 | Tracklist:
1. Wander
2. Mammals
3. The Coalition
4. Tundra
5. Erase
6. Forsaken Seas
7. Fade
8. You Will Overcome
Release Date: 12/23/2011 | |
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| Summary: An artist dabbling with a musical planet that has only recently had its parameters laid out, Spiralmountain carves the way to success, albeit with a couple of missteps. |
3 of 3 thought this review was well written
The realm of instrumental metal has truly blossomed lately, as we can see from the bombastic releases of both Scale the Summit and Animals as Leaders, both of which solidified the genre as something truly worth being acquainted with. The idea of vocals being essential to music to carry the mood has been practically rendered inaccurate to a fault, as instruments alone have proven themselves to be capable of creating such nonchalantly blistering atmospheres, and this fact has inevitably led to many flocking to the scene, wanting to prove their mettle at the style that has been expounded on, rapidly, by the likes of Cloudkicker and his less recognizable peers. Of course, there are downsides to this massive migration to a scene that was so refreshingly scant several years ago, but it would be silly to frown upon the fact that there are many more artists now stepping out from the shadows, exposing themselves with their ambitions on their sleeve. Spiralmountain is a remarkable example of an artist dabbling with a musical planet that has only recently had its parameters laid out.
New to the scene but still offering much to those that enjoy the frenetic sensibilities of instrumental metal, Arkansas denizen Erik Ebsen lays out his most immediate influences on his Bandcamp page, tastefully leaving out any question of from where his style has developed. Cloudkicker’s earlier leanings towards the djent tone is one that Ebsen unquestionably draws influence from, and those that feel bored with the artists that use djent don’t need to be worried, for the music is tastefully executed, leaving moments of atmosphere to draw in those that are wary. Tracks such as “Mammals” display the proficiency that Spiralmountain has trained himself towards, the colossal riffs that rightfully leave the listener rather impressed, and the fact that seemingly out of nowhere the man can make his music seem so visceral is perhaps the most endearing trait of Spiralmountain’s latest album.
The biggest downfall is the album’s sometimes uncomfortably derivative nature, during the more subdued moments where Ebsen seems to struggle a little more with the execution of his ideas. “Tundra” is a track that stands out not because of its boring riffs, but the more questionable trait of this song, the lackluster presentation of the other instruments. The drums just do not sound good when they aren’t hammering away double bass alongside the guitar, for example, and the guitar parts feel startlingly less focused when a more technically loose endpoint exists; this limitation tends to obstruct the potential of Spiralmountain to truly blossom as his predecessors have.
All in all, Spiralmountain’s self-titled release (a name that definitely may have come from the legendary Banjo-Kazooie) is immensely promising. As we witness even more musicians testing their skill at the dense, raw instrumental energy that Ben Sharp himself has found himself mastering throughout the last several years, Spiralmountain will have to search for methods of staying relevant and being separated from the crowd, and while he released a refreshingly enjoyable debut, only time will tell if his sense of musical direction broadens, leaving him with much more tools to build his inevitably excellent next album.
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this album is amazing
Digging: GWAR - Scumdogs of the Universe Digging: GWAR - Scumdogs of the Universe
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fuck yes Banjo Kazooie
Digging: Jam City - Classical Curves
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
http://spiralmountain.bandcamp.com/album/spiralmountain
Reverend, I actually played Banjo-Kazooie competitively for a short while. Had, like, the 135th best time in the world for the swamp level. :]
Digging: Deaf Havana - It's Called The Easy Life Digging: Deaf Havana - It's Called The Easy Life | | |
how did you figure? did you leaderboard on xbox or something?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Yeah! Granted it was a bit different, considering the game hadn't been on XBox too long, but I still like to not mention that bit because it makes my time seem all the more impressive...
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playing BK on anything but an N64 is blasphemy
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Have you tried it? The graphics are prettier - playing N64 for me now is just tough because I've become so acclimated with nice graphics.
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if you play it on an emulator there's apparently a patch you can get that makes it even better than the Xbox graphics
and the old school graphics are what give its charm
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reverend did you play Skyward Sword? Parts of the game reminded me of the old Rare games
Digging: Ire - Ire
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so is this cloudkicker groovy or AAL technical?
Digging: Black Sun Empire - Driving Insane Digging: Black Sun Empire - Driving Insane
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Yay! Metal realized that classical music DID have something going for it afterall!
Digging: Lemuria (BE) - Tales, Ale, and Fire
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reverend did you play Skyward Sword? Parts of the game reminded me of the old Rare games
I want to, but I don't own a Wii
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I got both Skyward Sword and Banjo Kazooie for Christmas. Just beat Banjo Kazooie. It ruled.
Will check these guys out just because of that.
Digging: The Mayan Factor - 44 Digging: The Mayan Factor - 44
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Sweet review. I'm totally going to check this out.
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nice review mate, i'm checking this out today.
Digging: Author & Punisher - Ursus Americanus Digging: Author & Punisher - Ursus Americanus
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Glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of Banjo-Kazooie.
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karnivool rec? im on it!
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i love vanilla ice i fux wit his music hardest nigga in da game
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Cheers guys 
Tyrannic, while it does possess traits found from AAL I would say Cloudkicker's more melody-based style is the better comparison.
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Banjo-Kazooie is my fucking favourite game from my childhood. I could play that shit over and over and over.
I think I know what I'm doing today.
Digging: WZRD - WZRD Digging: WZRD - WZRD
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