Mountain of Smoke

Crush wins the day quickly on Mountain of Smoke‘s second album, Gods of Biomechanics. The Dallas-area duo of bassist/vocalist Brooks and drummer PJ bludgeon efficiently on the 10-track/33-minute outing, and expand their lineup through working with pedal steel guitarist Alex, filling out the bass/drum sound with an atmospheric breadth that can be heard on songs like “Caesium Beams,” making the material all the more memorable as well as being brutal and extreme. As with their 2014 self-titled debut, which was issued through Do for It Records, the theme that ties all the songs together is drawn from Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-noir classic Blade Runner. Songs are based around the story of Ray Batty (Rutger Hauer) and named after characters from the film — “Leon,” “Tyrell,” “Zhora” — and as the band already seem to have covered the main characters in their debut with “Decker,” “Rachel,” “Pris,” and so on, and they also begin to dig into ideas expressed in the movie, places or other elements.

Accordingly, we get “Tannhauser Gate” which is mentioned in a sample of Rutger Hauer at the end of the subsequent and pummeling “Orion’s Shoulder,” “Incept” referring to the concept of when a replicant is ‘born,’ and “Retirement” for when they’re killed. Samples from the film — which I’m just going to assume everyone reading this watched at least once when they were in their 20s — are sprinkled throughout, providing transitions and making sure that Mountain of Smoke stick with the plot, as it were. In addition to giving the audience something to latch onto for a record that, put to tape by Michael Briggs at Civil Audio in Denton, TX, both bludgeoning in its execution and largely indecipherable on first listen when it comes to the blown-out growls that serve for most of the vocals, the theme also lends aesthetic nuance to Mountain of Smoke‘s sound, which if the point hasn’t gotten across yet, is anything but subtle.

Rather, it is a style built for volume. The litmus test for duo-violence used to be Black Cobra and I suppose now it’s probably Germany’s Mantar. For what it’s worth, Mountain of Smoke have more in common with the latter than the former in terms of their overall approach, though of course it varies. Less outwardly thrash, they’re nonetheless given to driving moments throughout Gods of Biomechanics, whether it’s the closing title-track, the rush of “Tannhauser Gate” or the stabbing verse of “Retirement.” Amid the thrust come massive rolling grooves. Massive, as in, of mass. From the moment “Incept” picks up from its leadoff sample at the album’s open, its huge low end plod becomes as much of a running theme as the film itself. That instrumental opener leads way via another sample — just of the score — into “Tannhauser Gate,” which revels in its thrust and brashness. Who could argue? Like much of the record, it’s a speaker-blower, and the pedal steel shows itself pivotal as well when it comes to adding a sense of space to the proceedings.

mountain of smoke

That too will become more and more apparent as the rest of Gods of Biomechancis plays out, through “Orion’s Shoulder” and “Caesium Beams” and the High on Fire-worthy bombast of “Zhora,” and into side B on “Retirement,” “Leon,” “Tyrell” and the title-track. So really just everywhere save perhaps “Incept” and its counterpart “Morphology” which gives the second half of the album its own instrumental launch. I don’t know how full-time a member of the band Alex will be, if the two-piece has become a trio, but his work winds up being crucial here just the same. As mentioned, the pedal steel adds breadth and a sense of space to the songs, but it also works in concert with the Blade Runner theme, since with the echo behind it and often played in sustained notes, it cuts a direct line to the kinds of otherworldly melodies Vangelis brought to the original film’s soundtrack. That was largely synthesized, but if one thinks of it on an interpretive level, the comparison holds up.

And the effect that has on making Gods of Biomechanics seem all the more complete in terms of concept and delivery isn’t to be understated. Mountain of Smoke‘s first offering was rawer and hit with plenty of force, but was more abrasive and not nearly so methodical. Gods of Biomechanics mounts its attack with some feeling of calculation behind it. The band aren’t simply crashing through the wall, they’re sneaking around it — though one hesitates to use a work like “sneaking” when it comes to something so obviously meant to be played as loudly as possible. Either way, not to be lost in all the holy-crap-this-is-heavy hyperbole that’s sure to be tossed the album’s way is the fact that Mountain of Smoke‘s sound isn’t just about bearing an inhuman amount of heft, or about describing scenes from a movie, but about entering a creative conversation with that work, and the pedal steel, siren-like at the start of “Retirement” or riding the fury of Brooks‘ riff on “Leon,” is a major part of what allows it to do so.

Its inclusion feels organic — as opposed to it feeling android, I guess — as an extension of the band’s overarching purpose, and as they slam into “Tyrell” and “Gods of Biomechanics” at the record’s back end, the statement they seem to be making not only engages with its subject matter, but brings it to life in a new, fascinating and oddly appropriate way. The risk with bands working on a single-theme as Mountain of Smoke are is that, at a certain point, they might run out of things to talk about once all the characters and ideas from the movie are covered. Would they write a song about the 2017 sequel? The sans-monologue directors cut version of the original? I don’t know, but they wouldn’t be the first group to come up against that issue, say screw it, and successfully move on to other thematic ground, so maybe I’m worrying about nothing. More important for the moment is the success throughout Gods of Biomechanics in putting their listeners in that always-dark, always-raining world where the threat always seems to be present and the danger always seems to be right there waiting. So too is the case here as Mountain of Smoke dream of electric sheep and awaken to be unbridled in their aural instensity. - The Obelisk

Making an album on seminal classic science fiction film Blade Runner is mighty bold and impressive by anyone’s standards. However doing another album based on the same film is downright insane. Who could pull such a task off. Well, Mountains Of Smoke for a start. The hard edged Sludge/Stoner Metallers are back with their new album – Gods OF Biomechanics.

An intriguing and thrilling progressive album that takes many themes from the landmark movie and adds a nightmarish surreal industrial Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal sound with hints of warped electronica. The opening two tracks Incept and Tannhäuser Gate is what you expect from the band with fast-paced drone like riffs weaving psychedelic sounds into the realm of Blade Runner.

The vocals from Brooks are heavily digitised which is natural for an album such as this. Mountain Of Smoke have devilish fun blending the ideas of the movie against a backdrop of heavy Doom/Sludge based themes. Mountain Of Smoke already tried this idea on their self-titled debut album back in 2014. I remember listening to the album back then. I remember not being fully sold on the whole concept and sound of the album.

However I have no such problems with Gods Of Biomechanics as Mountain Of Smoke have created an album that captures the dystopian tone of the classic movie. The heavy industrial sounds and bleak lyrics may leave you feel slightly down but the frantic punk based energy of Orion’s Shoulder and Caesium Beams show a band not afraid to experiment with their sound.

Maybe the album is partially influenced by Nine Inch Nails and Author & Punisher as the heavy industrial sounds start to overpower the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal vibes that appear on the early stages of the album.

Mountain Of Smoke have included a high amount of samples from the movie and they appear throughout the album, including the legendary “Tears in Rain” monologue. Mountain Of Smoke deserve credit for trying something different with this album. it’s not the most easiest album to listen to as there is a lot going on. The songwriting is good but there are a few songs that don’t quite work as they possibly should. However the heavy industrial music and mechanical stylised vocals save the day.

The real question that needs to be asked is: Who short first – Han or Greedo. Damn, Sorry, wrong Harrison Ford Movie.

No, the real question(s) I want to know is what version of Blade Runner inspired Mountain Of Smoke to write this album to. We do have about 6 or 7 versions to choose from. My second question is -Will they release an album based on the classic sequel Blade Runner 2049.

Anyway, I digress. Gods Of Biomechanics is a thrilling and spectacular heavy album.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe - Outlaws of the Sun