VM-UNDERGROUND

Extreme Metal Fanzine est. 2012

Latest Updates

Filter by: band
[%] - [[0-9]] - [A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [J] - [K] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [O] - [P] - [Q] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [U] - [V] - [W] - [X] - [Y] - [Z]
Filter by: label
[[0-9]] - [A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [J] - [K] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [O] - [P] - [Q] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [U] - [V] - [W] - [X] - [Y] - [Z]
Filter by: style
[A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [M] - [P] - [S] - [T] - [V]
Filter by: country
[A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [I] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [P] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [U]
Filter by: vmu-author
[A] - [B] - [C] - [D] - [E] - [F] - [G] - [H] - [I] - [J] - [K] - [L] - [M] - [N] - [O] - [P] - [R] - [S] - [T] - [V] - [W] - [X] - [Y] - [Z]

The Mist From The Mountains – Portal – The Gathering Of Storms

the mist from the mountains – portal – the gathering of storms

Info

The Mist From The Mountains’ current line-up includes members of bands such as Diablerie and Black Beast, but during the recording of the debut album, it also included musicians from Prevalent Resistance, Alghazanth and …And Oceans, among others. And as diverse as this band’s line-up was (and is), so is its musical range. The result, 2022’s “Monumental – The Temple Of Twilight” therefore sounded like a mishmash of various styles, making it no easy record to swallow.  While by no means bad, it lacks a red line that holds the record together and makes for an easy listen.

That hasn’t really improved on this follow-up album. In terms of line-up, there have been shifts that have an effect on the end result, for instance vocalist Kena Strömsholm (ex-…And Oceans, ex-Festerday) has stepped up and Primitive Reaction owner Tuomas Karhumäki (Black Beast) has taken over the place behind the microphone. But it is certainly not Karhumäki’s vocal work that necessarily makes the most prominent mark on the new The Mist From The Mountains album. The zigzagging and unsteady musical course of the debut album is even more disjointed here, making its coherence even more elusive.

However, again, this is a very solid album, but you have to be aware that you could be dealing with a wide variety of styles and influences here. They may not yet get as crazy as, say, Lifelover or Hollenthon, but you will be tossed around all the time. For instance, the album opens with a couple of songs that feel closely related to Dimmu Borgir’s latest work, but halfway through there is also the Gothic Metal-like track ‘Among The Black Waves’ that mixes female vocals with (in the second half of the song) trailblazing Black Metal. However, the most striking thing on ‘Portal – The Gathering Of Storms’ is the explicit presence of the influences of (later) Amorphis. Not only in the musical structures with acoustics and firm and catchy/folky melodies, but especially the vocal antics are very reminiscent of Amorphis’ Tomi Joutsen in both his charismatic roaring and clean vocals.

The super melodic and poppy ‘In Longing Times’ is pushing those Amorphis-like (or mid-era Paradise Lost) shenanigans even into more mainstream territories. This could easily earn them a hit parade listing in their Finnish homeland. Quite a good song with great catchy hooks, but this has very little to do with Black Metal – or metal as a genre on the whole. With its angelic female vocals and the that aforementioned roar, this could easily appeal to fans of, say, Draconian.

This all means that the band has taken things further down into their own world of musical adventurism, something that is definitely worth to explore, but the lack of coherence doesn’t quite give you an easy ride. In addition to that feeling, the album clocks in at almost a full hour, which doesn’t really help matters either. Still, if you feel in the mood for something different and you are not all too narrow-minded, this is quite an interesting listen.

The Mist From The Mountains

Related Articles

Reviews