Review: Demon Hunter - Peace (2019)

Artist: Demon Hunter

Album: Peace

Genre: Alternative Metal

Released: March 2019

Album length: 50:02/10 tracks

Background

Demon Hunter was started in Seattle in 2000 by brothers Ryan and Don Clark. Ryan is the band's vocalist, and Don has since left the band. Peace is their tenth album, and a departure from their usual style, focusing more on melodic vocals. The album War was released alongside Peace, which is in their typical style, incorporating nu metal and metalcore vibes.

The track breakdown

On repeat: More Than Bones, Peace, Bet My Life

Skip it: Time Only Takes, Recuse Myself

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More Than Bones gets the album off to a pounding start with heavy guitar and drumming, and delivers an incredibly catchy chorus. There is a break after the solo which highlights the bridge really nicely. The song is repetitive, but in a good way. One of my favourites, and it always gets stuck in my head for days!

I Don't Believe You has a strong start, where you can really hear the beautiful tones in Clark's voice, which are present throughout. There's a really nice riff in the chorus. I find the song a bit dull though after a few listens, and the lack of a lengthy solo to pick it up a little doesn't help.

Loneliness is a truly stunning song. The heavy chugging guitar against Clark's soft vocals is a great contrast. The chorus is beautiful. There's a lot of emotion in the lyrics, and really not the sort of thing you'd expect from Demon Hunter.

There's an acoustic break before the second round of the chorus which fits surprisingly well, and then the heavy guitar comes back in with a decent solo before Clark is reintroduced, almost whispering the lyrics. The outro is really cool. Loneliness is a thing of beauty, but it's also a bit on the emotionally heavy side so I do skip it occasionally.

Peace is my favourite from this album. The intro is so upbeat and definitely what's needed after Loneliness! The riff throughout is really catchy. The vocalisations and Clark's singing before the final rendition of the chorus really shows off the beautiful tones to his voice. The outro is an awesome guitar solo.

When the Devil Come (that's not a typo) is started off nicely with acoustic that gradually builds up into the first verse. The arrangement of the chorus really shows off the soft tones of Clark's voice, and the music is perfect for it. It takes a long time to pick up fully and introduce the electric guitar, which makes the song a bit boring for me up until that point, which is over half way through the song. There's an acoustic solo which would have been really cool if they'd built it back up into an electric solo.

Time Only Takes is yet another depressing track on this album. It starts off nice and heavy, with chugging guitar contrasting Clark's voice once more. It's quite similar to When the Devil Come in terms of being on one plane for most of the song, which makes it a bit boring. It's got a nice little guitar solo in it, which is the highlight of the song for me, and the outro is neat as well. But otherwise, I'd probably skip it.

Two Ways has a great intro. Clark's singing much lower in this song, which goes really nicely with the guitar. He picks up the vocals a bit for the bridge, and there's a really good growl in the chorus. There's also a nice solo in this song. There's still something lacking for me in this song though, I think it's too slow paced. This track also leaves the question: what are the only two ways to die?

Recuse Myself starts off well, with heavy drumming giving way to Clark's gentle vocals. It's another depressing one though, you've been warned. His voice throughout is really nice, and the guitar is good too, it's just a bit boring.

Bet My Life starts with a nice little acoustic riff which quickly develops into the heavy music expected from Demon Hunter. Clark's vocals throughout are awesome, and the chugging guitar with the great drumming mean you can't help but tap your foot to the beat. There are occasional drops in the guitar to showcase his voice. The way Clark builds up his vocals from that point into the solo sounds great and really fits the vibe of the song. A favourite.

Fear is Not My Guide starts off with beautiful piano. This is another one that comes with a depressing warning. Clark's vocals on this song are immense: he really showcases his range. He gradually descends his voice from 3:00 onwards to hit some very low notes, which sound incredible, before breaking into higher notes alongside the tinkling piano. The outro is really pretty.

In summary

Firstly, Peace is an album I can listen the whole way through, which is always a good sign! There are songs I'd improve and some I skip on shuffle after hearing them too many times, but listening through the whole album is always enjoyable.

It's a really brave departure from their usual style, and still a solid album. As you can probably tell, I enjoyed Clark's vocals throughout this whole album, he's got a great range and it's not something that's normally shown off with Demon Hunter's music. The adjustment of the instrumentals to the more relaxed vibe of this album is also impressive, and the use of acoustic in this album is really good.

Definitely an album I'd recommend! However, if you prefer more of a metalcore approach than Peace, War is the album for you. Lots of angry growling, great lyrics and awesome music.

Album rating: 7.5/10