Mount Saturn - Kiss the Ring EP (2019) review

Mount Saturn - Kiss the Ring EP
Mount Saturn are a young band from Bellingham, Washington, USA. They have just released their debut EP on the 4th January 2019.

Check out their BandCamp and Facebook:
https://mountsaturn.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/mountsaturnband

For fans of: Doom and Stoner Metal
Best activity when listening: I'd recommend listening to this album with a beer in one and a zoot in the other.

Track list:
1.Dwell
2.Idol Hands
3.Salt
4.Kiss the Ring

I love this release and have been blasting it on repeat since it was released. I would describe it as magnetic, the sound keeps pulling me back. I think the artwork suits the album perfectly, it was done by Jamie Lawson.

The band sounds tight and cohesive, with a great chemistry, all the members blend together to create a killer sound. Right off the bat the production is atmospheric and has a touch of reverb but yet still manages to sound full and heavy, the drums are also quite sharp and cut through the mix well without sounding drowned out or muddy, which can happen a fair bit in the doom and stoner subgenres. The guitars and bass also complement each other well, the bass comes through and the bass line helps drive the song and adds to the main riff.

The EP begins with pulsing symbols, a bass line and distorted guitars, with a slowly building groove, then a huge riff kicks in just at the minute mark, which instantly  captures my attention for the rest of the EP. The vocals then enter and entranced me immediately, the vocals complement the instrumentals well and suit the aesthetic they're going for, Violet's vocals remind me somewhat of Bobby Liebling from Pentagram. After the halfway mark of the opening track "Dwell" there is an excellent passage of atmosperic black metal riffing that is accompanied by the soaring clean vocals, this preludes a shredding solo, which then finishes off strong with the main riff.

The opener "Dwell" spans just over 7 minutes then leads into the riff laden "Idol Hands", this song is a bit reserved in parts but the bluesy verses contrast nicely to the loud and catchy chorus, after a few repetitions this leads to a Sabbathian inspired double time riff and a brief solo another chorus then finishes the song and makes way for my highlight of the EP.

"Salt" opens with some clean channel guitar, then enters a heavy yet captivating riff that puts me in a trance like state largely to the hypnotising vocals. The riff age continues then transitions into a very melodic section around 13:45, this continues and leads into a very blues inspired solo that loops back to the infectious main chorus. The melodic section makes a welcomed return before giving way to a crushing riff to finish of my favourite track on this release.

The title track "Kiss the Ring" opens with a more down tempo melody but it's a welcome change of pace. This tune feels a bit more tame and restrained, it doesn't have the same captivating instrumentals or vocals and feels like a mid-way breather song on an LP, however the solo towards the end of the song redeems the track, and it finishes on a high note, which leaves me expecting the next song to play. However this is very impressive debut EP and I'm eager to hear they're next release, which is hopefully a full length LP.

Overall I rate this album an 8.5/10, it's a great debut, and is very addicting but left me wanting more after the 25 minutes.