Mount Carmel - Mount Carmel (2010) (Full Album)

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• published: 17 Apr 2016
• views: 10148

Columbus, Ohio, has always been fertile grounds for weirdo indie and punk. With a lineage that dates back to the early 1980s with folks such as Mike Rep and Ron House, Columbus saw a resurgence in its underground scene during the ‘00s via bands such as Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit. Nugged-out heavy-blues trio Mount Carmel adds to the capital city’s freak rock heritage—deftly side stepping its “shitgaze” proclivities in favor of maximum shred—with their self-titled debut on, appropriately enough, Siltbreeze, who’s owner Tom Lax has been a Columbus booster since the early days. It’s been stirring up quite a bit of excitement. Much of that excitement is due to the albums raw, invigorating sound that brings people back to their days in the 60’s (or 70’s) of blues rock and when it was just beginning to make waves. It sounds like this record was recorded straight out of the 70’s, which certainly gives it more of an authentic feel. Plenty of bands drink from the well of tribute, allowing their vision to plateau in service of authenticity or Good Time Charlie-ism, because it’s fun and familiar, and for some quite easy to achieve. Mount Carmel is that rare band that takes an existing concept – here, British-influenced blues-based rock circa 1966-69, the times that bore Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, the Steve Miller Band, and above all, Free – and steers it so that they become a continuation of that earlier dialogue. The six offerings here from this Columbus, OH trio sound like they would have been that delayed next step towards metal, retaining all the subtlety of the form’s masters in one of the richest recordings I’ve heard in some time. The album kicks off with “Livin Like I Wanna”, and it won’t take long for you to figure out what direction this is going. Shortly into the song lead singer Matthew Reed joins in the mix, and it’s pretty much a done-deal after that. His howling vocals go a long way in giving these guys that 70’s rock sound, although most of that would be due to the instrumentation, but his vocals still play a major role in the sound. Not only are Reed’s vocals essential, but the guitar plays an even greater role. Throughout the entire record, the guitars have a beyond-satisfying raw and electrifying sound, complete with face-searing guitar solos and catchy, memorable hooks. Some of these earth-shattering guitar solos can be found in tracks like “Livin Like I Wanna”, “Still Listening”, “ZZ Breakers”, and pretty much all throughout the entire 40 minute runtime. That’s no exaggeration either, every song has it’s moment – whether it’s the 3 minute drum attack or an onslaught of guitar solos and letting the good times roll – this album is bound to keep you listening. 1. Livin Like I Wanna 2. Still Listening 3. ZZ Breakers 4. Sacksburg 5. Hear Me Callin 6. I Work While You’re Sleeping 7. Studio Jam

Mount Carmel - Mount Carmel (2010) (Full Album)

• Report rights infringement
• published: 17 Apr 2016
• views: 10148

Columbus, Ohio, has always been fertile grounds for weirdo indie and punk. With a lineage that dates back to the early 1980s with folks such as Mike Rep and Ron House, Columbus saw a resurgence in its underground scene during the ‘00s via bands such as Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit. Nugged-out heavy-blues trio Mount Carmel adds to the capital city’s freak rock heritage—deftly side stepping its “shitgaze” proclivities in favor of maximum shred—with their self-titled debut on, appropriately enough, Siltbreeze, who’s owner Tom Lax has been a Columbus booster since the early days. It’s been stirring up quite a bit of excitement. Much of that excitement is due to the albums raw, invigorating sound that brings people back to their days in the 60’s (or 70’s) of blues rock and when it was just beginning to make waves. It sounds like this record was recorded straight out of the 70’s, which certainly gives it more of an authentic feel. Plenty of bands drink from the well of tribute, allowing their vision to plateau in service of authenticity or Good Time Charlie-ism, because it’s fun and familiar, and for some quite easy to achieve. Mount Carmel is that rare band that takes an existing concept – here, British-influenced blues-based rock circa 1966-69, the times that bore Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, the Steve Miller Band, and above all, Free – and steers it so that they become a continuation of that earlier dialogue. The six offerings here from this Columbus, OH trio sound like they would have been that delayed next step towards metal, retaining all the subtlety of the form’s masters in one of the richest recordings I’ve heard in some time. The album kicks off with “Livin Like I Wanna”, and it won’t take long for you to figure out what direction this is going. Shortly into the song lead singer Matthew Reed joins in the mix, and it’s pretty much a done-deal after that. His howling vocals go a long way in giving these guys that 70’s rock sound, although most of that would be due to the instrumentation, but his vocals still play a major role in the sound. Not only are Reed’s vocals essential, but the guitar plays an even greater role. Throughout the entire record, the guitars have a beyond-satisfying raw and electrifying sound, complete with face-searing guitar solos and catchy, memorable hooks. Some of these earth-shattering guitar solos can be found in tracks like “Livin Like I Wanna”, “Still Listening”, “ZZ Breakers”, and pretty much all throughout the entire 40 minute runtime. That’s no exaggeration either, every song has it’s moment – whether it’s the 3 minute drum attack or an onslaught of guitar solos and letting the good times roll – this album is bound to keep you listening. 1. Livin Like I Wanna 2. Still Listening 3. ZZ Breakers 4. Sacksburg 5. Hear Me Callin 6. I Work While You’re Sleeping 7. Studio Jam