The one-man band When Mountains Speak hits again with The Hunt, another taboos-breaking record by the brainchild of composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Steven Clarkson. Clarkson takes his out-of-the-box writing to a whole new level on The Hunt, mixing melodies and effects freely while playing around with powerful grooves and big bass as he takes the listener on a dynamic roller-coaster ride. He keeps bending genres and structures to his will to keep the listener alert and hooked throughout the whole 5 tracks record, drawing influences from a diverse range of genres and artists while he adds his own unique touch that creates his very own sound. The Hunt is another concept album that Clarkson describes as “A cry for our world to be less wasteful, and treat our resources as the Native Americans used the Buffalo”
The Hunt opens with the extremely experimental title track, which gives you a hint of what to expect from When Mountains Speak throughout this spacey sonic experience. The fuzzy guitar tone and freestyling bass give a strong stoner rock vibe, while those freeform arrangements dwell deeply in the realms of psychedelia. Conformity in Logic comes next, it builds on The Hunt‘s direction with a heavier sound and a core tribal groove that tightly keeps it all together. It keeps on swirling with changing dynamics that keep the listener hooked and interested. With a more melodic approach, Divine Castaway comes next. When Mountains Speak‘s improvisational experimentations are strongly present, this time with some jazzy groovy drumming and a tint of smokey, oriental melodies to spice things up, making it sound like the soundtrack of a desert trip. The drumming has a lot of King Crimson vibes that match When Mountains Speak‘s improvisational style perfectly, honestly I’ll be surprised if King Crimson are not among their main influences. I’m In offers a special blend of the When Mountains Speak experience, with groovy bass, fuzzy guitars, and unexpected shifts, we get a fluid streaming piece that has no limits or boundaries. Ending the record with some jazzy attitude on Tangled Shades, those jazzy vibes were mixed by some oriental melodies and heavy melancholic synths and effects as the song progressed towards a calming ending, closing the record with uncompromised sound or direction.
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The Hunt shows When Mountains Speak‘s devotion and total dedication to his sound and vision, as Steven Clarkson takes us on another sound journey. He is totally unleashing his experimental and psychedelic sound upon the masses, diving with the listener deep down where pure psychedelia dwell, with his multi-layered unpredictable structure and fluid melodic streams. Totally recommended, looking forward to more. Cheers!