Mountain Caller / Lore Of The Woodman @ The Black Heart, London 19th April 19 2024
Ring ring, ring ring. ‘He-hello?’ ‘Good day! It’s Mountain Caller here, with a truckload of riffs and well-crafted songs. Where would you like them to be delivered?’ ‘Straight into my ears would be lovely – thanks!’
In early March 2020, just a few days after Boris Johnson proudly announced that he had shaken hands with coronavirus patients, your correspondent attended a Slabdragger gig at the 229 with support from up-and-coming trio Mountain Caller.
Playing to an audience of about 12, it was clear that they had considerable talent – providing a brief set of songs festooned with riffs and hooks, although perhaps lacking a bit of panache.
Step forward to April 2024, and Mountain Caller have released two albums, an EP, and on Friday 19th April, have sold out The Black Heart. The band’s ascent to such giddy heights has included a performance on the main stage at ArcTanGent and a stint in support of fellow groove merchants King Buffalo when they toured the UK in November 2023.
Tonight’s fare consists of a full performance of their second album, Chronicle II: Hypergenesis, which follows Lore Of The Woodman, a three-piece support act with more noodle than Wagamama and a dizzying array of pedal effects.
Unfortunately for your correspondent, the witty repartee of long-time gig companion Ian M was a distraction from prompt assembly in front of the The Black Heart stage, and so this review comes from the punishingly air-conditioned Siberia zone at the rear of the room, With the blast of fresh air on the back of the neck and the waft of warm, BO-laden humidity at the front of the face, one has the distinct feeling of liminality.
Chronicle II: Hypergenesis opens with the aptly named Daybreak, a dream-like number that merely scratches the surface of Mountain Caller’s talent, gently bringing the crowd to life with elegant finger-work before delivering a chunky mid-section of solid riffage. With Andes in the air, the crowd nod along to Claire Simson’s chugging guitar and El Reeve’s accomplished bass playing, before the band segues into The Archivist – surely the band’s tribute to the unsung work of keepers of the files in such esteemed repositories as The National Archives.
The Archivist sees Mountain Caller at their inventive best – bringing numerous hooks together into a coherent whole that demonstrates the maturity of their song-arrangement skills. More layers than the Himalayas. Favourable comparisons are made to heavy psych royalty Elder and one wonders when Mountain Caller will receive similar acclaim.
Dead Language provides a chance for El to showcase her mellifluous vocal talents – a rare treat on an otherwise instrumental album, while Into The Hazel Woods offers a slow, ballad-esque opening that breaks into an energetic, catchy, groove-laden mid-section. March Of The Göll is the album’s stand-out track – with a pulsating opening that reflects the song’s title before developing into a head-bangingly good riff and again showing the thoughtful craft of the band by taking the listener on a journey as the piece progresses.
Hypergenesis closes the album, but not the performance, as Mountain Caller treat the audience to most of their debut album as well, including Feast At Half Light City, A Clamour Of Limbs and Dreamspirals – interspersed with science facts about existence on the event horizon of a black hole (which may or may not be similar to the freezing/heating liminal zone at the rear of the room).
Overall – a fantastic evening. There’s definitely summit about Mountain Caller as the heavy prog trio provided quite the Pyrenees up and they may not even have hit their peak yet.
Mountain Caller
Lore Of The Woodman
Scribed by: Tim C
Photos by: Anna Buscaglia
