Static

Ad hoc created hype is something that can really annoy me. I've probably found an upside to the non-existent exposure metal has in my country, that is, I'm usually not aware of the tons of run-of-the-mill acts that, for some reason, are hyped to death via piles of articles on those famous websites (you know them better than me, I'm sure). In the end, I find no great difference between being force-fed mediocre pop music on the radio or mediocre metal bands on the 'net. The inevitable outcome is that I always tend to approach said bands with extreme caution and even a bit of preconceptions which, unfortunately, more often than not turn out to be true. Enter Huntress from California.

To be honest, they were a bit questionable from their very beginnings, hosting an ex-topless DJ who, allegedly, somehow happened to have an incredible singing voice, and a bunch of nobodies playing stuff behind her, exception made for Eric Harris of Skeletonwitch fame at bass. Now, as I said, I didn't experience directly the hype machine back in 2013, when Huntress delivered their debut LP Spell Eater, but you'd have to believe people were more pissed off rather than excited, at that moment. Add to that the album not being very good and voilà, you've got a shitstorm on said release and the most logical consequence: the immediate vanishing of interest for any subsequent effort, even after the tragic death of the divisive frontwoman Jill Janus.

Their swansong turned out to be 2015's Static, which had a cover and a title that feel like a clear step down in aesthetics, if compared to the sophomore Starbound Beast. How's the music, though?

Everyone and their proverbial dog analyzed and destroyed Spell Eater for the above reasons, but I feel Huntress had always been more unspectacular than outright awful, although with the aggravating circumstance of a singer who was powerful, yet not entirely able to restrain herself, as manifested in the subpar growls and the now-infamous shrieks. Very few people witnessed that she actually managed to solve this issue, and now we're left with this peculiar, raucous feminine voice uniformly soaring over Static (pretty obviously, well at the forefront of the mix). Hey now, maybe all those headlines said some half-truths every now and then, as some talent is undeniable, but I think she just never had this praised to the skies, fantastic timbre to begin. Comparisons with the late Mike Howe are not entirely unfounded, and 'Mania' apparently echoing Metal Church's 'Waiting for a Savior' played its part too.

Unfortunately, some improvements simply weren't enough to fix everything, and Static never seems to take off once and for all. I almost never touched a real instrument, my highest accomplishment in this field is still having played Green Day's 'St. Jimmy' with my fingers after a couple hours messing around with the bass of a friend, and yet I think I'd be able to replicate songs like 'Brian' or 'Noble Savage' if given enough time, they're that basic. To make matters worse, Janus seems to cough towards the end of the former. The aforementioned 'Mania' is the only oddball, starting as a half-ballad, and it's vaguely catchy but overlong, with an inexplicable fade-out right when the guitar solo finally arrives. 'Fire in My Heart' isn't that worthless either, but still nothing revolutionary, given that its chorus revolves around literally two notes. The rest of the album just goes in one ear and out the other with zero possibility for anything staying in your mind immediately after. Special mention for the lyrics, as I can't seem to decide whether they're vague teenish stuff (which is arguably worse than trite metal clichés) or a testimony of Janus' pain that led her to suicide. I mean, lines such as "I'm done with crying in my sleep" or 'Life really sucks/Someone please shut up" can be interpreted both ways. I may be an insensible being, but naming a song 'Harsh Times on Planet Stoked' makes me believe I'm not entirely off track.

When the only redeeming quality is 'well, at least they play real instruments, it's better than trap by default' or, maybe, 'they can be a better gateway band than Avenged Sevenfold' (objectively false), which are the exact same reasons why criticizing Måneskin here is impossible, it's just not a good sign. The reality is, simply, that I find incredibly telling that, out of three heavy fuckin' metal albums, I can't for the life of me remember anything outside the Spell Eater title-track, the first I've ever heard (you decide if it's just a coincidence). Energy is sorely lacking, every song feels like it lacks some bpms and, most of all, an identity. What's the point of even having a bonus track if it's just more of the same? It's not even a matter of their style not working, since Crystal Viper, to name one, nailed it better.

In the end, Huntress' legacy isn't the most enviable you may imagine, given that they'll be triggering everyone who still loathes them 'cause of Spell Eater, and be remembered as 'unimpressive' in the best-case scenario.

-review written for the 8th Diamhea Memorial Review Challenge – may you rest in peace, Chris.