Mountaineer – Sirens & Slumber (2017)

Cranking up the level of melancholy to 11, today we have Bay Area’s Mountaineer and their debut full-length release “Sirens & Slumber”. After blowing us away with their two song EP back in 2016, this band formed by ex-Secrets of the Sky’s guitarist Clayton Bartholomew, continues to further develop their highly atmospheric sound by moving into Katatonia-esque territories. Delivering nine brilliant tracks, this is definitely one of the releases to get in 2017 if you are a fan of deeply melancholic music.

Opening with the dreaminess of “Foam”, the band sets a very ethereal mood with such a lush opener. Taken from the band’s first 2-song 7” release, “Coma Fever” leads with ripping Doom riffs and the contrasting vocals of Miguel Meza. The album continues with this lively pace on tracks like “Measured Breaths” and “Womb”, the band excels a wrapping a ton of atmosphere around heavy Doomy riffs.

The brilliant “Pull the Blinds” song is an excellent mixture of a very Post-Rocky vibe that slowly moves into heavier and darker territory. The band’s sound could be compared in a certain way to Katatonia and their more recent stuff, where the soaring vocals brilliantly complement the excellent guitar work. Continuing with the masterful album flow, “Siren Song” from their previous 7” release is followed by the gloomy “Fog and Distant Light” and the complex “Adrif”, which combines both catchiness and heaviness into the mix.

Closing the album with “Goodnight”, the band sets off the listener with their signature dreaminess. Overall, “Sirens & Slumber” shows a bigger piece of Mountaineers quite unique and ambitious sound. The band manages to capture both atmospheric and Doomy vibes into their sound while not sounding like countless other outfits, thanks to their vocals. If you are into bands like Katatonia and Hanging Garden, but want something a bit different, then look no further and get this release.

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: May 19th, 2017

Genre: Doom/Post-Rock/ Alternative/Atmospheric Metal/Rock

Country: USA