Demon Hunter - Demon Hunter (2002)^{Release ID: 5476}

Ah yes, Demon Hunter... A band that mixed nu metal sounds with metalcore qualities, long before nu metalcore was a thing. Probably a good reason why my alt-rock-loving brother likes some songs from this band which made me interested in the band.

This is an amazing album, NOT the best by the band but still amazing. It demonstrates the earlier nu metalcore mix, and the only other album that has that sound that year is Living Sacrifice's Conceived in Fire. Demon Hunter's self-titled debut is a dark nu-hardcore sapphire gem! Vocalist Ryan Clark provides amazing deep brutal death growls mixed with higher clean singing with many lyrics kept understandable. He also plays guitars, but he and his brother Don would find a real line-up later on.

"Screams Of The Undead" blasts off the album with heavy drums, fast guitar riffs, and Ryan's "screams of the undead". This track is thrashy in the verses, but the higher clean singing is used in the chorus. "I Have Seen Where It Grows" continues the flow from the first track, except the guitar is less thrashy and the chorus is more catchy. "Infected" is a heavy highlight! It begins with an oil-drum solo before beginning the riff aura, followed by Ryan's growls that sound like rapping. Those rap-growls threaten to deduct points from the song, but the chorus keeps the score high with its catchy flow. A definite album favorite!

"My Throat Is An Open Grave" is a softer highlight. A cello and a violin can be heard creating significant waves. The lyrics have most amazing sorrow in Christian rock/metal regardless of the lame emo song title. "Through The Black" is probably the fastest and most aggressive song here, though not as much flow as some of their later material. "Turn Your Back And Run" once again has the same pattern as the previous track, this time also having a catchy chorus. A little more mono-sounding, but still a standout!

"And The Sky Went Red" is a 30-second intro with what sounds like horses escaping their farm set on fire. Then it segues to "As We Wept", another heavy track like the previous couple actual songs, now with quick melodic riff breakdowns. "A Broken Upper Hand" is the least significant song of the bunch with lack of catchy flow and melody, but the drumming and melodic spoken/sung section towards the end is so beautiful. The excellent epic finale, "The Gauntlet" is another melodic ballad in this album. It holds some great strength and, at almost 7 minutes long, still holds the record as the longest Demon Hunter song.

So your metalhead friend just listened to this album. They asked, "How would you describe Demon Hunter?" If you said nu metal, your friend would hate you for not listening to real metal. If you said metalcore, your friend would not recognize anything metalcore in this album and think you're lying. Christian metal? That would surely make your friend's jaw drop to the floor, so go with that one. Solid State is a great label for Christian metalcore bands, and anyone who enjoys those bands should love this one....

Favorites: "Infected", "My Throat Is An Open Grave", "Through The Black", "Turn Your Back And Run", "The Gauntlet"