Album Review: Starbound Beast (Huntress)

As Huntress tours the U.S. of A. as part of this year’s Mayhem Festival, their recently released second album, Starbound Beast (Napalm Records), circulates in record stores nationwide.  Since this is their sophomore release, I feel I must compare it heavily to their first album, Spell Eater.  Such a comparison is a necessary aspect of charting a band’s progression and projecting their future potential.  First off, I must say that this second effort is not at all what I was expecting, but, to my giddy chagrin, it is exponentially better.  Departing noticeably from the sound of Spell Eater, Starbound Beast offers quite the stylistic change.  Whereas the first album presented a frenzied blend of thrash-influenced traditional metal with black metal highlights, the second album draws primarily from the wells of NWOBHM [New Wave of British Heavy Metal for those not in the know] and Speed Metal.  In contrast to the pure lightning assault of its predecessor, Starbound Beast operates at a slower tempo on average.  Thematically, the album differs as well.  While the lyrics of Spell Eater focus on magical and occult themes, which I thought would form the basis of the group’s identity, Starbound Beast opts for science fiction imagery.  In addition, the sophomore album is a more mature release in terms of composition and cohesiveness.  In Starbound Beast, Huntress play around more with building and releasing tension, varying song structure, and infusing atmosphere.  Furthermore, each track feels like it builds progressively toward the leviathan that is “Alpha Tauri.”  Though both of Huntress’ albums are enchanting works of metal, they are certainly very different beasts.

            Starbound Beast transports the listener far off into the galaxy.  It is an album suffused with dark matter and interstellar chaos.  Deliberate and emphatic riffs lumber across the night sky, slowly grinding the listener’s bones into starry detritus.  Skillfully layering rhythm and lead guitar work, the group crafts slow, simmering suspense in a number of their songs.  Despite this emphasis on a brooding pace, Huntress still finds space to flex their technical muscles and inject some adrenaline into the release.  The drum and bass elements are as clinical and forceful as ever, and the lead guitar even more so.  Guitar harmonies are tighter and more prevalent on Starbound Beast; they ring with a fluid, ethereal quality that enhances the thematic inclination of the album.  The choruses tower with imposing, celestial authority, lending a dramatic aura to the release as a whole.  Each track contributes to a musical solar system.  Massive hooks orbit planetary song structures as flavorful sonic satellites circle in and out of auditory range.  Like an intrepid star-flight voyager, the lead guitar navigates this metal cosmos, acting as emotional guide and witness through Huntress’ creation.  The highlight of the release is the final track, “Alpha Tauri.”  Intercepting the middle of the song with an atmospheric breakdown, chromatic guitars and haunting chants coalesce as a spatial collage of sound.  By the time the distorted riff saunters dramatically into the mix, your head has already sailed past the stars.

            The last aspect of the album that I would like to discuss is Jill Janus’ vocals, as they are a central attraction of the band.  In Starbound Beast, Janus continues to explore her voice as an instrument.  Her delivery ranges everywhere from chilling and crystalline to throaty and gruff.  Her techniques include everything from clean chanting to protracted shrieks.  My only gripe with this album is that Janus has yet to find the right balance with her vocal efforts.  Listening to Huntress’ first release, I found myself wishing that she had incorporated more clean singing in order to display the full extent of her capabilities.  However, on their sophomore release, she leans a little too heavily on cleaner vocals, and I found myself missing her more harsh and abrasive growls.  So, moving forward, I think the group still has work to do to take full advantage of Janus’ vocal abilities.

             That said, I think Starbound Beast is a brilliant album, and I applaud its fearless exploration of new territory.  Proving that they can develop and experiment without forfeiting quality, Huntress truly establish themselves with this release.  In my opinion, Starbound Beast shows that the appeal of Huntress is more than a specific style, sound, or flavor: it's that intangible thing that makes them Huntress.  This is a distinction that I think every band wishes to achieve.

Score: 9/10