Mount Atlas Premiere “The Unknown” from Mistress EP
Posted in audiObelisk on March 4th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
German Hammond-soaked heavy rockers Mount Atlas will release their Mistress EP on May 10 through H42 Records. The four-songer runs a crisp 15 minutes, and while the keys provided by Christoph Ramke bring an inevitable classic flair to the proceedings, neither the production nor the style of the band is outwardly retro in the “vintage” sense of analog worship. Rather, the opening title-track and subsequent “Pace,” “Evil Side” and “The Unknown” are presented with pro-shop clarity and fullness, and the guitars of Jonas Willenbrink (also vocals) and Lars Rempe, the bass of Florian Eckey, Hendrik Kurre‘s drums and the aforementioned organ come through with an energy fitting for a band getting their start — having come together in 2016 — but still plainly moving ahead of their 2017 debut, Titan, in terms of reach and structure, “Pace” tapping into NWOBHM style classic metallurgy as “Evil Side” tap more of a swing, the latter being the only song over four minutes long and accounting for that differential with a still-relatively-quick midsection break.
The point, I guess, is it’s straight-ahead classic-derived-but-not-classic-imitating heavy rock and roll, but that alone
does little to note the emphasis Mount Atlas put on clarity of performance and on songwriting. “Evil Side”‘s hook is catchy and delivered with an ’80s arena-metal spirit, and “The Unknown” would seem to follow-suit in its general base of influence. Classic rock meets classic metal meets modern riffing — Mistress has no trouble drawing strength from multiple sides, and Mount Atlas seem to be perfectly comfortable in going over the top sound-wise. Titan was a little bit rougher around its edges, but the ensuing cohesiveness of these songs is another unmistakable sign of the band’s growth. They may or may not still be maturing as a group, but even if that’s the case, a foundation of craft only ever serves well, and it does throughout this EP too. Mount Atlas are well comfortable interweaving guitar and organ on “Mistress” itself, and with that, they set the tone for a mini-showcase of their wares; a bit of a sampler for those who either did or didn’t catch the first offering when it came out to let all concerned parties know where they might be heading. A choice EP, in other words.
And a bit of unpretentious little-of-this-little-of-that-and-a-lot-of-melody heavy rock never hurts, so I’m happy today to host the premiere of “The Unknown” from the EP. You’ll find it below, followed by more from the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
https://soundcloud.com/h42records/mount-atlas-20181218-digi-4/s-PyIbl
Mount Atlas’s bubbling sound of the Hammond organ, their rough guitar riffs as well as the floating melodies will bring you back to the 70s and 80s. At the same time, they manage to maintain their individual sonority. They alternate between spherical sounds and heavy doom riffs, which sound as if played whilst wearing equally heavy leather jackets.
Their first record “Titan” has been leaving its marks on the international rock and metal scenes since April 2017. The new EP “Mistress” will be released on Vinyl, CD and digitally May 10, 2019.
Mount Atlas is:
Jonas Willenbrink (Vocals / Guitar)
Christoph Ramke (Organ / Synth)
Hendrik Kurre (Drums)
Florian Eckey (Bass)
Lars Rempe (Guitar)
