The work of H.P. Lovecraft and heavy metal seems to fit together seamlessly – especially in the extreme facets of the genre. Little surprise then that Swedish death metal unit Puteraeon fuels their sound with inspiration from his numerous books and stories – this time around for their fifth studio album Mountains of Madness. Based on the novella At the Mountains of Madness, the lyrics detail an Antarctica expedition gone awry, where an older ancient civilization before the human race is discovered and subsequent horror/death related activities take place. Those who love an older, original death metal sound filled with Scandinavian reference points from the old guard will be enraptured with the riffs, evil atmosphere, and darkness that surround these songs.
“Miskatonic Expedition” is an opening instrumental where the mid-tempo pacing rumbles along as if you are traversing those deep, cold plains – soon giving chase to “The Land of Cold Eternal Winter” where some circular twin Dismember-ish guitar lines spring about next to a heavy stream of low-tuned riffs. Vocalist / guitarist Jonas Lindblood conjures up his lacerated voice in a menacing manner, the additional blast beat sequences in the back third of the song along with some blackened musical elements and Slayer-esque cemented grooves thoroughly captures the diverse intensity present. And so the storyline goes while the musical arrangements shift between speedier numbers like “Remnants” and “Watchers at the Abyss” or a more epic, adventurous track like the six-minute plus “The Nameless City” where the bass from Daniel Vandija hits you like a death knell against some doom/death riffs summoned from the grave. Smartly injecting the normal proceedings with smaller atmospheric-laden aspects that evoke natural visual hints for the lyrics, this is truly a record to be enjoyed front to back in its nine track, 39-minute timeframe.
Dan Swanö handled the mixing and mastering for Mountains of Madness – fully endorsing the group’s work, and it’s a masterful album that sends chills through every airing. Puteraeon captures the enduring legacy of Swedish death metal through its accumulation of musically sharp songs that are as evil and intense as they are mature and memorable, which is very hard to do this deep into the genre. Hold on for the ride of your life.