Demon Hunter
Storm the Gates of Hell
Released: November 6, 2007
Record Label: Solid State Records
Track Listing:
- Storm The Gates Of Hell
- Lead Us Home
- Sixteen
- Fading Away
- Carry Me Down
- A Thread Of Light
- I Am You
- Incision
- Thorns
- Follow The Wolves
- Fiction Kingdom
- The Wrath Of God
Album Review:
When the title-track of Storm the Gates of Hell began playing, I immediately thought to myself "I hope this one doesn't disappoint me". I've wanted to toss a couple of this year's metal-core albums out the car window. Promising drum beats and heavily distorted guitars all-too-often overcompensate for lack of song-writing or production abilities. This was not to be the case for the latest Demon Hunter release.
At least two things really stand out on this album. The first is the vocals. The chorus of "Lead Us Home" has been resonating in my head for days. Ryan Clark's vocals are tremendous. I've never heard anyone else go from powerful guttural screaming to precise melodic singing with such apparent ease. His voice also has a great tonal quality that can be heard over the music quite well.
The second notable strength is the song writing. All of the songs have their own unique personalities, which makes the entire album really listenable without your ear getting weary. The great musicianship of the band is a big contributing factor to this as well. Also, Demon Hunter is not afraid to venture out of the core genre with some very strong, almost pop metal, tracks like "Fading Away' and "Carry Me Down". I even hear some punk influence in the track "Thorns".
Lyrically, this album deals with many themes rooted in Christianity. Instead of playing to role of an over zealous televangelist, Clark has creatively crafted his lyrics to covey positive messages regarding a modern view of how his generation deals with faith.
The album wraps up with the extremely heavy track "The Wrath of God", and while listen to it, I am left with the sense that Demon Hunter has taken me on a journey, and brought me back home. This is a great album that does not, in any way, disappoint.
Type 3 Rating:
| 01.22.2008 | Review by J. Pierson |
