Demon Hunter - Outlive (CD)
- New CD (Some Not Sealed)
- 2017 Solid State
Always thrilling when new Demon Hunter music arrives. Now the third release with Jeremiah Scott in the line-up, Ryan Clark and company have once again switched gears somewhat. Whereas Extremist was an incredible combination of different metal tunes mostly true to the earlier Demon Hunter styles, Outlive has a definite more contemporary commercial metal style, largely because of the melodic singing on the majority of songs and the heavier use of keyboards/effects/strings. “Died In My Sleep,” “Half As Dead,” “Raining Down” and “One Step Behind” are going to garner the most criticism as they have that nu-metal vibe – good songs but might just be a bit too much repetition on this release for some fans.
On the other hand, “Jesus Wept” is a fantastic example of Demon Hunter metal at its best, both musically and lyrically. “Cold Blood” is another monster with that juxtaposition of the harsh vocals with those infectious melodies – a style of song that Demon Hunter has pretty much perfected since Summer of Darkness. And “One Less” is one of the most powerful songs here, even some black metal vocals making an appearance. Of the more melodic songs, “Patience,” is the highlight. The song has great lyrics, great shred, great pace and a bit of dynamics – Ryan Clark nails it. I also will comment that the recording quality/mixing is great – one of the best sounding Demon Hunter releases to date. In the end, although Outlive is good, I don’t think it delivers the same level of brilliance as Summer of Darkness, Storm the Gates of Hell and Extremist.
