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Demon Hunter - The Triptych

 

	RELEASED: October 25th, 2005 PRODUCER:Aaron Sprinkle LABEL:Solid State Records BAND:Ryan Clark Don Clark Ethan Luck Jon Dunn Tim “Yogi” Watts
+ Catchy melodies, Intelligent lyrics, Still heavy - Nothing really new here	TRACKS: 1.The Flame That Guides Us Home 2.Not I 3. Undying 4.Relentless Intolerance 5.Deteriorate 6.The Soldier’s Song 7.Fire To My Soul 8. One Thousand Apologies 9. The Science of Lies 10.Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck 11.Ribcage 12.The Tide Began To Rise

OVERVIEW

Remember back in the 80’s when Coca-Cola suddenly decided, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea…you know that formula that everyone knows and loves and buys all the time?  Yeah…let’s change it!”?
            Ok, so I’m slightly too young to actually remember it, but the point is that there’s something to be said for sticking with what works, and that’s exactly what Demon Hunter serves up on The Triptych, their latest collection of metalcore bruisers.  Even though the whole scream-the-verse-sing-the-chorus-breakdown formula has been getting played to death lately, DH stick to their guns and crank out 12 more of their signature melodic headbangers that, despite the addition of Ethan Luck on guitar (O.C. Supertones, The Dingees) and Tim “Yogi” Watts on drums (Audio Adrenaline, The Lonely Hearts), sound basically the same as 2004’s Summer of Darkness.  In fact, the only real discernable difference between the two albums is Triptych’s slightly more uplifting/resolute feel, as opposed to the darker, more brooding feel of Summer of Darkness, but that’s not saying much for a band that will still hit everyone except seasoned heavy music fans with the force of a sledgehammer when it explodes out of your speakers.

SONGS

“The Flame That Guides Us Home” starts things off with a surprise choral introduction that quickly gives way to the ferocious “Not I”, which is not only one of the strongest cuts on the CD, but also (to my knowledge) the first time Demon Hunter has ever used blast beats.  Excellent!  “Undying” is the album’s first single, and rightfully so, as it delivers with a catchy chorus and a great breakdown to get your heads a-bangin’.  “Relentless Intolerance” finds the band experimenting with some vocal harmonies (with mixed results) before the obligatory mid-album ballad comes in the form of “Deteriorate”.  “The Soldier’s Song” brings back the metal riffing in a fierce, heartfelt tribute to the U.S. armed forces, and “Fire To My Soul” easily has the most old-school metal vibe to it, with serious crunch riffs that would fit right in on a Life of Agony or Machine Head album.  “One Thousand Apologies” is definitely the softest song DH has ever done with the exception of their straight-ahead ballads, but as a melodic rocker with serious radio potential, it’s excellent – the perfect song to show that one person everyone knows that swears anyone in a heavy band can’t sing.  “The Science of Lies” is a blistering tirade against the increasingly popular Church of Scientology, and the vicious music matches Clark’s disdain perfectly.  “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” is one of the albums only real surprises – you old-school music junkies will recognize it as vintage Prong, and DH gives this classic (is 1994 classic?) a great modern facelift.  “Ribcage” is decent, but unremarkable, and “The Tide Began to Rise” is a full-on piano-driven soft number that isn’t too far from “The Gauntlet” off their 2002 debut, but “Tide” has great orchestration that makes it instantly memorable and a first-class album closer.

CONCLUSION

Demon Hunter isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel with this one, but the fact that they’re still creating respectable music in a genre that’s getting increasingly crowded is commendable.  What really sets Demon Hunter apart, in my opinion, is the seamless integration of melody and heaviness (unlike most chop-job metalcore acts these days) and Ryan Clark’s stunningly intelligent, introspective lyrics.  Good enough to prove that Christian metal isn’t just for youth group kids anymore, but I kind of wonder how long DH can keep on truckin’ without a significant change in sound.  In the meantime, The Triptych is solid, well worth $10, and might even gain them a new fan or three.

Review by Matt Rewinski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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