Mountaineer – Passages Review

Band: Mountaineer
Album: Passages
Label: Lifeforce Records
Genre: Post Metal
Country: USA
Release Date: June 29th, 2018

In this modern world of post metal/shoegaze/whatever-you-want-to-call-it genre, it’s strength lies in the ability to paint a picture without making it too clear. Not crystal clear like one would find with a Michelangelo painting, but more vague impressions like Julia Watkins (I did just Google this for the sake of this review), where the image is still there, but murky enough to leave up to your interpretation.

Mountaineer has crafted a record that wonderfully absorbs you in a wall of sound that is built by lush guitars sounds, heavy drums, and a contemplative atmosphere. The two overarching sections of this album are nice contrasts to each other, but not so different that they belong on different albums. Both of these songs are split into four “passages” each, tied together by the musical texture and titles.

This album brings a nice tinge of doom to the post metal realm; not so much like a Black Sabbath style of doom, but more in the sense of atmosphere and tempo. None of these songs are very fast, there are no blast beats to be found, and there is nothing exceptionally technical on this record. A better way to describe this would be like Astronoid and Deafheaven having a baby that became friends with Katatonia, but more uplifting than depressing. This is found all over the record, but is particularly prominent on the latter half of “Hymnal”. This style allows the music to flow really well, and feels as if you are drifting through water; easy to move through but still held in place.

The vocals are of particular note on this record. While not doing anything incredibly technical or impressive, they fit very well within the style of album, which is a skill not all have. As the music crescendos into its heavier moments like those found in the first half of “Hymnal” or throughout “Catacombs”, the vocals climb to a yell while remaining melodic all the same. If they were any harsher, it wouldn’t fit the style and distract from the landscape the music is trying to paint. At some points, it almost sounds like the clean singing found on radio-friendly metalcore, but the difference is in how it fits the music by adding to the layers and not trying to go after 14 year-old girls’ hearts.

There is a contemplative nature to the whole record, executed through emotion and atmosphere. The band has stated that the overarching concept revolves around the concept of morality and aims to give space for listeners’ to interpret for themselves. They have achieved this but not through extreme comparisons but through subtle differences. “Hymnal” and “Catacombs” are different, but it’s not noticeable on the first listen. The music does live up to their names, with “Hymnal” being more open and majestic while “Catacombs” is more brooding and reflective.

In this modern world of post metal/shoegaze/whatever-you-want-to-call-it genre, it’s strength lies in the ability to paint a picture without making it too clear. Not crystal clear like one would find with a Michelangelo painting, but more vague impressions like Julia Watkins (I did just Google this for the sake of this review), where the image is still there, but murky enough to leave up to your interpretation.

Mountaineer has crafted a record that wonderfully absorbs you in a wall of sound that is built by lush guitars sounds, heavy drums, and a contemplative atmosphere. The two overarching sections of this album are nice contrasts to each other, but not so different that they belong on different albums. Both of these songs are split into four “passages” each, tied together by the musical texture and titles.

This album brings a nice tinge of doom to the post metal realm; not so much like a Black Sabbath style of doom, but more in the sense of atmosphere and tempo. None of these songs are very fast, there are no blast beats to be found, and there is nothing exceptionally technical on this record. A better way to describe this would be like Astronoid and Deafheaven having a baby that became friends with Katatonia, but more uplifting than depressing. This is found all over the record, but is particularly prominent on the latter half of “Hymnal”. This style allows the music to flow really well, and feels as if you are drifting through water; easy to move through but still held in place.

The vocals are of particular note on this record. While not doing anything incredibly technical or impressive, they fit very well within the style of album, which is a skill not all have. As the music crescendos into its heavier moments like those found in the first half of “Hymnal” or throughout “Catacombs”, the vocals climb to a yell while remaining melodic all the same. If they were any harsher, it wouldn’t fit the style and distract from the landscape the music is trying to paint. At some points, it almost sounds like the clean singing found on radio-friendly metalcore, but the difference is in how it fits the music by adding to the layers and not trying to go after 14 year-old girls’ hearts.

There is a contemplative nature to the whole record, executed through emotion and atmosphere. The band has stated that the overarching concept revolves around the concept of morality and aims to give space for listeners’ to interpret for themselves. They have achieved this but not through extreme comparisons but through subtle differences. “Hymnal” and “Catacombs” are different, but it’s not noticeable on the first listen. The music does live up to their names, with “Hymnal” being more open and majestic while “Catacombs” is more brooding and reflective.

This album isn’t without its faults; at times the music seems to run together after a while. Kind of like a run-on sentence without any commas to help breakup the flow it can feel a little exhausting by the end because everything blends together. And, while the use of repetition for the vocal lines is not bad, it does drag the songs out the little bit, notably within the first two ‘passages’ of “Hymnal”. It uses a single lyric line that repeats throughout the song. Not enough to be that one annoying pop song, but it does slow the pace of the album.

This may not be a perfect record but it is a good one. Rich in texture and layers, this album can provide a relaxing escape from everyday business. It’s not a ‘happy’ record, but it gives off more of a retrospective feel as opposed to melancholic brooding. The subtle doom influences mix well with the post-metal atmosphere and shoegaze melodies. If you’re searching for something heavy but a little less intense, Passages is worth exploring. You never know what door they might lead you to.

Rating: 7.5/10

Track Listing:
1. Hymnal: Passage I
2. Hymnal: Passage II
3. Hymnal: Passage III
4. Hymnal: Passage IV
5. Catacombs: Passage I
6. Catacombs: Passage II
7. Catacombs: Passage III
8. Catacombs: Passage IV

Total Playing Time: 39:29