Young Hunter originates from the desert of Arizona where singer and guitar player Benjamin Blake started the first evolution of the band. After growing tired of playing bar shows as a solo acoustic act, Blake decided to take his stories and song ideas toward a bigger sound, which would become Young Hunter.
The early recordings of Young Hunter come via a much different creative process than how the band operates today. Stone Tools, the band’s first release in 2012, found Blake at the helm of the entire writing process. “I would just record songs by myself and bring them to the band and everyone would learn the parts,” he explains. The process would remain the same through the following EP, 2013’s Embers at the Foot of Dark Mountain.
Blake’s move to Portland a few years back would find him in a different space creatively, surrounded by a new group of players who shared his love for heavier music. “I think we all have been drawn to heavy music; it was something we all bonded on initially,” says vocalist and keyboard player Sara Pinnell.
Not only did he find himself surrounded by like-minded individuals, he also found himself in a place where he trusted the musicians around him to contribute to the creative process, changing the dynamic and adding to the melodic force—all of which is apparent on the band’s most recent self-titled, full-length release. A blend of heavy metal, with melodic harmonies and guitar lines, as well as progressive elements, the songs on Young Hunter take you on an epic journey. “I had to realize how limited I had been in my approach, not letting other energies and ideas in,” Blake describes of the latest release.
As Young Hunter heads into the studio to make their second release as this iteration of the band, they seem to be open to seeking out further revelations in their creative dynamic and process.
TRACK LISTING:
Frank
Hunger
Dark Age
