Mountaineer - Bloodletting (2020)

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In these pandemic times we have had tons of extra time to hunker down and enjoy music. One of the absolute highlights of this time has to be Mountaineer’s third full-length release “Bloodletting” and its oozing melancholy. Perfectly refining their mixture of Sludge/Doom/Post-Metal over the last few years, the band has hit its prime with this majestic 53-minute musical journey. The band’s uniquely crushing sound creates a very powerful and yet mellow atmosphere unlike anything else you have heard before.

Opening with “Blood of the Book” the band slowly builds up to harsh vocals and cascading guitar riffs. This track nicely sets a moody opening as it transforms into gargantuan walls of distortion and highly emotive clean vocals. Just getting warmed up, the band unleashes the superb catchiness of “The Weeds I Have Tended” and its crafty tempo changes. This track is one of our favorites, as it is both engaging and punishing while delivering the full spectrum of the band’s intricate sound.

The playfulness of the opening minute of “Shot Through with Sunlight”, nicely converges into alternating Post-Rock and Sludge passages that create a very interesting contrast and an even more dramatic closing moments. Exploring many different textures and directions, tracks like “To Those We've Said Goodbye” and the album title song, show the band’s versatility and their knack for incorporating subtle elements that are not quite fully discovered until you have heard the album more than a dozen times.

Mastefully creating contrast throughout this release, the band unleashes songs like “South_to_Infinity” and “Ghost Story”, which perfectly blend minimalist atmospheric passages with ripping aggression and cathartic moments. The whole juxtaposition of feelings of despair and hope is something that songs like “Still” perfectly capture and that showcase what Mountaineer’s music is all about. If you are looking for a highly emotional and yet crushing Sludge/Post-Metal/Doom release, “Bloodletting” is one hell of a journey to undertake.

Band: Mountaineer Album: Bloodletting

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: May 22nd, 2020

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Genre: Sludge/Doom/Post-Metal

Country: USA

Rating: 96/100
Year: 

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