One way to get my attention is to open an album with a glorious epic, galloping melodic black metal riff, even if only 47 seconds log. And that is how Beansidhe ( Celtic/Gaelic for ‘banshee’) debut full length Mont opens, and from that point I’m hooked as the rest of these Swiss metallers’ take on various forms of metal unfolds and captivates.

A reissue of the the self released 2015 effort, only the cover has changed, but the music contained within is fascinating enough. And like the recent effort from Texas’s Vex, this is a hard one to pin down. Its got big thick, but melodic guitars that are part  post rock, part melodic death/black metal and part Finnish doom as well as big deep gruff growls that are also from the more lumbering Finnish death/doom scene. It’s got an Insomnium meets Dark Tranquillity vibe and its uniquely captivating. And for some reason I’m getting a Svartsot feel as well, maybe its the deep vocals mixing with crunchy, melodic, happy riffs.

There are some simply wonderful moments littered around Mont’s perfect 7 song, 40 minute run time.  After the aforementioned “Mont”, you get “Spazi” and 2:09 there’s a gorgeous layered melodic gallop amid a a sexy, doomy sway which surfaces again for “Feras” which also has a simply stunning little melodic blast at 5:20 and closes with a hypnotic little saunter . But the highlight of them all comes for “Febraar” where at 2:58 there is another short lived but gorgeous gallop, this time followed up by some austere clean vocals.

Some orchestration arrives to start “Diavoli”, the 10 minute album closer that has a more traditional Scandinavian doom/death rumble before a nifty little tremolo picked canter and the closing minute or so of delicate lead work is a perfect little, somber close out, and I wish it had been used or developed more into the rest of the song. These guys are onto a pretty unique, pleasing sound that will cater to a lot of folks and I hope they continue as Mont is one of my favorite albums of the year, and I’m glad Via Nocturns found this little gem to reissue.

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