When you think of multi-genre spanning music, what would you think of? And what if you're also told that there is a comic book that accompanies said music that helps illustrate the story further? If you, like myself, are thinking that sounds like a bit more work than you'd like to delve into, you'd be wrong. When I first started seeing snippets of press surrounding Chicago based Huntsmen's second full length record, all I saw was the run time (1 hour and 18 minutes) and that it was a concept surround the apocalypse. That's dumbing it down way more than a bit, but you get the gist. I somehow had missed out on their debut record American Scrap, and had no idea what I was getting myself into when I sat down to listen to Mandala of Fear for the very first time.
"Fuck, this sounds amazing," I said to myself. And it really is! They have an Americana feel to their sludgy doom swagger, and they take it all in stride as they switch from riff laden, boot stomping sections to quiet passages that build up gradually over time till they take over all your senses and send you careening into a sonic abyss.
Not that there isn't anything on this record that I don't particularly care for, though. Though their sound feels pretty much put together, impressive for such a young and experimental band, I can't help but feel as though they aren't capitalizing on their new full time vocalist Aimee Bueno quite enough. Her presence on the opener, "Ride Out," was very welcome and I was excited to hear much more of her. That being said, she does still come out within other sections of the album, just not as much as I'd have liked. Listen to "Ride Out" below.
Over all, Huntsmen have crafted something truly unique, and we likely won't hear anything quite like it again this year, or maybe for some time till they release a 3rd album. The Mandala of Fear is a huge undertaking, and I know I for one will be listening to this for a while to further enjoy and the attempt to understand the sonic majesty Huntsmen have crafted for us all.
I'm giving Mandala of Fear a 8/10