Blood on the Grindstone

This week, the video that’s been on my mind is “Eight of Swords” by Huntress. It’s a fantasy-inspired video that’s chock full of Pagan imagery and earthy visuals that are reminiscent of sword-and-sorcery films. Before I go on, I just want to stop and say that “Huntress” is a great band name. Isn’t it? It’s one of those names you wish you thought of when you were scrawling dozens of flaccid names on the back of your electric bill envelope.

One reason I chose this video is because the music is actually enhanced by the visual content. On its own, the song is a solid, straightforward mix of Power, Black, and Pagan metal that is based upon the natural minor, or Aeolian, scale. If you’re not familiar with the musical terms, the song has an Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, or old-Metallica type of sound to it. “Eight of Swords” is a really good song, but I tend to lean more towards the tonalities used in Death metal. So, I think the creators did a really good job with the video because it did “sell” me on the song.

Along with the visuals, I do want to mention lead singer Jill Janus. Her vocals have a distinct quality which is sort of a combination of Kimberly Goss and Dirty Harry, with a pinch of Angela Gossow. She goes from clean vocals, to a slight raspiness, and occasionally delves into piercing shrieks that accent the intensity of the music. In short, she one of the most interesting female vocalists that I have heard in a while. And in case you were wondering, the answer is yes. You will enjoy looking at her. What are you waiting for? Click the link below!

Huntress video for “Eight of Swords”

Your Friend,

P

This entry was posted on June 23, 2012 at 5:36 pm and is filed under VOWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.