As Christian Metal/Hardcore/Grindcore/whatever becomes a more and more established genre, Demon Hunter is one of the bands at the forefront of this movement. Since their self-titled album a decade ago, the band has come a long way from an underground sensation to mainstream success. To date, they’ve debuted in the Top 100, reached the #1 spot as US Heatseeker and #3 Top Christian Album, and have established a solid following that grows more and more with each album. All of this while remaining inoffensive without failing to disappoint, a feat that few bands are capable of.
So, how does The World is a Thorn stack up against previous their works and how does it stand on its own? In order to answer that, I must discuss the transformation that the band has gone through since their previous release, Storm The Gates of Hell. Demon Hunter lost BOTH of its guitarists. Don Clark left the band to pursue his career as a graphic designer. And to be with his family. Who wants to do that?! Ethan Luck bowed out, citing not being able to keep up with the hectic life of being in Demon Hunter and Reliant K. Guitar replacements Patrick Judge and Ryan Helm joined the band in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Only 2 original members of the band remain: Ryan Clark, frontman and vocalist, and Jon Dunn on bass.
What I term to be the more significant loss: Don, brother of lead vocalist, Ryan, worked as a collaborator and co-wrote most of the previous albums. With him out, the pressure fell squarely onto Ryan. So, there are some significant things going on to the chemistry of the group. And from the moment that the album opens, it’s clear that it’s going to be different. There’s a lot more electronic work going on that’s attempted to blend with their hardcore sound. Like in Storm the Gates of Hell, it works in some places; in others, though, it’s more of a hindrance.
Here’s the track list:
1. "Descending upon Us" - 5:30
2. "LifeWar" - 1:52
3. "Collapsing (feat. Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork)" - 3:38
4. "This Is the Line" - 3:59
5. "Driving Nails" - 4:06
6. "The World Is a Thorn" - 2:35
7. "Tie This Around Your Neck" - 3:29
8. "Just Breathe" (feat. Christian Älvestam of Miseration) - 3:55
9. "Shallow Water" - 3:44
10. "Feel as Though You Could" (feat. Dave Peters of Throwdown) - 3:53
11. "Blood in the Tears" - 4:49
There are two bonus tracks from the deluxe edition that I will not be covering here.
“Descending Upon Us” opens with a showcasing of Helm and Judge, layered with some echoing bells. This runs for about 1:45 before giving way to that familiar hardcore sound that melts into Clark’s harmonizing at the chorus. Rinse and repeat. The problem for me, though, was that it felt like such a muted track, in terms of its edge. An average track, at best, that gives way to “LifeWar”. I have no idea what they were thinking with this one, but it should have been axed. An extremely subpar showing. Thank God it’s not even two minutes long. Skip it. As far as lazy writing and arranging goes, “LifeWar” takes the cake. Worst track in the entire Demon Hunter catalog.
“Collapsing”, the first single from The World is a Thorn, is where the only money is: it has great energy, and it is one of the few places where the electronic sounds work well with the rest of the song. Makes me tap my foot and bob my head every time. It’s very familiar from Storm the Gates of Hell. Fans of the tracks “Fading Away” will love it. What makes it a true winner is that it includes the vocal prowess of metal god Bjorn “Speed” Strid, frontman and genius vocalist for Soilwork, among other things. Demon Hunter is no stranger to bringing in guest vocalists to add a layer or two to a track. Look at “Beauty Through the Eyes of a Predator” (featuring Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists) and “Our Faces Fall Apart” (featuring Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage). What concerns me is that they use a contributing artist 4 times on the album, similar to Summer of Darkness.
“Driving Nails” is your typical balladry, heartfelt track that mirrors "My Heartstrings Come Undone", "Deteriorate", and "Carry Me Down". Not a bad track, but absolutely nothing new to glean here. In fact, it suffers from some uninspired lyricism on the part of Clark. I mean, “It’s driving nails into my soul / Angels from my home”? Come on. Weak. The album picks right back up again with “The World Is a Thorn”, a purely anthemic and energetic track. A lot of screaming and growling on this one.
The rest of the album is just the same: below-average to barely-par work. The finale, “Blood In My Tears,” was more like blood in my urine: painful and definitely not supposed to be there. And the ending was like passing a gallstone. I doubt I’ll be giving this album a repeat listen, after this point. Thank God for MySpace streams because this will be one Demon Hunter album I will not be picking up.
To sum it up, I cannot find a moment anywhere where the band even tries stepping away from what they’ve already accomplished. And rather than building on what is good and solid, they manage to just pour their Seattle rain all over it. I am completely disparaging of this work, and rightfully so. There’s a clear lack of inspiration and confidence in almost every facet. However, I am confident that the band will rebound. They’ve been through a lot over the last few years, and their first four albums were solid. Mess with anyone’s chemistry THIS much, and you’re bound to give up ten goals against while only scoring one for yourself, with an assist from Strid. Hang your head, reflect, and come back, hopefully, stronger, next time.
