HUNTSMEN has today released their third album, The Dry Land, via Prosthetic Records. On The Dry Land, the Chicago, IL ensemble cover themes of purgatory and the liminal space between life and death via allegorical tales against a backdrop of Americana infused doom metal, with a newfound black metal influence in their sound. HUNTSMEN will be celebrating the release of The Dry Land this evening (June 7) at The Sleeping Village in Chicago, with support from Without Waves and Anatomy of Habit – more details below.

Speaking on the album release, Aimee Bueno-Knipe (vocals) comments: “After years of work, we are so proud to finally release our third full length album, The Dry Land. Through writing this album we addressed the fears, frustrations, and losses we suffered during the past few years to create an end product that we are each deeply emotionally invested in.

“This album holds particular significance to me as it is the first full length album that I have contributed to writing on as a full-time member of HUNTSMEN, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. This album has seen us struggle, heal, grow, and change, and we hope it will help others do the same.”

Following the release of their sophomore full-length, Mandala of Fear, in 2020 and The Dying Pines EP in 2022 HUNTSMEN’s intervening years between studio albums were marked with devastatingly contrasting highs and lows. Whilst their body of studio work continued to garner acclaim from fans and critics alike, chronic illness would become a recurring uphill battle for the ensemble. As these jarring mixed fortunes reached their apex towards the end of 2022, the band reached towards each other outside of their craft as old friends. Taking stock of four years of tribulations led to a reevaluation of what it is to be creatives and, in turn, ushered in a collective rebirth.

Writing sessions for The Dry Land saw a number of artistic firsts for HUNTSMEN, most notably with the first full collaborative inclusion of vocalist Aimee Bueno-Knipe. The creative process soon saw HUNTSMEN adding more black metal influences into their Americana and folk tinged doom, evidenced most overtly on tracks such as This, Our Gospel and lead single In Time, All Things. Elsewhere, HUNTSMEN’s knack for finely crafted and richly layered melodies offer moments of resplendence on the slow burning Lean Times and closer The Herbsight.

Mirroring the circumstances and environment that led to its creation, The Dry Land’s pacing is one rooted in the art of rise and fall dynamics both musically and lyrically. Tales of escaping religious violence, malevolent apparitions and death incarnate all play key roles throughout the album’s narrative thread. HUNTSMEN treat each tale as both exorcism and exaltation, adding a pervasively unsettling quality to The Dry Land that is sure to stick long after the runtime is over.

The Dry Land was recorded and mixed by Pete Grossmann at Bricktop Studios before being placed in the hands of Brad Boatright for mastering, with the resulting sound adding a towering grandiosity to the album whilst simultaneously highlighting HUNTSMEN’s newfound corrosive qualities. The Dry Land’s striking cover art was created by Derek Setzer, depicting an immolating dancer in high contrast black and white amongst rusted gold.

Through the fire, HUNTSMEN find themselves reborn on The Dry Land.

Upcoming HUNTSMEN shows:
June 7 – Sleeping Village – Chicago, IL (The Dry Land album release show)
w/ Without Waves and Anatomy of Habit

HUNTSMEN is:
Chris Kang – guitar and vocals
Aimee Bueno-Knipe – vocals
Marc Stranger-Najjar – bass and vocals
Ray Bueno-Knipe – drums and vocals
Gavin Cushman – guitar and vocals
Kirill Orlov – guitar (on The Dry Land studio recording only)