Chicago-based Americana metal outfit, Huntsmen, have released a video for "Pyre", a track from their upcoming American Scrap album. Watch the clip below.

Storytelling is the great, albeit fading, American pastime. It predated writing and in many instances, was told in song. In modern times, many musicians have approached their music from a storytelling point of view: Dylan, Springsteen and Waits to name a few. Huntsmen are carrying the torch for heavy bands to be added to that list and recently announced their signing to Prosthetic Records.

Huntsmen have released two EPs, 2014's Post War and 2016's The Colonel. When it came time to work on the band's first full length, American Scrap, vocalist/guitarist Chris Kang wanted to tackle the paradox of American nationalism and pride, given we are a country of immigrants.

"I always have conflicting feelings," says Kang, "where I'm really proud of the inclusive and optimistic ideal it represents- my father found opportunity here to carve a life that just didn't exist back home - but I'm really ashamed of so much of its past and present. I wanted to make an album that spent some time with these confusing feelings, and that was American Scrap."

American Scrap will be released on February 23rd on all digital platforms, compact disc, limited edition gold splatter LP and VHS. Pre-orders can be found here.

Huntsmen will have their record release show a day before release date at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Label mates Livid and Rezn will be joining them.

American Scrap was recorded at Treehouse Analog Studio in Chicago. The opening, mostly acoustic track "Bury Me Deep", is the perfect first chapter to the album; with its ending of feedback and electric guitar, it foreshadows something heavy, but then swiftly goes into the dark, moody "Pyre". "Atlantic City" starts off in a post-rock fury, sure to tell-tale some catastrophic event while the album's epic closer, "The Last President" with guest vocalist, Aimee Bueno, is the perfect ending to the story.

Spoiler alert, if you're the type to open a book and read the ending, continue on, as Kang describes the final track, "the last American President gives a final TV address to the nation then has a nice dinner with her family before euthanizing them and hanging herself before the bombs fall."

American Scrap tracklisting:

"Bury Me Deep"
"Pyre"
"Canary King"
"Interlude A - Shipwrecked"
"Atlantic City"
"Interlude B - Insurrection"
"The Barrens"
"The Last President"

"Pyre" video:

"Bury Me Deep" video:

Tour dates:

February
22 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (with Livid and Rezn)

Huntsmen lineup:

Chris Kang - Vocals, guitar
Marc Stranger-Najjar - Bass
Kirill Orlov - Guitar
Ray Knipe - Drums