Friday 7 March 2014

Mos Generator - Electric Mountain Majesty


Album Type: Album
Date Released: March 24th 2014 (EU) / April 15th 2014 (USA)
Label: Listenable Records

Electric Mountain Majesty - track listing:

01 Beyond the Whip
02 Nothing Left But Night
03 Enter the Fire
04 Spectres
05 Neon Nightmare
06 Breaker
07 Early Mourning
08 Electric Mountain Majesty
09 Black Magic Mirror
10 Heavy Ritual

Bio:

Mos Generator formed during the winter of 2000 in Port Orchard, Washington from the ashes of a ten year off & on collaboration between it's three members, all of which are long time veterans of road & studio. The need to strip down to the basics of hard rock was apparent from the start and continues to be the foundation for all the bands recent material. Mos Generator have released 5 studio albums, a retrospective album, and a live album on such labels as Roadburn, Small Stone, Ripple, Nasoni, and Lay Bare. Touring has been just as important to the profile of the band as making records has. Over the years Mos Generator has shared the stage with many great heavy rock bands and in March of 2013 they did a 26 date European tour with Saint Vitus, opening up a whole new fan base to the Mos Generator sound. On stage the band defines the word "chemistry". Revolving their sound around swagger and groove while improvising just enough to keep the songs feeling fresh from night to night...sometimes with interesting results.

Currently Mos Generator are working on a new record to be released in the spring of 2014 on Listenable Records with a European tour to follow in May. So far the new material is stretching the core sound of the band into some new and interesting directions. "We always try and push the heavy rock sound into other areas. Sometimes it's forced and sometimes we are letting natural and honest influences enter the equation. On the new material we are letting ourselves be open to whatever comes along."

The Band Members

TONY REED / guitar, vocals, keyboards (stone axe, treepeople, goodbye harry, twelve thirty dreamtime.
SHAWN JOHNSON / drums (x-mindfunk, twelve thirty dreamtime)
SCOOTER HASLIP / bass (artimus maximus, voodoo gearshift, saltine, twelve thirty dreamtime)

Review:

We all know who Mos Generator is. They are the Hard Rock/Doom/Stoner Metal Trio who has released a string of critically acclaimed albums during their career. Their last album 2012 – Nomads – struck a chord with fans and critics alike with it’s take on Sabbath Influenced Doom Metal, Hard Rock and Stoner Metal.

It opened these guys to a new generation of fans and a well received tour with Doom Metal Legends – Saint Vitus.

Well 18 months later, Mos Generator are back with their new album – Electric Mountain Majesty. Their first album for new record label – Listenable Records. A storming 42-minute blast of hard-rocking riffs that you will be coming back to time and time again. It is great to see that Mos Generator have not changed much of their signature sound that made Nomads such a classic album.

First track – Beyond the Whip – shows Mos Generator are ready to raise some heck as the riffs come thick and fast. Tony is charismatic as ever shouting his vocals like a grizzled veteran of the hard rock scene. The guys instantly draw you in with a tune that is classic Mos Generator Territory. It is a combination of grit, attitude and a tough mentality that makes this such a classic Mos Generator track. All the hallmarks are there. Just enjoy the ride as this album is going to show you why Mos Generator are one of the best bands out there.

Second track – Nothing Left But Night – starts with a with superb guitar solo before Tony starts singing a dark tale that shares a similar tone with Lonely Won Kenobi from Nomads. However, the band play out some of the heaviest riffs of their careers so far. This is where the album enters into creepier Doom Metal territory, which the band thrive on. A sublime mixture of fast paced and slow-paced riffs that combine perfectly for one of the albums standout tracks.

Third Track – Enter The Fire – is a dark cautionary tale mixing Americana, Hard Rock and elements of Doom Metal for one of the albums unsettling tracks that sees Mos Generator venture further more into the darkness. You cannot help rocking out with the band as they unleash some more classic Mos Generator style riffage to pound your soul to.
Mos Generator are master storytellers and they prove it on the next two tracks – Spectres and Neon Nightmare – which will take you on a thrilling adventure with the bands music as your spiritual and musical guide. It will venture into some dark places you would not expect from the guys but I applaud them for doing something different on this album. Though you cannot deny the powerful music that awaits you if you are feeling brave enough.

You can tell by now that Electric Mountain Majesty is a very dark album indeed. It is possibly the darkest album of the bands career so far. The band do inject some good old-fashioned rock and roll hi-jinks on Breaker. A tale of an outlaw running from the law, which plays out like a classic Hollywood caper movie.

The album goes into overdrive on the last 20 minutes or so with the final 4 tracks as this contains some of the albums finest tracks especially Early Mourning, Electric Mountain Majesty and the awesome closing track – Heavy Ritual. It contains the albums most powerful and loudest riffs, which will leave you no doubt, in what a fantastic album this really is.

Mos Generator should be proud of this album as it is another outstanding album from these legendary rockers. I consider this album their finest work to date. This album is one of the must have Hard Rock/Stoner Rock albums of 2014.

Simply Unmissable.

Thanks to Listenable Records and Carl at Action PR for sending a promo to review. Electric Mountain Majesty will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Listenable Records from March 24th 2014 (EU) / April 15th 2014 (USA)

Check The Band From Links Below

Mos Generator


HeavyHeadSuperStore

Official

Written by Steve Howe