The sound is warm and soothing and tingles all the way down your spine.
Review by David Feltman
It’s impossible to talk about Mount Salem without instantly drawing comparisons to bands like Purson and Royal Thunder. These bands are female fronted throwbacks to such OG metal founders as Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Sir Lord Baltimore, The Groundhogs, Blue Cheer, etc. Not just in music, but in spirit. Every detail down to album art and dress is meant to invoke ‘70s era, post-hippie angst; candles, witches, devils and lots of black abound. It’s metal head catnip.
Endless may just be an extended EP rereleased through Metal Blade, but the added polish and extra tracks make it worthwhile. The eight-track pseudo-album nails the raw sludge sound of metal’s early era. From the sexy, head-banging riffs of “Good Times” to the trippy meandering of “Mescaline,” Mount Salem captures just the right amounts of spooky ambience and heavy hooks. The sound is warm and soothing and tingles all the way down your spine.
But as for the “who wore it best?” comparison, Royal Thunder takes the nod. As thick and fuzzy as Mount Salem’s sound may be, lead singer Emily Kopplin’s voice is high and tinny compared to the Joplin-esque smokiness of Royal Thunder songstress Mlny Parsonz. But while Royal Thunder might be the supreme witch of the coven, Mount Salem is just as enjoyable. I would gladly queue Endless up right along with Parsonz’s album any doom drenched day.
