THE MOUNTAIN KING is a Doom Metal band formed in Germany. From their Facebook page, "from the ashes of the former Soviet Republic, raised and settled in Western Germany, Eric McQueen was inspired by Heavy Classical music but only equipped with the musical experience from the 1980's onwards, this project aimed to be skeptical in everything they got their hands on and to combine a half-life of creative influences. Mixing genres like Stoner Doom, Electronica, Ambient, Avantgarde, Post Rock, Drone, Shoegaze and Black Metal, it is foremost the goal to find similarities in all rather than differences but still use the latter. In 2020, Frank Grimbarth joined the project with his heavy guitar riffs. The new album "WalloW" contains nine tracks.

"I Bongnob" leads off the album. It opens with light and airy tones, building slowly to clean vocals. It rolls forward with these dreamy sounds and a hypnotic rhythm, sounding as soft as a breeze. "II In girum imus noctem aram et consumimur igni" is darker and heavier, with thick bass tones and harsh vocals. The clean rhythms underneath feature some trippy keyboard notes as well. The title track begins with a slow rhythm of dark elements. The vocals are semi-clean but the fuzzy guitar riff is as heavy as anything out there. Still, the song breathes. Eric achieves that KATATONIA like sound of songs that are both weighted and lucent at the same time,

"IV Sophos" begins with more clean and Post-Metal sounding guitars. The mood is somewhat light but also clouded by an impending storm. The storm arrives with heavy bass notes and guitars, with clean vocal notes that are held for annunciation. "V DNA Sand" is a heavier outing with plenty of meaty bass notes and super fuzzy guitars. The instrumental backs off towards the end with more trippy sounds. "sohpoS VI" begins with more clean guitars and a slowed down, easy listening rhythm. The experimental elements take center stage in this song, as the sound fades in and out like a thunderstorm passing over, dropping buckets of rain and exchanging places with the sun every now and again.

"wolloW III" opens with darker tones that sound like Cello strings. A weighted heavy riff and anguished clean vocals follow. The string really brings that despondent sound to light, while the bass and drum thuds mark darker days in your life. "ingi rumimusnoc te mara metcon sumi murig ni" sounds like pure frustration in the sense of trying to work with a problem in which you are making zero headway. Heavy bass notes and harsh vocals mark the building of anger in the subject. "bongnoB I" closes the album, with more free and easy sounds...as if salvation was finally found at the end of the rainbow. Smooth, mellow strings combine with clean guitars to wash all of your anger away.

This was a very personal and insightful album in many ways. I don't think I have ever heard such a varied approach to creating music. But, a core sound remains, although it flirts with nearly every emotion that a human can experience, from joy and contentment, to anger, despondence, and frustration. This is simply one of those albums that all music aficionados must hear at least once in their life.