ALBUM REVIEW: Chronicle I: The Truthseeker – Mountain Caller

Hailing from London, instrumental progressive and much more act MOUNTAIN CALLER have honed their sound over a few immersive live shows and a couple of years. They’ve pricked up plenty of ears in their short time together and stand on the cusp of releasing the culmination of all their hard work in the form of debut album Chronicle I: The Truthseeker. A concept album, it tells the first chapter of The Protagonist’s story as she sets off on her journey to both remember and discover herself and the world around her. A feminist allegory created in tandem with the music, Chronicle I… is an immediately engaging album as epic in sound as it is in scope. 

Opening with a serene repeated motif, Journey Through The Twilight Desert, sees The Protagonist stood at the edge of a vast desert before starting her journey as a rumbling bass line evolves into a massive groove. Hefty bass lines permeate the song, grounding it as the guitar carries some of the melody and sets the scene for the journey. Feast At Half-Light City opens with winding guitars before transporting the listener to the city itself, a bustling soundscape with off-kilter rhythms echoing the chaos of the city.

I Remember Everything and Trial By Combat both invoke cinematic soundscapes with towering post-rock grooves and shimmering leads. Trial By Combat especially makes use of minimalist instrumentation, with a quiet middle section that repeats its central melody, gradually evolving it over time. The song builds as the melee peaks and The Protagonist is victorious. The band’s canny use of space and dynamics makes every song breathe, never feeling claustrophobic at all with plenty of room to soak everything up. Sprawling eight minute closer Dreamspirals features huge, earworm hooks that draw the listener in with a thick, fuzzy guitar tone as the song crescendos before cascading into its final moments. 

MOUNTAIN CALLER effortlessly fuse stoner rock, progressive tendencies and post-rock to weave their epic tale. They demonstrate an effortless grasp of dynamics and songcraft throughout; each instrument has its time to shine and they even throw a curveball with a vocal interlude on A Clamour of Limbs. At a hair over forty minutes, Chronicle I: The Truthseeker is succinct and doesn’t ever outstay its welcome. While songs are all over six minutes, they don’t ever feel their length, keeping up the momentum even through the slowest moments. 

Recorded by Joe Clayton (of instrumental post-rock maestros PIJN) and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (CULT OF LUNA), the end result is an album not only massive in scope but in sound too. Each instrument and part breathes freely, allowing the dynamics to ebb and flow as they should. MOUNTAIN CALLER have crafted a truly immersive, cinematic experience that more than lives up to their ambitious narrative. 

Rating: 9/10

Chronicle I: The Truthseeker is out now via New Heavy Sounds. 

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