Sweden's Bleeding Mountains may be new a new name to many of us but the bands members, Patrik Zetterberg (vocals/guitars), Erik Jervaeus (drums) and Adam Mayer (bass), will be familiar to those who may have followed the progressive metal grooves of a little Swedish trio called Jahoomha, and this is because they are the same band. Exactly why Jahoomha felt the need to change their name to Bleeding Mountains is not clear but it does seem that the name change coincided with the recording of new material and Desert Psychlist can only surmise that the heavier direction taken on the new recording was the justification for this change. Whatever the reasoning behind it all the new material is now available and flying under the flag of "Treeline".
Of course their are similarities between the grooves laid down previously by Jahoomha and those now being delivered by Bleeding Mountains, why wouldn't there be, after all we are talking about the same musicians here, but where Jahoomha blended their prog-ish grooves with those of a more alternative/grunge nature Bleeding Mountains go for a more feral approach entirely. Everything about "Treeline" has a harder, heavier feel than that of the bands earlier incarnation, from the tone of the guitars through to the aggressive nature of the vocals, everything feeling that much more confrontational and in your face. The album begins with "Escaping The Lord", a short instrumental piece made up of a circular guitar motif played over big booming bass and solid precise percussion, that, although perfectly executed, does not give much away about their new direction. Then comes "Dead Ice" and we get our first indication of where these guys are currently at musically, Zetterberg laying down a ferociously fuzz drenched refrain that's part textured prog metal, part raucous stoner crunch over which he delivers clean but larynx shredding vocal tones. Beneath this onslaught of feral roars and chainsaw riffage Mayer and Jervaeus lay down a tsunami of raw edged groove, Mayer's grizzled bass lines meshing with Jervaeus' complex and intricate rhythms to create a solid bedrock of metallic bluster for the guitarist/vocalist to decorate with his vocal and six-string colourings. Following track "Temples" touches briefly on past glories with its mix of loud and quiet dynamics and mellower vocal tones but its when the band let loose their proggier, heavier stoner metal side, as on the excellent "The Undertaker", the complex and intense "Glacier" and the diverse and eclectic "Weightless" that the trio really come into their own and show what a force they are collectively.
New name, new album, same musicians but what a difference, "Treeline" is heavier, harder and more aggressive than anything the trio recorded under their previous guise, a stunning assault on the senses from beginning to end and well worth taking the time to check out ....
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