Ive had quite the chuckle with this little EP. These Texans have a new record looming around the corner, so I thought id warm myself up with this debut record. Hunt The Dinosaur are a not-so-serious Deathcore Djent band who will make little waves in the scene thanks to front man Hunter Madison's extraordinary guttural scream raps. It sounds unique, a fast flail of snarly, throaty gasps hurled at an impressive speed. Its toned, textural and well executed. His arsenal of other screaming styles are fully competent for the music too. If one strong influence comes to mind It is probably Corey Taylor of Slipknot who is known for blending rap rhythms into his screams.
The music behind is an impressive pull of self-awareness and comical in jokes. The tropes of breakdowns and excessive down tuned guitar tones are deployed in humorous extremes that do a fantastic job of balancing groove and landing an impact with its mocking nature. The lyrical depth also feels like a mockery, shallow topics are bolstered by plain and frank language that punctuates its bluntness in sync with the music, dropping its most abysmal lyrics at fitting times. Initially it musters a smirk but becomes rather monotonous as the joke grows old in its simplicity.
The big problem is the imposed limitations of a project that isn't to be taken seriously. In the right mood it will give you a smile but of the several listens Ive endured its joke tires quickly and the songs turn into a mechanical slog dragging their way towards little spurts of genuine interest that each song has in the form of a riff, screamed rap or punch line. Its been fun, a barrel of laughs to enjoy with friends and I look forward to their new album however I am hoping they can deploy some more substance with the music as a fair fraction of this record is rather lifeless beyond the gag.
Rating: 4/10