Demon Hunter, The Triptych
Well, since we took on the darker side of music with Paths of Possession and their anti-religion messages, it only seemed fair to cover the other side. Demon Hunter has often been pinned with the Christian metal tag. Previous albums had a subtlety to the message that the listener did not feel bombarded with — all that changes with their third release.
I’m not a religious man by any means, but I can’t help but like this band. The band’s message has never been apparent to me while listening to their music until The Triptych.
Track 1: The Flame That Guides Us Home. The opening track to this album is a 29 second intro. The female choir has a medieval feel to it that sort of sets the tone for the whole album.
Track 2: Not I. The brief intro is quickly overwhelmed by the heaviest track on the album. There is the patent Demon Hunter sound with gruff growls and shouts with cleanly sung choruses. This album has a really deep and rich sound to it due to the superb production and mixing. This is a great song to get the listener really into the album. Hell, they even bring a moshy breakdown toward the end of the track.
Track 3: Undying. This song opens up with a great riff that’s pretty heavy and catchy, backed by pounding drums. Again, the band’s formula of growls and cleanly delivered vocals make for a layered sound with plenty of depth. Through a half spoken shouted portion of this song you’ll find a great bit of mosh to bang your head to.
Track 4: Relentless Intolerance. This is by far the song with the most obvious religious overtones lyrically. If you’re like me and can enjoy music without really paying too much attention to the overall message, then you’ll have no problem with this track. The chorus mixes the clean backing vocals with the lead singers screams—very cool indeed.
Track 5: Deteriorate. This is one of the slower tracks on the album. It starts off pretty similarly to the slower songs off the previous two albums with the slowly played guitar (or keyboard) introduction straight into the softly sung vocals. Even with its slower speed and sound, the track doesn’t take too much momentum from the overall album. The chorus has a bit of a “pop” feel to it.
Track 6: The Soldier’s Song. This homage to the men and women fighting in the Middle East starts of heavy and strong and doesn’t let up for a moment. Even the clean chorus has plenty of power to it. You will also find some of the more creative drumming on this track.
Track 7: Fire to My Soul. For some reason, when I first heard this track it sort of reminded me of older Nothingface. After subsequent listening, it still sort of reminds me of that band, but not so much. There is plenty of pounding drums in this one.
Track 8: One Thousand Apologies. This is another slower paced song with primarily cleanly spoken/sung vocals. There is plenty of layering and depth in the vocal deliveries, which makes for a very complete sound.
Track 9: The Science of Lies. The opening riff to this song also reminded more Waiting for Violence-era Nothingface. But it’s quickly squashed with a good dose of double bass.
Track 10: Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck. I hadn’t really paid attention to the track listing on the album art when I popped this disc into the player in the truck after purchasing it. You can imagine my surprise, as a huge Prong fan when that bass and drum started the song. My initial reaction was, and I quote, “No fucking way!” I had to double check the liner notes to make sure. Demon Hunter does a real nice job on this cover. The original was a great song. Now it’s a bit heavier and darker. I recommend turning the volume all the way up for this track. It’s well worth the ringing in your ears.
Track 11: Ribcage. Ooh, reverb. This one starts off with a little mosh to get the blood flowing and keeps a steady pace through out.
Track 12: The Tide Begins to Rise. The final track on the album feels like a bit of a let down. The album up until this point has been cranking out some heavy tracks one after the other. It seems a shame to abandon that energy with a slower track to finish off the album. This one opens up with a few notes from a piano.
You don’t have to be born again or a fan of Christian rock to enjoy this album. There is plenty of good heavy music for everyone. I sort of equate it to a beer drinker, like myself, enjoying the last Throwdown release. You don’t have to be straight-edge to listen to heavy breakdowns. At any rate, this is a pretty tight album. If you liked any of their previous stuff then definitely check this one out.
Favorite Tracks:
Not I
Undying
The Soldier’s Song
Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck
Additional Notes:
n/a