With the help of their new label, Metal Blade, Mount Salem have re-released their debut Endless, adding two new tracks to make it a full LP. The expanded record does little to address the problems fundamental to the original, namely how Emily Kopplin's vocals undermine what the band achieves instrumentally. It takes little time to realize that Mount Salem have the trad doom metal style down, but the sound of Kopplin's smoky organs engulfing the thick, languorous guitars begs for more mystery than what Kopplin can offer lyrically.
Throughout the record, she sings in the first person present, using the words "I" and "now" as if they're a kind of punctuation. She also exclusively sings expository lyrics, severely limiting the band's ability to ever actually craft something surprising. You can't get lost in this music, so it feels as though Mount Salem are just dragging you along. With traditional heavy metal making such a strong comeback, it's hard to recommend this album when there are so many bands mining the same territory and doing it with much better results.
(Metal Blade)Throughout the record, she sings in the first person present, using the words "I" and "now" as if they're a kind of punctuation. She also exclusively sings expository lyrics, severely limiting the band's ability to ever actually craft something surprising. You can't get lost in this music, so it feels as though Mount Salem are just dragging you along. With traditional heavy metal making such a strong comeback, it's hard to recommend this album when there are so many bands mining the same territory and doing it with much better results.
