July 9, 2021| Dan Hillier | RELEASE REVIEW
Mountain Caller – Chronicle: Prologue | EP Review
In the tail end of last year Mountain Caller erupted from the post-metal bedrock last year with the release of their debut LP Chronicle I: The Truthseeker, and for a lack of hyperbole, the release was not entirely unlike the formation of most mountain ranges.
The unanimously celebrated record came following a year or two of detectable seismic activity from the London trio, and with the record itself towering above the UK post-metal scene, many are now waiting for the next move from the band. It may be prose at it’s most flowery indeed, but with Chronicle I: The Truthseeker, Mountain Caller established themselves as one of the most important and unique bands with the post-metal game. As opposed to standard genre conventions, Mountain Caller serve to explore the issues that face women in modern society via a fantastical and metaphorical running narration that focuses on the odyssean journey of an anonymous Protagonist in a world of magic and mystery. Now with their new three track EP – titled Chronicle: Prologue – Mountain Caller trace not just the origins of their tale, but their sound as a whole.
Recorded during the Chronicle I sessions, the contents of this EP are the earliest material the band dedicated to tape and explores the origin story of the characters enlivened within their debut. Opener ‘Something Stirred From Beneath The Rubble’ introduces the not just the embarkation of the aforementioned protagonist, but the band’s fervently dynamic and expressively emotive take on the post-metal genre as a whole. From a granulating start, the track swings into a subtle stoner swagger that breaks into a full doom tinged frenzy that’s anchored by a concrete riff that ebbs and flows with fluidity. There’s a profound and real tangible sense of discovery, adventurism and determinism to be found here and as the protagonist awakens to find herself amongst the ruins of a crestfallen and forsaken city, we get an a visceral understanding of the musical influences that birthed this band.
The subsequent ‘Beyond This Black Horizon’ continues the sense of adventurism and new-found purpose with a much more immediate and forward sense of urgency. Where as ‘Something Stirred…’ was a much more slow burning affair, this track is combative and belligerent in it’s delivery and pace. But yet, it’s still clearly considered and composed in nature. Motifs of lightweight ambience swirl amidst the ironclad riffs and the bubbling tension that eventually breaks down to a metallic juggernaut of a riff that reminisces thoughts of early Mastodon and, albeit subtly, even Neurosis. It may the most directly aggressive track to be featured on this body of work, but regardless, it allows the mind’s eye to conjure scenes of great journeys of peril and adventure as it’s riffs battle and thrash.
With that in mind, the finale of ‘Stripped Of All But Purpose’ is a colossal, fist pumping ode that unionises the atmosphere and metallic dynamism of it’s fellow peers on this EP. Composed of a contemplative stretches that bookend moments of hulking strength that resonate the resolve of the titular protagonist, the track displays the ebb and flow dynamic that Mountain Caller have seemed to master in just a short amount of time and serves as a phenomenal progressive masterclass in riveting post-metal.
As the closing ambient motifs led seamlessly into the opening track of the aforementioned Chronicle I, it’s borderline baffling that a band of such a young age can release a record that’s full of such intricate attention to detail. Every second of this majestically fluid EP resonates a sense of consideration and effortlessly stimulates the imagination into cinematically picturing the tale the band serve to tell, and in relation, prompts the listener into contemplating the real world issues the story metaphorically probes. In all, with this EP now standing amongst the band’s LP debut, it’s transparent that Mountain Caller are simply one of the most vital bands in the genre they have taken by storm.
