Album Review: The Mountain King - Wicked Zen (2020)

-
Photo Credit: Steffen Albrecht / The Mountain King

The Mountain King - Wicked Zen
Release: June 06, 2020
Label: selfrelease
-- (Special Edition will appear on Cursed Monk Records soon) --
Format: Tape/CD/Digital
Length: 70:05
Origin: Mainz, Germany

First things first. I have also written a review on this album in German. It was published via Betreutes Proggen - a site that frequently features articles by me. Big shoutouts to Betreutes Proggen! All you Prog Rock / Prog Metal / Post Rock / Avantgarde etc fans, I recommend you to follow this awesome online mag!
Nevertheless, this is not a translation of the German review but an autonomous text.

Now, The Mountain King appears on my site for the second time. Half a year ago I wrote a review on their album "Mind Deny Undo". Since that release five years have passed and TMK mastermind Eric McQueen has published a ton of amazing experimental and unorthodox music.
The present year alone, the EP "Breathe" and the Re-Droned Version of "Hitting Stellar Pipes" were released by The Mountain King. After these harbingers, the monumentous work "Wicked Zen" might be the central work of TMK in 2020.

Recently, I joined a pre-listening session together with The Mountain King, The Buried Herald, Cvlt Legion, and Stoner Rock Army (shoutouts to those amazing people!). Together we listened to some excerpts of the new album and had a great talk on music, religion, and life.
And heck yes, I will finally start talking about "Wicked Zen"...

More than 70 minutes of intense, unique, and Psychedelic Drone Doom! What a powerload! Brachial impacts by Death and Black Metal create gloomy and harsh atmospheres which are carried by the omnipresent Drone air. This tense air is decorated by the hypnotizing sounds of a sitar (Manuel "El Churro" Churión) and a saz (Yorgos Mourkousis). Further featured artists are Daniel Gallardo playing the drums and Frank Gr'mbarth Dillschnitter on additional guitars. Vocals, theremin, hammond organ, synthesizers, and the omnipresent bass were recorded by Eric McQueen.
Photo Credit: The Mountain King
Without any doubt, this is the strongest work The Mountain King has created so far. On stunning, brutal and mesmerizing soundscapes the six tracks take us on a journey through Middle and East Asia where we discover the darkest sides of Buddhism.
"Wicked Zen" combines traditional sounds of Arab and Indian spheres with massively powerful Drone Doom, trancy Psychedelic Rock and occult Black Metal. Imagine Bathory, My Sleeping Karma, Queen Elephantine and Black Shape of Nexus playing a gig in Goa, and you might get an impression of the sound. Or, even better: stream, listen, buy and order this stunning masterpiece!

The Mountain King Online:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fresh Mango: February 17, 2022

-
Image
  Fresh Mango 8 new releases that are worth checking out! 8 short reviews.  If available on Spotify, one song each will also be added to the  MangoRotation playlist  (MR) for 14 days. Want to advertise on MangoWave? Send a request to rmangowave@gmail.com (DOLCH) - Nacht   ( MR ) (50:52, Album, CD/Digital, Ván Records , 04/02/2022) "Nacht" (German: "Night") is the second part of the trilogy, the collective (DOLCH) (German: Dagger) are working on. The twelve-track release on hand is thus following up to previous album " Feuer " ("Fire"), and in the near future the series will be finished by the upcoming album "Tod" ("Death"). On a dozen new tracks and almost one hour (DOLCH) create dreamy and atmospheric soundscapes that easily cross the borders between Black Metal, Shoegaze, Post Punk, and Dream Pop. Seremonia - Neonlusifer   ( MR ) (35:38, Album, Vinyl/CD/Digital, Svart Records , 04/02/2022) Black masses do not always have t...
Read more

News: HOL - Bones (2021)

-
Image
Picture Credit: HOL   HOL - Bones Release Date: July 16, 2021 Length: 04:22 Genre: Indie Pop Origin: Blackpool , England HOL is a rising star in the sky of soulful and independent rock music. The Blackpool-based young talent has recently released their debut album " The Chapters " which is now followed by the single "Bones". The new track is about the good old topic of heart break but viewed from a very sober and reasonable perspective. Thus, the quintessence is about realizing that if things are not meant to be, than they simply are not - and life will go on, and be full of joy and opportunities. HOL · bones In "Bones", HOL adds some thrilling Indie Rock to her soulful sound. You can even spot a slight Post Punk impact on the soundscape, especially in the verse. "Bones" is a self-empowering and confidence-spreading anthem for all the broken hearts, and everyone who needs to hear that things may happen for a reason. HOL's new single is the p...
Read more

Mango Playlist Updates: February 05, 2022

-
Image
  Picture Credit:  Bloody Larry Sum-up of the recent playlist updates Ambient / Drone: Author & Punisher - Maiden Star Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Verwirrung am Strand es.cher - mark King Zausage - For you I was all over Lustmord & Bohren und der Club of Gore - Plateau Drone Chamber - Let the Abyss... spank.au - init5 Atuan - Glacier Blues: Spiral Skies - While the Devil is asleep Cactus - One Way... or another Dez Cadena, Jimmy Destri, Smokey Hormel, Kyle Cadena, Tim Luntzel, Evan Taylor, Glen Fitten - Rise above Louisiana Claude - Sitting in the Jailhouse Linda - Little Prince Slooga - Jumpin' Tedi Brunetti - Evil Woman Yasmine Gill - Feel Anton Commissaris - Living my Life The Confederation - Razor Teeth Rostro del Sol - Blue Storm Jordan Popky - Ego to feed Inca Babies - Correction Stack Crust / Grind / Powerviolence: Milquetoast - Dead inside Optimist - Die Anderen Japanische Kampfhörspiele - Emotionserkennung Decomposition of Entrails - Somatic Hybridization ...
Read more