describes Death's arrival as containing a "primal, percussive bloodlust". Soon, accompanying vultures appear. They rip apart Phil's flesh and he dies, signaling the end of the track. "V. Universe" has been described as an apprehension and reflection following death. Phil obtains a greater understanding of the universe and feels his size within it. As the lyrics portray, "But Universe, I see your face / Looks just like mine / And we are open wide". A "ghostly chorus" – similar to the one used on "III. Universe" – is present, along with a "titanic bass drum". With that, Phil's journey ends. Release After recording finished for Mount Eerie, Elverum moved out of his house in Olympia, Washington, went on tour, and spent a winter in Norway, writing material for Dawn (2008). After coming back, he released Mount Eerie and moved back to Anacortes, Washington, before deciding to adopt the Mount Eerie moniker. Elverum explained the name change: "when I first started recording music, I was actually singing about microphones, equipment, recording. But it had been awhile since I had done that, and I'd started singing about these weird, dark, natural themes."Mount Eerie was released in Japan with an extended track list on December 12, 2002, under 7.e.p. On January 21, 2003, the album received its American release via K Records. Alongside the main album, two EPs, titled The Singing from Mount Eerie and The Drums from Mount Eerie were released. They feature isolated vocal and drum tracks respectively; P.W. Elverum & Sun's website noted the tracks are "intended for sampling, but not really". After its release, Elverum felt the album was unfinished, inconclusive, and ambiguous. A 6th track, "The Universe (Conclusion)" was kept off the album due to indecision, although was included on the Japanese release of the album. He created a sequel in 2007, Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7. After receiving permission from K Records, Elverum decided to repress 5 Microphones records, including Mount Eerie. Elverum explained they were "out of print for too long". The album was repressed on August 20, 2013 by Elverum's label, P.W. Elverum & Sun. Reception Mount Eerie received generally positive reviews from critics, receiving a 76/100 on review aggregate Metacritic. On its release, Eric Carr of Pitchfork gave the album the publication's "Best New Music" title, and scored it an 8.9/10. Lavina Lee of Flak Magazine called the album "a complete tragedy. Or