ALTESCAPE_ have been fortunate enough to directly converse with the members of Mountain Eye, regarding their debut album 'Roads Uncharted' and their plans for the future.
Mountain Eye is an emerging nu/ alternative metal outfit hailing from the Amsterdam region, although not all members originate from the area. The group is composed of lead vocalist, Arthur, guitarists, Tim and Omar, bassist, Kieft, and drummer, Matthijs. Founding members, Tim and Omar, met through their study of 'Urban Planning' at the University of Amsterdam. After inviting Omar to join his current alt-rock band, Tim said 'that's when we discovered that we had a great musical click'.
Despite the project falling though, Tim and Omar remained hopeful and began their own band in 2012. Looking for a line-up, evidently, proved quite challenging for the pair and the search began to 'slowly die off''. Tim said that 'in the last attempt to try and get a band together, in 2017, we found Arthur, Matthijs and Kieft through the internet.' Tim and Omar sent the, proposed, new members demos which they loved, and from that point on the completed band began 'working on some music together' and managed to play their first live show in 2018.
Mountain Eye, notably, take influence from big nu metal bands, such as: Linkin Park, Slipknot, Korn, and Disturbed. For vocalist, Arthur, specifically, Chad Gray, of American supergroup Hellyeah and Mudvayne is a huge influence; in terms of learning how to scream. However, coming from all different musical backgrounds the band incorporate a variety of elements into their unique sound. As previously mentioned, Tim and Omar found their roots in an alternative rock band, but as for the other members: 'Arthur used to live in Portugal and was quite active in the deathcore scene. Matthijs used to be drummer of a church band, and Kieft used to play a lot of jazz and soul before joining Mountain Eye'. Yet, they all possessed a passion for nu metal and Tim says: 'that's where we found each other'. Aside from the leading nu metal bands that the group obtain influence from, Tim highlighted that Mountain Eye have, likely, acquired inspiration subconsciously from their individual, musical pasts.
Regarding the band's 2019 debut album, 'Roads Uncharted', Mountain Eye had a 'direct concept in mind', but Tim regarded that it was also an 'opportunity to let out some steam'. The message for the album is: we are all human. Guitarist, Tim outlined that 'our personal experiences and bottled emotions were poured into the tracks and although we are different, we can all relate to the core emotions that make us human and that is what connects us to each other'.
A prominent theme throughout the album is personal, mental struggles. Arthur spoke on this, specifically, regarding their track: 'Misery'. Arthur claimed that 'Misery' is an interesting song as he wrote the lyrics after many years of not writing anything at all; these lyrics were the first that Arthur wrote for the album. Here's what Arthur had to say about the subject matter of 'Misery':
'During the years up until writing Misery, a lot had happened in my personal life, many losses, words left unsaid, many big changes and mental abuse that had led me to question myself and who I am. When I wrote 'Misery' I didn't think of what I wanted to talk about, I just wrote what came from the heart, as I felt that there was so much to say.Writing for me is a therapy and it helps organise my thoughts and feelings. It brings clarity to what I am experiencing and what I want in life. When I read the lyrics to 'Misery' I realised that they are somewhat confusing and that is alright, I thought it was perfect because it reflects my emotions in the rawest form and I didn't want to change one bit of it.'
The band's future music will, likely, include more content on personal mental struggles, due to the band's belief that 'sharing our own experiences might help others to not feel alone, to relate and perhaps help them work through their emotions and experiences'. Arthur acknowledged that for some it is difficult to find the right words to emotionally express themselves, and for him the fact that he can in some way give a voice to those that are unable to articulate their struggles gives what Mountain Eye is doing a greater, more significant meaning.
Another, vitally, dominant aspect in 'Roads Uncharted' is rage towards the ignorance of society. Listening repeatedly to the album, I feel this is most definitively heard in: 'Singularity' and 'Black Flood'. 'Singularity' details the loss of individuality as a consequence of society's ignorance, whilst 'Black Flood' delves deeper, for Arthur, into a 'particular ignorance' that he has personally experienced and has never been able to comprehend: Racism. This is what vocalist, Arthur had to say about 'Black Flood' and it's relation to his own suffering at the hands of racism:
'Coming from a multicultural background of mixed heritages and exposed to different cultural traditions growing up, I have never fully felt a true belonging wherever I was. And at times this disassociation is enhanced by experiences of racial attacks. You are part of the culture but you are not welcomed by all...Black Flood is the direct revolt towards those that did me wrong because of my ethnicity. Most of the time it is easy to ignore but there are times that it is hard to let go and you just want to give into the rage. But that is what they want...and I won't give them that.'
Asking whether we can expect more rage- fuelled protest in the future, Mountain Eye expressed that: 'there will always be a part of us that will be angry with society and that will always reflect in our music'. However, 'for the foreseeable future it will be a little less present, because for our new material we are working on the basis of a concept that is intertwined with personal experiences'.
At the beginning of May, Mountain Eye released a live version of 'Misery'; this was, evidently, recorded pre-pandemic, but truthfully showcases the band's raw talent in a live setting. Unfortunately, the band currently do not have any confirmed tour dates for this year, only the festivals from last year that were cancelled and rescheduled.
However, do not despair because big things are coming from this band in the upcoming months. Mountain Eye didn't disclose too many details on these 'interesting things' that we can expect, but ALTESCAPE_ will certainly be paying close attention to this band in the next few months...
For fans of: System Of A Down, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Korn, and Disturbed, Mountain Eye is definitely a promising nu metal outfit to keep on the radar.
Be sure to check out the band's official music video for 'Misery' below:
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