Demon Hunter - There Was a Light Here (2025)^{Release ID: 62482}

Nowadays, what many people have in mind when the phrase "Demon Hunter" is mentioned is that movie KPop Demon Hunters. They can have fun watching a KPop girl group battle demons, but I prefer to listen to this modern metal band...

Demon Hunter were at their best in the first 7 albums, especially The Triptych, Storm the Gates of Hell, and The World is a Thorn. Outlive and War were the transitional albums before the quality was lowered in subsequent albums, reaching its lowest point in Songs of Death and Resurrection and Exile. But now, There Was a Light Here has started their slow climb back up in consistency. And if one or two fillers were taken out, I think it would be the missing link between Extremist and Outlive.

The opening march of "My Place in the Dirt" gets you ready for the action, blasting off into what may be the closest to the band's melodic metalcore roots (one of the only tracks here to qualify for The Revolution) complete with rapid blasts and vocalist Ryan Clark's growls of yester-decade. And that's only my second-favorite track here, with my ultimate favorite being "Sorrow Light the Way". While the heavy aggression of the first track continues, it greatly blends with the catchy melody in the music and vocals. The best part of all is perhaps the most brutal breakdown they've ever done towards the end. Probably the best Demon Hunter track since the grand triptych of albums' highlights! Another amazing highlight to follow that up is "Light Bends". I'm not even Christian and yet I end up getting strong faith, thanks to that solid banger. Sadly, after that tremendous trio of tracks, "The Pain in Me is Gone" loses that direction. The bland music and lyrics really bug me, trying to sound like recent Katatonia but failing at that. However, it's not as much of a failure as the next track...

I'll put down "By a Thread" as one of the worst tracks they've done. The band tries so hard to sound like fellow Christian alt-rock band Skillet, but there isn't enough ambition and it comes out as an incohesive mess. Luckily, we have another perfect standout in "I'm Done". I'm never done with this band! I enjoy the lyrics, and I can add this to my potential funeral song list. Continuing on into the album's second half, "Ouroboros" has more of the band's earlier heavy energy. Then we have another filler track, "Breaking Through Me", which isn't as bad as those two earlier stinkers, but still not up to par.

"Overwhelming Closure" has slower melancholy that I love. There's some more of that heavy-melodic blend in "Hang the Fire". Then "Reflected" has some great moments though not totally the best. And finally, it all comes down to the 6-minute title epic. It's one of my favorite tracks in the "ballad" category of Demon Hunter, and a far better closing track than in Exile. The fact that this was written in memory of Ryan Clark's late mother has made me need to appreciate my own mother more while she's still alive.

All in all, There Was a Light Here is a good work by Demon Hunter. Not the best but still good. It may just be the best of the more alternative era that started with Peace. And let's hope that their next album finally goes back to the higher standards of Outlive and War, maybe even the albums before those. There is a light of hope....

Favorites: "My Place in the Dirt", "Sorrow Light the Way", "Light Bends", "I'm Done", "Overwhelming Closure", "There Was a Light Here"