore release that will slap the taste out of your mouth and give you a big warm sonic hug, often within the space of the same song.
Instrumental Rock music can be a tough sell to all but the more niche of Metal and Rock fans; even the stuff with vocals in it is a slog for a large chunk of people. However, there are a few bands that are palatable enough to branch out. Russian Circles have built a career on combining Post-Metal lushness with super heavy guitars that has translated far beyond their niche, as have the likes of Japanese legends MONO. Mountain Caller takes this approach even further by making the kind of record that anyone can instantly click with, all while displaying stunning musical chops and compositional ambition.
Guitarist Claire Simson, bassist Elle Reeve and drummer Max Maxwell have a telepathic level of chemistry that only truly elite bands possess and this is clear from the outset. ‘Daybreak’ transitions seamlessly from lush, bright arpeggios to a truly gargantuan stoner groove reminiscent of Elder and Paulbearer, i.e. the more melodic, Prog end of Doom rather than the droning, weed-obsessed kind. This gives way to a section that gives me major Rush vibes without upsetting me, a huge achievement on its own if you know how much I don’t vibe with the Canadian nerd overlords (I respect them but don’t be bringing your drum solos near me, bruv)!
Not even halfway through the second track, the labyrinthine yet alarmingly catchy ‘The Archivist’, I was stunned by the sheer volume of top tier riffs and instrumental hooks I’d heard already. The album had barely got its shoes on and was already peeling out the kind of insanely catchy, stink-face inducing licks that 80% of the bands I reviewed last year would sell their left bollock/ovary for. The enveloping wall of sound the band conjures up on this cut is made all the more impressive by coupling its intensity with an ever-present sense of melodic accessibility. Somehow this band has made instrumental Progressive Rock cool and infectious and I’ll be damned if I know how they did it.
‘Dead Language’ is the first and only composition to introduce vocals, but is perhaps the most out-there and mind-bending song on the record. The song spans the touchstones of anything from Mastodon at their most Psychedelic, Julie Christmas at her most unhinged and King Crimson at their most obtuse. The drumming is absolutely stunning, the vocals expressive and chameleonic and the Doom riff that thunders in after the acapella section could decapitate God himself.
I could spend all day breaking down each fascinating and breathtaking section of this magnificent album, from the butter smooth soloing on ‘Into The Hazel’ to the tribalistic, brooding rhythms of ‘March of the Goll’; but your time would be better served ditching this review and getting your lug holes around it as soon as humanly possible. If I’ve made this sound like a dense and impenetrable work, please rest assured there will be few Rock albums that are as joyfully easy to listen to as this one. It is that rare piece of art that caters for the nerds and the casuals alike, and you’ll be hearing a lot more about this band going forward. Mountain Caller are the Prog band we need in 2024.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Daybreak
02. The Archivist
03. Dead Language
04. Into the Hazel Woods
05. March of The Göll
06. Hypergenesis
LINE-UP:
Claire Simson- Guitar
Elle Reeve- Bass
Max Maxwell- Drums
LINKS:
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