Hunting Giants – Mythos
Hunting Giants – Mythos
Self-Released
Release Date: 30/09/2022
Running Time: 44:49
Reviewed by Alex Swift
6/10
The Canadian act Hunting Giants are excellent, but far too frequently maligned. This album features a wide variety of musical styles, from ferocious white-knuckle Metal to soothing ambient compositions laced with melancholy pianos and eerie cello, to gigantic ballads beautifully enhanced by chants, violins, and bells. Mythos examines archetypes that influence our world, both noble and monstrous, as well as the inescapable outcomes that result when these principles are egregiously embraced and exhibited.
The first track is the album’s title song. It resembles a hybrid of Progressive Rock and Alternative Rock. The chorus has vocal harmonies and soulful voices that are enticing. A little heavier and with more Contemporary influences is ‘Ancient Text’. They describe this song as being more of a visceral Metal track, but I’m still not sold on the vocal style. Nevertheless, the energy is quite constant. The brief song ‘Too Big to Kill’ has meter changes and more soulful vocals. The band truly shines in the chorus, eloquently contrasting with the gloomy verses.
On ‘Rituals’, the Alternative sound dominates, although ‘Among Thieves’ boasts one of the strongest melodies and great syncopation. The final orchestral touches are a great touch. The band’s talent is highlighted in the brief song ‘Whispers’, which has a mellow piano, harmonised guitars, and a robust bass line. Another brief tune is ‘Vanguard’. What the band has so far performed is quite original. The heaviness is present, yet occasionally the melodies aren’t fully realised. The classic weighted tones return in ‘Mantle’, albeit I must say that I don’t like the clumsy chord progressions used here. However, ‘Kindred’ stands out because to a powerful, sluggish riff that is wonderfully enhanced by robust bass tones and vibrato vocal harmonies.
The one-minute song ‘Epitaph’ scarcely leaves an effect. However, ‘Into Stone’ is amazing. Cymbals smash and drums roll while the bass nicely chugs along. The riff is what needs the most improvement in this song; it’s a little basic yet successful in that the melodies comes over. A strong riff from ‘Remnant’ is reminiscent of ancient Egyptian monarchs. This tune exhibits some hurry combined with some gloom. vocals are utilised sparingly. The album’s final track is ‘King of Ashes’. It is the album’s last brilliant moment, with the concept contemplating the worth of a king who rules over ashes, and the instrumentation being imperious and multi-layered at the same time.
Overall, this was a sonically pleasing experience that had a few unusual stylistic fusions. Most of the time, it’s strong enough for Metal enthusiasts as well as being melodic enough for people like myself who adore theatricality. Additionally, they demonstrated some excellent playing. However, I found that thirteen songs lingered a little too long, and occasionally the melodic lines weren’t developed as well as they may have been. This makes for an exciting if inconsistent listen.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Mythos
02. Ancient Text
03. Too Big to Kill
04. Rituals
05. Among Thieves
06. Whispers (instrumental)
07. Vanguard
08. Mantle
09. Kindred
10. Epitaph
11. Into Stone
12. Remnant
13. King of Ashes
LINE-UP:
Corey Wharton – Bass
Stephen Atkey – Vocals
Bradley Trivett – Guitar
Daniel Beavington – Drums
LINKS:
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