Demon Hunter - True Defiance (review)

Demon Hunter - True Defiance

Demon Hunter is back with their newest album True Defiance. As many of you probably already know, Demon Hunter are one of the most successful metalcore bands out there and are probably the only successful Christian band by my standards. There must be something about the aesthetic nature of Demon Hunter which makes them so successful, but I cannot put my finger on exactly what it is. It might have something to do with the fact that all the new metalcore have this young, hip, trendy sound to them while Demon Hunter sounds more mature and wiser. The combination of nu metal and metalcore, I would have thought to be boring, repetitive and uninteresting but Demon Hunter have been creating this awesome breed of music for 10 years now since their first self titled album and they are still bringing the goods.

I don’t know how they do it, but Demon Hunter is just one of those odd bands who stay awesome throughout their entire career, and are showing no signs of slowing down. They don’t need to make EPs to draft their newest music, because they already know what they’re making is awesome, so why would anyone want to change that. In True Defiance, everything that all Demon Hunter fans have known and loved from their other previous albums is featured. Nu metal and metalcore riffs, a combination of the classic Demon Hunter distorted shrieks and clean vocals. Not to mention the contrast between more metalcorish and nu metalish passages. Yep, Demon Hunter is that gift that just keeps on giving and giving and I cannot get enough of it.

It’s quite obvious that Demon Hunter is influenced by nu metal and metalcore, but less obviously… grunge and alternative rock. There are some sections in True Defiance where I keep thinking I’m listening to a good version of Nickelback or something because some of the vocals sound uncannily similar. However, combine this with the ferocity and extremeness of hardcore and metalcore, and you’ve got something… something awesome which has not been copied or successfully emulated by any other band that I know of. Demon Hunter are definitely something special, and True Defiance is just another album in their long line of awesome albums.

I don’t know why, but I think what really landmarks any of their albums (especially in Storm the Gates of Hell though) are the clean tracks. The ones which don’t even sound remotely like nu metal, the real smooth and easy listening tracks. They have featured two of those in True Defiance “Tomorrow Never Comes” and “Dead Flowers”, and they are both incredibly uplifting tracks to hear. I don’t know why, but I find Ryan Clark’s voice (the lead singer) to be incredibly powerful and uplifting. However, the best thing about these two tracks is that you can tell that they aren’t trying to influential or emotional… I mean, they don’t try to make music which is “larger than life” unlike Nickelback (god I hate Nickelback). They are just two tracks to which a suitable to end the day with.

Overall, Demon Hunter still have it and I’m surprised that they’ve kept their momentum going throughout their whole career so far because many bands fall within their first three albums. People can say what they want about Christian metalcore or Christian metal in general, Demon Hunter are successful, and there is a very good reason for that. True Defiance is one of those albums which can appeal to a very wide audience which makes its value even greater. For those looking for some of the nu metalish side to Demon Hunter, check out “This I Know”, those who are into a more metalcoreish direction of Demon Hunter, you’ll most likely see “God Forsaken” and “My Destiny” to be the prime tracks or if you’re like me and like things which are easier to listen to, check out “Tomorrow Never Comes” and “Dead Flowers”. I give Demon Hunter’s True Defiance a 17/20.

Demon Hunter - Storm The Gates Of Hell

Demon Hunter - Storm The Gates Of Hell

Storm The Gates Of Hell is Demon Hunters fourth studio album and this album is of the Metalcore genre. This album was released in 2007 by Solid State Records. This album is the next step away from the Nu Metal scene and moving closer towards the Metalcore scene. It is regarded as their greatest album to date.

This album is full of Metalcore goodness. It has changed from their last album and the amount of energy in the music was actually unexpected. Unlike other bands that have crossed Metalcore with Thrash Metal. Demon Hunter has done an impressive mix of Metalcore and Nu Metal in this album. This album has an Industrial style of Metalcore to it. The opening song is Storm The Gates Of Hell, it will give you a first impression of this album but it is not the best song in the album. It shows more of the Nu Metal style and this is not what this album is all about. When you get to the second song  is when you will get the first real taste of this album. The music and vocals sound very mature compared to other Metalcore bands such as Bullet For My Valentine but don’t forget that Demon Hunter is a Christian Band. There are parts of this album that can be more energetic than others. The third track Sixteen is a relatively soft song compared to the second track Lead Us Home. There are two standout tracks in my opinion and they are the songs Fading Away and Follow The Wolfs. These two tracks are incredibly innovative in their styles and these are songs that changed my thoughts on Metalcore itself. Those tracks are what I think made this album so successful. They are very mature but not too extreme or heavy about it. The music has just the right tempo and the vocals to make an amazing track. Those songs have emotion and some kind of atmosphere that really connects with the listener (especially the song Follow The Wolfs).

This album is very good but is not perfect. Firstly this album gets boring fairly quickly but It’s the kind of thing where when you listen to something over and over again it gets boring (bad part) but when you are not listening to it you want to listen to it again. This is probably the only way I can explain this album. I also don’t find the songs Storm The Gates Of Hell and I Am You too fascinating because they take too much from Nu Metal than the other songs in this album. Also this album is very serious in the sense the I don’t think there are any emotions of despair unlike Bullet For My Valentine or Trivium and if there were any they are more upbeat about it such as in the song Thorns.

Overall this album is their best release to date and I can’t wait for their other albums. This album is an innovative mix on Metalcore and Nu Metal. The actual music on this album is great, it is very mature yet not too over the top heaviness unlike Parkway Drive. There are no breakdowns and solos are rare. I would recommend this album to anyone who likes Metalcore, Nu Metal or even Thrash Metal. I also recommend the songs Follow The Wolfs and Fading away. They are Demon Hunter’s Signature songs in my opinion. I give this album a 17/20.