When I was young I laboured under the misapprehension that heavy = fast, an illusion maintained by an early love for songs such as Sepultura’s ‘propaganda’ and Slayer’s ‘Reign in blood’. This illusion was, however, shattered by the likes of Godflesh, Swans and Khanate, all of whom operate in a realm of heaviness that is quite unlike anything else out there. Cataclysmically slow, repetitive and yet comprising subtle nuances that take time and patience to eke out of the mire, these bands led to me to a totally new understanding of what ‘heavy’ music could be, and it is from this perspective that Holly Hunt appear, clothed in black and possessed of a sound that is as pure and unfettered by commercial concerns as it is unflinchingly caustic.
Hailing from South Florida Holly Hunt is a testament to the imaginative heights two people can reach given appropriate motivation. Comprising drummer Beatriz Monteavaro and guitarist Gavin Perry, Holly Hunt still deal in recognisable song structure as opposed to the waves of drone favoured by Sunn 0))), but the structures are rudimentary, vehicles for the waves of nausea-inducing, churning riffs that Gavin  wrenches from his overloaded and fizzing amps, propulsively marched forward by the earth-shaking percussion of Beatriz whose rock-solid foundations are meticulously crafted to induce the maximum levels of dread and foreboding. Available on vinyl and digital download only, this is an enervating ride into the heart of Earthen extremity that leaves no quarter for those unprepared for such a dark journey.
Opening with ‘Lunar module’ the band’s method of sonic obliteration is laid bare for all to see. Huge swathes of bass-heavy guitar are laid over a somnambulant beat that induces a mixture of hypnotic trance and creeping paralysis that leaves you blank eyed and staring as the blackened onslaught rolls over you.   Split into distinct tracks, the record only makes sense delivered as one, lengthy, high volume piece, the only pauses those in which you turn over the vinyl. This is not something that can be pithily condensed into the confines of an iPod playlist – to do so would be to miss the point utterly – rather this is a condensed, hypnotic journey that requires your time and attention to appreciate. Instrumental and multi-layered the music is never dull; rather it forms a viscous flow that creeps as slowly and resolutely as molten lava, incinerating all that it comes into contact with.
It is hard (and perhaps unnecessary) to categorise Holly Hunt. It is mood music, music of the imagination and spirit that allows you to make up your own journey as the syrupy sounds draw you into the blackness. There are no lyrics to distract you, no wild displays of virtuosity, instead the band submit to the power of the sonic mass they have convened as the listener, in turn, must submit, lost in a thrall to the incongruous beauty of the towering riffs. There are peaks and troughs – the stormy opening to ‘Manchurian Candidate’, the shuddering splendour of ‘Klub’ with its wild stoner riffs and unexpected surge of energy rousing all and sundry from their herbal lethargy before settling into a more familiar pace. But ultimately it is all about the journey and here each track works far more cogently as an extension of what has preceded it with each movement offering some new spin on the sludge-laden attack whether it being the vital stoner groove of ‘Klub’ giving way to the epic, melodic post-rock of ‘Molasses’ via the feedback-strewn segue of ‘papers please’ or sonic carnage of the excellently titled ‘disco is dead’ upping the tempo for a track that all but obliterates your already trembling speaker cones.
It is fair to say that this is not a journey that all would wish to undertake. Those looking for adrenalin-charged display of machismo will have to look elsewhere, but for those looking for the perfect soundtrack for an afternoon spent gazing at static on an unturned TV set through a haze of concentrated smoke, this is the perfect hypnotic accompaniment.
Check out Holly Hunt on their facebook page (which has all the links you could need) or with this handy player:
Â
Leave a Reply