Lords of the Mountain is a 5 piece outfit from Calgary, Alberta , Canada, that was formed in 2006 and has so far only a single production to their name, the 2007 EP “The Journey Began”. Now, 4 years later it is still not clear whether this is truly meant to be a band on its own, or just a sideproject of the members, who are all active in more or less successful other groups.

Then, what exactly is the case here? Lords of the Mountain is built up of the entire line-up of the Calgary Death Metal band Nebucadnezzer plus Don Mitchell, live keyboardist member of Viking Black metal band Dark Forest, another Calgary based group. Relations between the two bands are very close and in fact stretch back to the childhood years of several band member. Nebucadnezzer is a fully fledged 4 piece band, whereas the much more well known Dark Forest, is largely a solo project of guitarist vocalist David Parks, leaving live members like Don Mitchell plenty of time for side projects.

Whether or not Lords of the Mountain is seriously meant to be a stand-alone someday, (The fact that they do play live on and of, might be an indication that in fact it is), it is clearly not Vinking Black or Death Metal like the parent bands and Folk Metal is indeed a classification that comes nearer to the truth. The four tracks featured on the so far only release are highly differing in style however, and in fact it is one big experiment with styles. In the “everything goes around here” atmosphere of metal in the first decade of the 21st century, so far it pretty much makes sense, but……..

Wait until you explore what is Lord of the Mountain concerned with! That is a world so much consisting of fantasy a la Lord of the Rings, that it seems to be meant to swallow reality as a whole. The band is very sparse with giving any information about itself, except for that it calls its music “Dwarfen Metal” (Whatever that may be). They do have a myspace page, but it does not make you much wiser expect for the following that the band considers to be its “Bio”. Tolkien would love it I guess:

“In the Heart of the Mountain
Lie the Halls of Daznoruhl
Flowing veins of precious ore
Harness dwarves forevermore

Hammer and Heart unite
To the Stone I Swear
To Mine, Forge and Defend
Hammer and Heart unite

Gaze into the forge's flame
Recite the Oath of Stone
Bound by blood and by name
To live by the Hammer”

Hammer and Heart unite
To the Stone I Swear
To mine, forge and defend

Birthright from ages passed
From the first to the last
The Hammer's pound shall chime
From now 'till the end of time”



Source : http://www.myspace.com/lordsofthemountain / Gletscherwolf