There needs to be more artists like Mountain Tamer in the world. The kinds of artists who just consistently bring that pure, unbridled, unrelenting Rawk is what I’m talking about! On their latest offering, Psychosis Ritual, the Los Angeles trio turn the volume and the dosage up to 11 for a record that’s bold, big, and beyond this world in its’ scope.
Amidst a flurry of cacophonous sounds, “Psychosis Ritual” begins this aural journey with a whirlwind of mystical-tinged sounds before hitting a plateau of peace, lulling listeners with a trippy kick. “Warlock” brings out the Doom and the Monster Magnet aesthetic as a wall of fuzz envelopes listeners and then overflows, draping over all like slow moving molasses with Andrew Hall howling out this pained screech that gets all growly-like when going to the deepest recesses of the diaphragm which fits perfectly as a punishing aural surge from his guitars lead the charge to the cataclysmic conclusion.
“Turoc Maximus Antonis” is hypnotic, fading in and out of focus to start and then piling it all on with layer after layer of groovy Casey Garcia percussion while Dave Teget’s slightly menacing rumble reverberates below and Hall’s guitars and vocals lay out a persistent hum. “Scorched Earth” is a chugga chugga riff-fueled locomotive with Hall adopting a scream bringing to mind Mike Dean-fronted Corrosion Of Conformity within a Fu Manchu structure.
Teget’s otherworldly bass drives “Death In The Woods” with Garcia’s tangled percussive bouts ensnaring yer earholes as Hall’s broad passages enthrall and entice. Garcia’s constant thumping and Teget’s bass bounce play off each other like sonic ping pong on “Chained” while Hall’s guitar pluckings switch between the devious and the divine.
“Black Noise” is a Ritual in its’ own right, a burgeoning trip that excels when it expands beyond a basic Rawk framework with Teget’s bass work serving as a veritable foundation on its’ own. Coupled with Garcia’s intricately laced percussion and Hall’s spacey wails on the guitar front and you have yourselves a closer that’s a sprawling six plus minutes of pure, unholy fun that just basks in the majesty of its’ own epicness.
Psychosis Ritual lands through Heavy Psych Sounds on September 25th. Yours can be pre-ordered before that by clicking here or here. For more on Mountain Tamer, follow them across their socials by clicking here, here, or here.