One Time Mountain Seasons
Track List Band Members 1- Rock ‘N’ Roll (More Alive Than You) Alex Nekrylau- Vocals 2- Inertia Brian Murphy- Guitar and Backing Vocals 3- Seasons Jeff Blute – Guitars 4- A Bad Case Of The Mondays Matt Valliere- Drums 5- Nlo Milton Jones- Bass 6- Mistaken 7- Undertow Produced By: 8- Cross The Line Bryce Kariger 9- Stay With Me 10- Blaze Official Site: 11- Roads http://onetimemountain.com/
One Time Mountain is a melodic hard rock band, I first heard the song Seasons (their title track), and it grabbed me right away. It’s in my regular playlist. It is the perfect song. The lyrics the music, the singing, all of that and more. From then on the band captivated me. I don’t usually go out of order on a review like this, but I felt I had to give you a little backstory to it all. Back to the record.
The band kicks the album off in high gear with Rock ‘N’ Roll (More Alive Than You). The opening riff with the harmonies shows you that they mean business. The song has a great groove and in a pleasant surprise the guitar solo is by Jeff Blute, not Murphy is outstanding. Inertia, the next track keeps the momentum going and you realize that singer Alex Nekrylau is something special. His voice resonates with me and once you play this record you’ll see and I believe as enamored with him as I am. In case you have any doubt of his range and talent just listen to the title track Seasons, the third track from the album. It slows you down, but not the way most songs of this type do. It’s just that good. You will most likely join me and say why aren’t they on the national circuit? I know I wonder about that often. But I digress. A Bad Case Of The Mondays gets you back in the fold of the album and highlights throughout the song that Matt Valliere knows what he’s doing behind the drum kit. He has feel that really makes you take notice. Throughout the record he displays his command of the skins and makes each song complete. The fifth song Nlo, shows you some dual guitar work between Murphy and Jeff Blute. It’s melodic and I would put this song up against any out there in this vein. Trust me you will be pleasantly surprised with it like I was. This duo is something to reckon with.
Mistaken is one of my favorites on this album. It’s probably the heaviest of all the songs on the record. This ones the complete package. It’s everything you ever want from a song, hard driving, great vocals, and did I say it’s heavy. Yes, this one will make you have an eargasm. Undertow slows the pace down again, but somehow it feels right, like it’s supposed to be there and gives the spotlight a little more on Milton Jones bass playing. The bass makes this song, don’t get me wrong, Murphy’s guitar solo is something you take notice of, but for me it’s the bass on this one.
Next up is Cross The Line. this is the song that Nekrylau and Murphy go back and forth with each other singing, which is an interesting dynamic and it just works for me. It’s the only song like this on the album and just another little nugget that you will find on this CD. Stay With Me continues with the melodic style that they play. Everyone is highlighted on this one in a way that you would maybe expect from Dream Theater or maybe Opeth. Following this song is Blaze. The vocals and the music are harmonious with each other, with this number. It has cadence in the singing with music that I found seducing. Near the end of the tune, you get an unexpected vocal that I didn’t expect from them. I’ll leave it at that, you can discover it for yourself. The band ends this epic work of this record with Roads. I think it was a good way to close out a CD. It’s over 7 minutes long, similar to bands like Fates Warning, they chose a dramatic way to end an album.
I feel this album has no fillers. Every track is worth your time to listen. I don’t often cover every track on a review, but I did here. That should signify that these guys are a cut above. I am rather surprised that radio and mainstream music outlets haven’t caught on yet. This band is ready to be taken to the next level. In case you were wondering, they can pull it off live. I know I have seen them, you just have to take my word on that. Catch them if you can, because I think they will be off to bigger things soon. This band is a true up and comer. On a side note, Milton Jones is no longer in the band and has been replaced by Matt Frotten on bass.
Songs to check out, Rock ‘N’ Roll (More Alive Than You), Seasons, Nlo, Mistaken, Cross The Line.
Check out the title track of their current album “Seasons” below.
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