Album Review: Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis
Reviewed by Tim Finch
London progressive trio Mountain Caller return this January and kick start the year with their sophomore album ‘Chronicle II: Hypergenesis’, the follow up to 2020’s critically acclaimed ‘Chronicle I: The Truthseeker’ and builds upon their ‘Chronicle: Prologue’ EP of 2021.
It was their stunning performance the 2021 edition of Damnation Festival which really saw their stock rise and subsequent tours with the likes of Svalbard and Urne have really put them on the map, so much so that Church Road Records have stepped in to release this new effort.
The band, for the most part, are instrumental, allowing their unique song writing to weave tales in the listeners minds. If you have listened to either of their previous releases, you will know exactly what I mean. ‘Chronicle II: Hypergenesis’ is no different in that respect, the opening ‘Daybreak’ introduces the listener to the story we are about to follow, Claire Simson’s gentle guitar work eases you in nicely before the tempo starts to ramp, the intensity rises and you are already lost in their world.
Lead single from the album ‘The Archivist’ then darkens the mood, it’s heavier, slower, and conjures up a slightly more haunting theme. Whilst ‘Dead Language’ mixes things up again, the tempo rises once more and for the first time we hear bassist El Reeve’s vocals for the first time. This is an element of note as it’s the first time we’ve heard vocals from the band, an element they told us they were considering back in 2021.
El’s vocals are quite magical, mesmerising even as they help tell the songs story. For an instrumental band to introduce vocals can be a major stumbling block, not so here as they meld perfectly with the song and leave us wondering why it took them so long to introduce this element to their arsenal.
Throughout the album we hear the band push their song writing abilities, the growth from the previous releases is evident as we hear the band step up a gear on this release. ‘Chronicle II: Hypergenesis’ really is a masterpiece that needs to be heard to be believed, raw emotion, story telling, sonic explosions of pace and feeling all wrapped up in one small package. It may only be January, but it’s going to take something special to beat this in the album of the year lists.
