Review: Willow Mount – Vanitas
The mid-to-late 2000s was an era of the blooming of many underground Christian extreme metal artists. Production quality was not very high, but it was still accepted by many listeners and small record labels. Willow Mount was an example.
Consisting of brothers Zack and Matthew Plunkett, Willow Mount was a short-lived black/doom metal project. This was something they did on one side of Christian extreme metal, while the other side showcased their death/grind project Dysfunctional Rotout. So to see them take this particular direction was quite interesting. After recording two demo tracks “In The Forest Of Sorrow” and “The Tragic Struggle”, the brothers proceeded to produce their first full-length “Vanitas”.
Released by Sullen Records in November of 2009, “Vanitas” showcases a series of raw, atmospheric blackened tunes. With Zack playing all instruments–delivering some rather epic guitar riffs–and Matthew playing keyboards and synthesizers while aiding in those screaming vocals, the album simply captivates you. And that captivation is also thanks to the cover art. Picture yourself there, between two old walls, surrounded by nature soaked in red, and a struggling friend standing ahead of you. That’s how I felt when I first listened to the album; no matter the production quality, it was still captivating. The title track especially helps, being that it is a minute and a half of only atmospheric synths.
Limited to only 250 copies and distributed by Divine Metal Distro, finding a copy of this album for sale may be too much of a challenge. Thankfully, Sullen Records has also made the album available on digital streaming platforms and purchasable on the iTunes Store.
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