Tuesday 5 January 2016

Mountain Tamer - S/T (Album Review)


Release date: February 12th 2016. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD

Mountain Tamer – S/T – Tracklisting

1.Mindburner
2.Knew
3.Dunes Of The Mind
4.Vixen
5.Wolf In The Streets
6.Sum People
7. Satans Waiting
8.Pharosite

Band Members:

Andru(guitar/lead vocals/loud noises)
Casey Garcia(Drums/vocals/art design)
Dave Teget(Lead Bass/vocals/private security)

Review:

Mountain Tamer’s self-titled debut album is being released on Argonauta Records and these guys are a strange signing for Argonauta Records to make. As they’re very different to the usual bands and artists that the label normally makes. Argonauta normally sign some of the loudest Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal bands around. However Mountain Tamer’s sound is classed as Psych/Stoner Rock with the emphasis firmly being on the Retro/Vintage sound that’s becoming quite popular.

I’m not complaining as Mountain Tamer’s debut album is a celebration of all things Retro/Psych/Stoner Rock. This album has a certain vintage Psych feel to it and the guys add a more modern Doom/Stoner Rock sound. The album can be very loud at times just not as loud from bands I’ve reviewed recently from Argonauta Records.

Opening track – Mind Burner – is a trippy mind expanding song packed full of retro-style sounds. The album has a lo-fi vintage feel to it as it sounds it was recorded on actual vintage stereo equipment. Though it’s the music which impresses the most. These guys worship at the almighty church of Black Sabbath, Cream, Hawkwind and many other legendary bands of that era. The drumming is perhaps the most impressive thing here as it drives this song from the start. Add crazy vocals spliced with far out lyrics and you have a recipe for a thrilling Psych Rock experience.

Second track – Knew – is another strong offering from Mountain Tamer with the band growing ever more confident with their Psych/Stoner Rock surroundings. The vocals can be quite jarring at times but it’s the music that saves the day once more with the band throwing down impressive jam-based riffs that the most experienced power trio’s will find very hard to beat. As before the sound of the album is very lo-fi and it may take a while to get used to the overall sound. Maybe the band could of added more volume to the mix but it shouldn’t really detract from your enjoyment of the album.

Third track – Dunes Of The Mind – carries on the trippy journey as the band try their hand at some early-QOTSA style desert rock atmospherics. Mountain Tamer decide to experiment with their sound by adding glitch based noises and fast-paced solos that left my head in a spin. It’s one of the standout tracks as Mountain Tamer throw everything at you and I mean everything. A beautifully played messy affair and I mean that in a good way. It’s perhaps the more chaotic track on the album where every member is trying to take the lead and no-one succeeds. The riffs are intense along with impressive drumming once again from Casey.

Fourth track – Vixen – is another song where the band throw caution to the wind and follow their own destructive Psych/Stoner Rock path. The vocals take a more doomier based approach with the distorted riffs being played at a very low level. The bass guitar is amped to the max as Mountain Tamer seem to opt for a drone based atmosphere for certain parts of the song. They soon return to the earlier sounds of the album.

The second half of the album carries on the same style of music from the first half though the band do try their hand at different styles of vocals and melodies especially on the fifth track – Wolf. It’s perhaps the most Stoner Rock sounding song on the album as the band keep things nice and simple for another exciting tale of Retro/Psych based Rock.

Mountain Tamer already have a great reputation within the Psych/Stoner Rock scene as they’ve been around since 2010. It’s hard to believe it’s took them six years to release their debut album. This is a type of album that is sure to get these guys a wider fan-base as it ticks the right boxes for all serious fans of Psych/Stoner Rock. Overall this is an excellent debut album from Mountain Tamer though it will take a few listens to fully enjoy this trippy and far out experience.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Barbara at NeeCee Agency and Gero at Argonauta Records for the promo. Mountain Tamer will be released on CD/DD from February 12th 2016 via Argonauta Records.

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