Holly Hunt

***Year One is the debut full-length album from HOLLY HUNT, South Florida’s acclaimed two-piece instru-metal behemoth. Recorded by JONATHAN NUNEZ (TORCHE), mixed by RYAN HAFT (CAPSULE), this 39 minute-long, 10-song suite is constructed upon sonic architecture ornate as a royal catacomb and stunningly epic, like an ancient city frozen in time under a heavy sheet of black, hardened lava. In their first 365 days as a band, drummer BEATRIZ MONTEAVARO (FLOOR, CAVITY) and guitarist GAVIN PERRY became the undeniable sweethearts of Miami’s disparate music scenes. To paraphrase a description of ‘80s movie hero Ferris Bueller, “The punks, the metalheads, the art-rockers: they all think he’s a righteous dude.” In the grand tradition of Monteavaro’s previous musical endeavors, Holly Hunt champions heavy metal’s potential to transcend genre and become a physical experience. Though stripped down to the most bare essentials, the duo’s innate technical chops, strong dialogue, and incredibly deep relationship to their gear produces a sound and style far beyond rudimentary tags like “heavy,” “hard,” or “brutal.” Year One captures the band’s brilliant signatures—the meditative power of repetition; the ecstatic joy of tempered variation; infinitely undulating riffage; psychedelic drone paired with rock n’ roll rhythm—in full splendor. Includes a download.