Band: Demon Hunter
Title: The World Is A Thorn
Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. Descending Upon Us
2. LifeWar
3. Collapsing
4. This Is the Line
5. Driving Nails
6. The World Is a Thorn
7. Tie This Around Your Neck
8. Just Breathe
9. Shallow Water
10. Feel As Though You Could
11. Blood in the Tears
One of the greatest things about Demon Hunter is that they have always had a unique sound. There are not a lot of bands out there that sound like them especially on the Christian side of the genre. They have found a niche and filled it quite nicely mixing the heavy and melodic.
I have been anxiously awaiting this album for a long time. I was a little worried that the departures of Ethan Luck and Don Clark and the stray from their roots in Storm The Gates Of Hell that this album might be a subpar release. All I can say that after listening to the entire album that I was completely wrong. This album is one of their most brutal albums ever yet pleasantly melodic.
I was surprised at how much the addition of Patrick Judge of The Showdown on lead guitar really improved the guitar work and gave the album a bit more technicality then on their previous albums. Patrick’s riffs and solos are a step up as well. Like always, Yogi tears the drums up and takes no prisoners. Vocally, I believe this is Ryan Clark’s best work. There may be other vocalists that are as good as he is but none are better. His screams and growls are second to none, and when he drops into the melodies it is a beautiful thing. When most metal vocalists try the clean vocals, they seem to try to go pop but Ryan on the other hand some how keeps that metal edge to his voice.
As far as the songs on the album, this is some of the best songs they have ever written. While the song structures are the same with the growls, runs, and clean and spoken vocals; these songs are a lot more intense and dark than most Demon Hunter fans will be used to. Some how Demon Hunter has always been able to keep it brutal even with the clean vocals and this album is no different. You can feel the intensity drip from your speakers. The first single from the album “Collapsing” is evidence of brutality meets melody. Like all Demon Hunter Albums, there is always at least one track that is a no holds barred brutal assault and at least one monster ballad. The title track “The World Is A Thorn” is one of the most brutal attacks that Demon Hunter has ever written that speaks out against our godless world. Then when it comes to monster ballads, Demon Hunter is the best. Remember how great “Infected,” “My Heartstrings Come Undone,” and “Carry Me Down” were? Well, “Driving Nails” may be better than all of them. If you happened to get the deluxe version of the album, you will also be impressed with the bonus string version of the song that is quite tasty.
One can only imagine how popular Demon Hunter would be if they could only tour more. We all know and understand the reasons they don’t tour more, but I guess I can still hope that one day their families might share them with the rest of us a little more.
Overall: Demon Hunter has returned to the scene with a fire in their belly! This album is more in the vein of their first few albums and is their best work to date. This album had a lot to live up to with the excellent release of label mates Living Sacrifice a few months prior, but Demon Hunter more than stepped up to the plate. This is an aggressive and melodic masterpiece. This album will definitely become a fan favorite.