Mount Vesuvius Death March – Entrance to the Mountain (2015)

Alabama’s Mount Vesuvius Death March are a freshman three-piece featuring ex-Pace House members Taylor Adams and Elliot Russo. Their freshman release, Entrance to the Mountain, takes the mathier sounds from their previous band and treats their listeners to disjunct progressions and sporadic hooks.

The three-piece starts slow with their title track, “Entrance to the Mountain”, and within seconds show they are not coy behind their instruments. Syncopated drum fills leading into a Russian Circles-esque finish help MVDM make their initial distinction between their new project and Pace House. Introducing some more intricate, noodly playing in “John Beatle, Leader of the Lemons”, the band keeps the LP’s momentum with an even more playful third track, “Love Goblin”. Abrupt tempo and meter changes help achieve a sound that exists on the more technical side of math-rock. The fun continues until a more focused, serious tone takes hold during the sixth track, “Sleeptalker” (reminiscent of the intro track, “Entrance to the Mountain”). Entrance To The Mountain closes with ‘Keep Your ADD Under Control, Shit!’, complete with more heavy chord progressions and jarring time changes, and exerting a Cleft-like profundity.