New metal band hits hard with debut
by REED BENSON
For those of you that bought the third This is Solid State sampler CD, you’ve had a glimpse of Demon Hunter. Unfortunately, most of you have probably never even heard of that compilation, much less Demon Hunter. But fans of underground hardcore and metal won’t want to pass up their first self-titled release from Solid State Records.
Demon Hunter starts out the way any good metal album should—fast and furious, with heavy guitars, loud yells, and a few techno sounds added in for originality. Not only that, but during the chorus of most songs, there’s a clear, melodic voice singing through the screams, which is an excellent and creative addition. In “Screams of the Undead” and “I Have Seen Where It Grows” the lead vocalist is unrelenting and sounds pretty angry. It remains hard until the chorus of “Infected” which almost sounds like a love (or lost love) song. “My Throat is an Open Grave” continues in a slow tempo, but the power returns in “Through the Black” which is an improvement over the already powerful demo version originally heard on This is Solid State 3. Not until the last track, “The Gauntlet” does it slow down again. In my mind, “The Gauntlet” illustrates the perfect way to end an album such as this, leaving the listener thinking about the emotional song.
Demon Hunter is a Christian band, though it may be hard to tell. Whoever writes their songs likes to keep things poetic. In “I Have Seen Where It Grows,” they proclaim, “Life is a path, Death—a destination.” They also sing, “Raise me up into white, unstained. Eternity gained, only life remains,” referring to dying and going to heaven with your sins forgiven. On “Through the Black,” the singer says, “And every time I play with fire, I’m going to BURN, BURN, BURN until I learn.” Using an old analogy, he describes regret for wrongdoings. The find out who plays what instrument in the band. Such is not the case with Demon Hunter—nowhere on their album, nor on their official website, www.demonhunter.net, are their names listed. On their section of www.solidstaterecords.com, fake names are given, like Sgt. Serpent, Chuck Knuckles, and Arm but you still can’t tell who sings or plays guitar. On their web site, they say, “We never wanted to place emphasis on the band’s line-up. We wanted all emphasis to be placed on the music created, the fans who love the music, and the message presented.”
The only recognizable person in the music industry who can be associated with the group is Christian recording artist and producer Aaron Sprinkle, who they’ve nicknamed “Wild Boar.” He produced Demon Hunter and plays some guitar on the album. In the Christian music industry, association with a man like Sprinkle can only help your reputation.
Fans of contemporary Christian music may want to steer clear, but if you like Christian bands like Living Sacrifice, Zao, or Norma Jean, or mainstream bands like Slipknot, Mudvayne, or Machine Head, then Demon Hunter is for you. If you want to check them out, you might have trouble finding them at places like Best Buy or Sam Goody. Your best bet is to order the CD from www.demonhunter.net, www.solidstaterecords.com, or check out your nearest Christian book store and see if they have them in their databases. As the band would tell you, “Get ‘em while they’re still underground.”
Demon Hunter starts out the way any good metal album should—fast and furious, with heavy guitars, loud yells, and a few techno sounds added in for originality. Not only that, but during the chorus of most songs, there’s a clear, melodic voice singing through the screams, which is an excellent and creative addition. In “Screams of the Undead” and “I Have Seen Where It Grows” the lead vocalist is unrelenting and sounds pretty angry. It remains hard until the chorus of “Infected” which almost sounds like a love (or lost love) song. “My Throat is an Open Grave” continues in a slow tempo, but the power returns in “Through the Black” which is an improvement over the already powerful demo version originally heard on This is Solid State 3. Not until the last track, “The Gauntlet” does it slow down again. In my mind, “The Gauntlet” illustrates the perfect way to end an album such as this, leaving the listener thinking about the emotional song.
Demon Hunter is a Christian band, though it may be hard to tell. Whoever writes their songs likes to keep things poetic. In “I Have Seen Where It Grows,” they proclaim, “Life is a path, Death—a destination.” They also sing, “Raise me up into white, unstained. Eternity gained, only life remains,” referring to dying and going to heaven with your sins forgiven. On “Through the Black,” the singer says, “And every time I play with fire, I’m going to BURN, BURN, BURN until I learn.” Using an old analogy, he describes regret for wrongdoings. The find out who plays what instrument in the band. Such is not the case with Demon Hunter—nowhere on their album, nor on their official website, www.demonhunter.net, are their names listed. On their section of www.solidstaterecords.com, fake names are given, like Sgt. Serpent, Chuck Knuckles, and Arm but you still can’t tell who sings or plays guitar. On their web site, they say, “We never wanted to place emphasis on the band’s line-up. We wanted all emphasis to be placed on the music created, the fans who love the music, and the message presented.”
The only recognizable person in the music industry who can be associated with the group is Christian recording artist and producer Aaron Sprinkle, who they’ve nicknamed “Wild Boar.” He produced Demon Hunter and plays some guitar on the album. In the Christian music industry, association with a man like Sprinkle can only help your reputation.
Fans of contemporary Christian music may want to steer clear, but if you like Christian bands like Living Sacrifice, Zao, or Norma Jean, or mainstream bands like Slipknot, Mudvayne, or Machine Head, then Demon Hunter is for you. If you want to check them out, you might have trouble finding them at places like Best Buy or Sam Goody. Your best bet is to order the CD from www.demonhunter.net, www.solidstaterecords.com, or check out your nearest Christian book store and see if they have them in their databases. As the band would tell you, “Get ‘em while they’re still underground.”
November 15, 2002
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