Track By Tracks: Hunting Giants - Mythos (2022)


The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

This album is musically very diverse as it ranges from intense white-knuckled metal tracks, down to gentle instrumental tracks peppered with melodic piano and haunting cello, all the way to epic ballads tastefully complimented by choirs, strings, and bells. Mythos lyrically explores archetypes, both heroic and villainous, that affect the world around us, as well as the inevitable fates which arise when these values are heinously held and expressed.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Mythos - The Call to Adventure:

We start the album off with the beginning of the hero's journey, the call to adventure. The guitar intro slowly gains momentum until all of the instruments join in with the toll of a bell. The vocals are low and the instruments hushed as if the beginning of a story is being told in front of a fire. Our protagonist is introduced as a commoner who has witnessed the destruction of his homeland and can no longer idly stand by. We follow him as he crests mountains and is swallowed by rich ravines until he runs face to face with the hanging dead, a symbol of the reality which he is walking into. The instruments and vocals both rise to a climax where our protagonist reaches the conclusion that this task may take his life, yet he believes that a life without freedom is one that is not worth living. He will not back down. At the end of the track, we are reminded that he is good-natured but naive by the hanging corpses who warn him to not follow the path they did as the instrumentation fades with a final note of vocal harmony.

2. Ancient Text - The Prophecy:

Starting out with a metal riff that weaves an auditory puzzle in the ear of the listener, Ancient Text is a story about a doomsday prophecy from a long-forgotten culture. While lyrically referencing both archaeological discoveries as well as age-old myths, we get to experience how a shaman from the distant past might interpret a meteor shower that destroys his tribe. The tension built by these raging riffs is eased by a sensual breakdown, this is where our hero is taken on a spiritual journey to see what disaster is coming for his people. The peace is quickly shattered by a blood-curdling screech as he watches a comet slam into the ocean and pulls those he loves far out into the sea. We end the song with a rhythmic labyrinth of guitar, bass, and percussion framing the climax of our tale as he carves the vision of death he had been shown onto the temple walls to be interpreted by a future civilization.

3. Too Big To Kill - Domination and Avarice:

The riff which begins this track immediately brings to mind the thrill of the hunt which is encapsulated by the lyrical repetition of ‘Row’ as our anti-hero cuts through the waves, hot on the trail of his next quarry. As the instruments are hushed, the lyrics speak from the perspective of a man who desires only domination and finds satisfaction in ending the lives of those he hunts. This unending momentum builds throughout the song revealing how remorseless yet effective he is at killing until we arrive at the bridge, where the tables are turned and he finds himself fleeing from the beast which he sought to trap. Cornered and without option, our protagonist lets out one last “Come What May” as he charges toward his prey in one final effort. This song is an exploration of those who love violence and the inevitable bloody end that they attract towards themselves.

4. Rituals - Necromancy, Hatred and Shame:

A bass slide introduces us to a seductive salsa that peaks suspense until it explodes with a punk-inspired bounce. This song follows a man who sees morality as a vain illusion that people create for themselves and that the maxim “Do what though will shall be the way of the law” reigns supreme. He is robbing a grave when we encounter him and we watch as he dismembers a corpse and grafts its limbs onto a different body. The chorus opens up with complex guitar and percussion work complimented by a simple call-and-answer vocal melody as the body is then reanimated by the grave-robber. In sudden contrast we are greeted by a soft and sensual vocal line with sparse instrumental work which speaks of the freedom moral relativism can grant you. This leads to a frantic Mastodon-inspired bridge where we explore how hatred can fester in a person if they isolate themselves away from the world and blame others for the fruit of their own actions.

5. Among Thieves - The Addict:

The slow sensual riff of the verse comments on the seductive nature of destructive things which we can use to temporarily ease our emotional or psychological pain. We move on to see how they slowly alter you into someone you weren't before. Under the racing gallops of percussion, we explore how violence can seem to be the most effective and immediate solution to solve disagreements and needs. The guitar, bass, and percussion all ring out as the progressive rock elements of the song are featured in a vocal chant expressing fear, pain, and hope. As the drums drop into halftime, we encounter a gritty taste of the life of those who live in addiction. A swell of guitar and stringed instruments signals the moment of self-realization and the protagonist has taken ownership of who they have become. We are greeted warmly by a swirling choir of vocals, guitar, and strings which are broken by the toll of bells as our hero embraces his faults and opens his heart to the world.

6. Whispers - The Voice of the Dead:

A haunting instrumental track with a grand piano in place of the vocals as the main melody.

7. Vanguard - The Love Song:

This non-stop rocking love song starts with an intricate bass line, a crunchy guitar riff, and a busy drum line peppered with ghost snare hits. We follow a soldier on the front lines of a battle as he thinks of his love and what he would sacrifice to be with her once more. An incredibly catchy chorus blends back into the verse where his thoughts of his love is ripped away by the reality of the battlefield on which he is. As the captain screams “Hold The Line!”, we get a ripping solo recorded by our producer Kirby Kaye as we flow by into the chorus. In the outro, we are treated to a key change and the soprano-esque wail of a dying man as he keeps his thoughts on the one he loves.

8. Mantle – Undeserved Worship:

Right off the bat, we know that this song is a beastly one as all instruments and vocals come in on the same first beat. As an allusion to a toxic relationship, we follow the story of a man who makes a pact with an unknown force who claims to be subservient to him. While the vocals and instruments roar with aggressive verses and a theatrically inspired chorus, the deity demands to be re-payed for the boons she has bestowed upon her subject. As the track breaks down into the bridge, he dismembered himself to feed her. This is a mirror to those who sacrifice pieces of themselves for another who only seeks to use them. The song comes to a conclusion with the instruments playing the intro riff while it is accented by a feral vocal roar.

9. Kindred – A Tempting Offer:

Opening up with the flight of guitars as they soar over a pounding bass riff, this song is about casting away the pain and trauma of the past and coming together as allies with those whom we once saw as enemies. The open chords of the chorus leave room for the bass and percussion to accent the coming riff as the vocals sing about the power of unification. The bridge drops into a monologue where our protagonist is faced with one final challenge. This gives way to the last verse where we as the listener are given the choice to decide what happens in our futures. The triumphant outro hints at Queens of the Stone Age as the vocal harmonies ease into a final harmonized note.

10. Epitaph – Grief in Glory:

A snare roll reminiscent of the drums of war synchronizes with guitars as they sail over the spine of the bass. The vocals speak of honor and the dreams of the future as a tyrannical figure manipulates the populace into furthering their corrupted agenda.

11. Into Stone – To Fight Again:

The gallop of the drums sets an almost power metal vibe as the vocals set the stage for war and speak of the victory which is to come. Double kicks and blazing bass frame the Iron Maiden-inspired chorus while the vocals incite the need to fight for what you believe as tomorrow may be too late. A vocal chant erupts in the bridge which heralds those who have fought for valor as hints of the cello can be heard underneath the instrumentation.

12. Remnants – Victory in Death:

Bass sets this frantic yet forlorn mood as the endless rhythm pounds out over vocals conveying the hopelessness of a hero who has been cornered by the demons he battled. A ghost-like wail recites the melody which the guitar previously squealed, leading to a triumphant chorus that speaks of the accomplishments our hero made in his life which brought him to this moment. As the guitar sails out into the bridge, we are met with polyrhythmic percussion and persistent bass. Following the final chorus, our hero is supported by a choir of harmonies as he sacrifices his own life for those he loves. He is destroyed and devoured by the darkness he held at bay as a demonic screech splits the air and a bass outro which hints at a positive finale with a major note.

13. King of Ashes – At What Cost:

This epic industrial ballad is reminiscent of both Nine-Inch-Nails and King Crimson. The vocals ponder on the futility of victory at all costs as the percussion and instruments chase each other in polyrhythmic complementation. A constant yet subtle feedback loop heightens the vocals until they crescendo in a final lament, “Oh, to be the King of Ashes.” In finality, the album comes to a close and fades out with the ringing of a gong.

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