VHS Glitch - Night Hunt

I, and like many other enthusiasts and fans of synthwave and retro sounding electronic albums, have been following VHS Glitch for a couple of years now. Though I did not immediately catch onto the synthetic master at the launch of their career in 2014, I have been steadily following suit since fellow writer on the site Luke Jacobs conducted an interview with them in February of 2016. I became addicted to VHS Glitch's sounds and maniacal mayhem, and found myself giving the project praise for their album "Demoniac" in this review. However, it has been nearly three years since then; as time has passed the Earth has continued to rotate, tragedies have taken place, babies have been born and elders have passed, but most importantly VHS Glitch has improved their production values. 

This leads us to the here and now with VHS Glitch releasing their brand new Halloween album for 2019 titled "Night Hunt". Immediately upon looking at the cover art of the album I was transported back to my childhood as I perused my father's stack of VHS horror tapes. Lightning strikes in the background of an overblown and sinister hooded figure. They seemingly look down upon a city, smiling with evil intent; this is their playground and they want everyone to know it. Perhaps there is a bit of an occult theme meant to be here as the descriptive text from VHS Glitch's Bandcamp states, "He comes back every single year, with the same mission. No one knows who he is, no one knows why he does what he does and no one knows how to escape from him." So, the movement is set; we've got the ominous title and the spooky cover art, the last bit that needs to be addressed is the music. 



There is nothing to worry about when it comes to the music either as "Night Hunt" plays out in a cinematic fashion as if it were built for a horror-slasher that never came to fruition. Some of the songs on the album are meant to be creepy and crawly; they get under your skin and don't layer themselves to a point where the sounds are indifferent to one another. Take the title song, for example, 'Night Hunt'. It takes its time in the beginning to serve up ominous spooky synths before trickling in a glorious electronic line that fits the theme of the album. Followed up are slightly crunching pulses of synthetic madness and a brilliantly played out electronic guitar. I could easily see this being the intro-song to a fictional movie (that is now playing in my head) going through a town and introducing us to a cast of teenage boppers who are about to fall victim to this malicious predator. Other songs fitting this threatening pace are 'Like A Shadow' and 'Analysis Of A Serial Killer'. 

Other songs on the album such as 'It's A Dead End' come off with a faster rhythm; this would be perfect for any DJ throwing a party. It's spooky and reminisces, not only from the title of the song but from the rhythm and frenetic mood, a chase scene in a horror film that winds up in a dead end (as the title suggests) only for the poor victim to be slaughtered like cattle. If you're into anxiety riddled horror scenarios than I would suggest checking out 'Knife Deep In The Chest', 'Beast of the Hunt', and 'Waiting in the Alley'. The last of those songs has a mixture of slow and moody atmospheric electronics but slowly unravels into a frightening festival of dance-worthy synthwave. 

"Night Hunt" perfectly simulates old-school horror movie soundtracks and is a glorious release for this time of the year. The witchy season is fully upon us and we're subject to all kinds of horrifying nasties, beasts, demons, and occult presence. It is best to enjoy it with music that fits the mood and "Night Hunt" should at least be a part of your 2019 festivities. 
Oct 31 2019