BOG REVIEW: "MOUNTAINSCAPE" (CINEMATIC POST METAL) – "TRAVERSING REALMS EP" (RELEASED JULY 24TH, ROAD TO MASOCHIST)
Track 1: Dune (featuring Amaya López-Carromero)
The night sky was quiet; the moonlight shone down on the sands below. Bog watched the shadows dance while Mountainscape’s Dune played on his audio device.
Bog tried to adjust his posture. It had him again, just like every night. It would linger, the heavy dread building like the riffs on The Elder Scrolls, only to drop off into haunting, melodic, emotional passages with strong guitar structures in tune with the struggle to survive. Those sections offered the stimulus for Bog to try to break free from the same played-out pattern.
Every night it came: the unseen dread. He couldn’t hear it, nor see it, but he knew it was there. Holding him, teasing, distorting everything around him, and replaying flashes in his mind. Bog’s blood was burning and breathing was difficult—hoarse and uneasy. His chest was tight.
The track repeated again. At 0:02, Amaya López-Carromero’s vocals introduce Dune, immediately calling to Bog’s ears and helping him focus on the sounds and rhythms. As soon as it began, Bog was drawn into the composition and structure, the build, and how the track flowed to create a truly inspiring and creative musical score.
Bog was looking across to where The Reaping Sands waited, thinking of the journey to come, what was, what had been, and perhaps, just tonight, maybe he could escape its grip. Maybe the flashes would stop, just for a brief moment to breathe again, feel the air in his lungs, and embrace this special musical dream of somewhere else he could escape to—free of The Gate.
At 0:49 the drum blast beat drops and the backing riffs run like boom lines in a set. Mountainscape’s magical music was helping Bog pull back from the flashes.
From 1:21 to 2:50, the track transitions to a serene, mellow passage with lightly played guitars that spoke to Bog’s soul and helped him focus on the march to 500. The atmosphere and mood here are truly top-level, with excellent mastering and mixing that expertly sold the track to Bog’s ears.
At 2:51, a guitar riff drops as heavy as the dread and oppressive air that holds Bog in the nocturnal hours. But Dune embodies an expression of emotion and a yearning to overcome, beautifully supported by Amaya’s ethereal vocals that help this music hit the right chord.
The production and audio quality, as Bog has said, are top-level. The frequencies don’t drop, and everything is balanced perfectly. The music and vocals really stress just how much energy Mountainscape poured into this creation. It shines brightly with emotion and energy. That is why, as Bog sits here under the moonlit sky held by something he cannot comprehend, Mountainscape’s sound has managed to break through somewhat to reach him.
The timing of the drumming supports the guitars and vocals, flowing in and out at each moment. They heighten the tension and feeling from the introduction through each corresponding bar, which sound like a pure workflow of freedom. Nothing is unrestrained.
Bog’s device repeated Dune over and over. His selector lens was thinking about how it would work in a set—where and when to drop it in at various points, and how it could captivate the crowd’s ear and hold them in a trance where they stood. The power of Dune (featuring Amaya López-Carromero) is so strong that only closed minds who serve The Gate would deny the soulful music on offer from Mountainscape.
At 5:19, another melodic section helped Bog calm himself somewhat. His palms were still sweaty and he couldn’t move, but he was able to listen and document the sounds to scribe for the Stenchers.
Another heavy riff drops with a slight—very slight and light—black metal riff, but it worked perfectly to convey the emotion that Bog has mentioned as a feature throughout Dune. The pace gathers momentum again towards the outro bars with frantic drumming and riffing, then Amaya’s vocals return at 8:48 to finalize the ending of the track.
At 9:40, Dune fades out with the instruments and vocals dropping to a close. Bog hadn’t even reached the next two tracks, and already this is a magically developed, cinematic piece of music and score that helped ground him during another troublesome period. And so, the scribing resumes in a normal-ish manner before it returns to grab Bog again.
Track 2: The Elder Scrolls
This track is a majestic offering and another prime example of how and why underground metal can—and should—be used as scores for film. Bog hopes someone will be brave enough to do this, as it would flow so much better than some questionable choices from recent movies where the tracks feel completely out of context and mood.
The production remains tight and very consistent. Each section is smooth, transitioning between the bars cleanly. This is a solid and organized workflow executed to a very high standard.
The use of different guitar riffs helps the track flow smoothly between moods, setting the build for each subsequent section. The Elder Scrolls pace changes stand out very prominently. There are mellow passages here that are equally as serene as those on Dune, but you will hear those strong riffs step up as the track progresses.
It’s a well-planned flow that never appears randomly or sounds like they got bored with a section. It is cinematic world-building through music. This is probably why this stinky-ass Bog creature sitting here with sweaty palms at night is feeling the absolute essence of it.
Track 3: Closure
This one has a progressive feel, but with axe-attack riffs further into the track and orchestrated solos. There are some minor extreme metal injections, featuring brief blast-beat drumming patterns to support a change in pace, which work very well. The violin and viola add a beautiful touch—they are deeply thought-provoking for the mind and serve to build into a highly memorable outro.
For a track just stepping past the 10-minute mark, it flows remarkably fast because of the transitions and change-ups with the instruments, creating dazzling dynamics and sonic recipes. We are definitely not in the realms of certain Drone tracks that stretch to 16–20 minutes where there is still time to take three shits before the track finishes.
Closure flows very well, building the bars and sections into a well-organized template where consistent musical chapters are contained within. This is probably one of the best ways to describe the overall experience of Traversing Realms.
The 6:09 extreme metal-ish drop was one of Bog’s favorite moments on the EP and would be fantastic in a live set to make a crowd completely pop off. Bog really appreciated how Mountainscape executed this transition, dropping it back down at 7:09 to take the riffage into a deep lead. Then, as mentioned earlier, we get the axe riff drop again at 8:00, which takes the listener into a beautiful, emotional outro featuring the violin and viola building from 8:35. It beautifully matches the melody and signature tone from the intro, ensuring it is never lost throughout the track.
This is music with genuine feeling and thought. The time, labor, and effort spent developing this concept are incredible and obvious to hear.
Bog’s Thoughts:
Mountainscape’s Traversing Realms is a unique EP with a multi-layered structure spanning various musical approaches across instrumentation, harmonies, and the guest appearance of Amaya’s vocals.
Imagine reading a musical novel where parts of the track act as different chapters to the story. Yes, there are no words, but Stenchers, this really, really feels alive. It’s like as the musical pages turn, they are speaking the words directly to you. Bog doesn’t know anything about the band and has never heard them before, but what Bog can recognize is special music when he hears it. Bog loves rolling around in the swamp to heavy mosh and heavy beats, but this is different. Something about it—just listen to it, and you will hear exactly what Bog is trying to tell you.
A huge shout-out to Mountainscape and everyone involved, and another shout-out to Road to Masochist for hitting Bog’s ears hard with some sick offerings, from filthy sludge to special music such as Traversing Realms.
Bog Lore Outro:
Bog was grateful to Mountainscape for pulling him from his paralytic reverie. He shifted his position and rose to his feet, still listening to Traversing Realms. Taking a pause, he breathed in the night air and calmly exhaled.
His chest no longer felt tight; his mind was able to focus again. There were no flashes tormenting his soul with painful, distorted realities.
Bog looked to the horizon. The Reaping Sands waited.
Soon…
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/mountainscapeuk/
https://www.instagram.com/mountainscapeuk/
https://mountainscapeuk.bandcamp.com/
https://roadtomasochist.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/roadtomascochist/
Line-up:
Dan Scrivener - Guitar
Ethan Bishop - Bass
James Scrivener - Drums
Vocals on ‘Dune’ by Amaya López-Carromero
Violin and viola on ‘Closure’ by Sally Hobbs and Thea Hobbs
Cello on 'Closure' by Uta Mulenga
Double Bass on ‘Closure’ by Tom Marsh
