Review Summary: Do you have any idea why the mountain is humming?
“Probably because it doesn’t know all the lyrics.”
The Humming Mountain is an album for fans and by that I mean the album itself is one of those ‘miniature’ releases that’s too long for an EP and not quite enough for a full length. Why does it matter? It doesn’t, but if you’re looking for context
The Humming Mountain consists of tracks from other recording sessions; some that didn’t quite
fit into those projects and found their way here… These tracks, reworked and dragged up the mountain side began to hum and Gaahls Wyrd’s newest export began to take shape.
So what do
humming mountains sound like? Mostly, there’s melancholy wrapped in subtle climes filled with the gloom and doom of repeating motifs and gentler sweeps in atmospherics. Because of this,
The Humming Mountain is an immersive listen, whether it’s gentle acoustic plucked introduction of “The Seed”, which sets a foundation on the primal dark folk a la Wynterfylleth’s
The Hallowing of Heirdom, but with Gaahls’ more distinct, ex-Gorgoroth Nordic climes at the wheel. Perhaps it’s of service that
The Humming Mountain isn’t at all ‘one speed’ within the framework of the album’s more somber beginnings. The title track is distinctly more straight-forwards, a foray into marching riffs and bleaker, blacker directions in mind. While “Awakening Remains - Before Leaving” pulls heavily on black metal and Gorgoroth hey-days—fresh? Maybe not. Solid? Enough for a casual listener to remember an era of extreme music long gone...fond memories in the rear view, revitalized by some measure of modern production values.
By closing Gaahls Wyrd’s latest slab with a more atmospheric, nuanced and ultimately more mellow “The Sleep” it’s clear that there’s a host of material and room yet to be explored. Reverb drenched notes swell in the space between, never in a rush to step on the next phrase. Melancholic atmosphere pulses and ebbs in the pauses. Gaahl’s even, spoken words don’t understate the emotion of the three minutes that would wrap this mountain song up. If nothing else, the band’s listeners haven’t heard what lies at the peak. Nor have they felt what’s on the other side. Maybe it’s more about the journey: the hardships of the climb, the losses and triumphs along the way. Personally, I haven’t felt this good about a Gaahls Wyrd project before the Gorgoroth days. Regardless,
The Humming Mountain is a worthwhile, succinct journey into the world of Gaahls Wyrd.
