While many of their god-fearing peers practice the art of subtlety when it comes to their religious beliefs, Demon Hunter have always remained fiercely unapologetic about their Christianity. “The World Is A Thorn“, their first album without lead guitarist Don Clark (brother of band frontman Ryan Clark,) sees this aspect attacked with near feverish indignation.
But while the lyrical content often finds the band lashing out at the increasing criticisms of Christian views by the public at large, it is the music itself that more or less does the talking throughout this latest release. Demon Hunter‘s style has almost always played out as a precarious balance of top heavy balladry and tenacious modern metal aggression and “The World Is A Thorn” isn’t out to change this.
The bands inner duality of string accompanied soul baring and near operatic melodicism is freely expounded upon in numerous tracks. While their darker, more fiercer side surfaces through a series of songs that sound like a more processed version of Living Sacrifice. Indeed the band grapple with differing personalities on numerous occasions, the one unifying factor that ties both of their extremes together is the hooks.
Nearly every song contains a catchy refrain or interesting chorus transition, which while admittedly a bit shallow and formulaic in the long run, can be surprisingly addictive at face value. That said, given the nature of their somewhat preachy ideals and the uncompromising mixture of chunky aggression with glossy melodrama, Demon Hunter aren’t likely to win over many new converts this time around. Nor have they entirely pushed the bar for themselves either (sans perhaps an increased presence of electronic effects and ambiance.)
Instead, what they have done is create what is perhaps their most accessible and philosophically impassioned outing to date. A glaring statement all their own that few bands out there are brave/foolhardy enough to make while admirably illustrating exactly what side they are on in the process.
