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Demon Hunter

Summer of Darkness (2004)
Solid State Records

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Contributed by: Brian
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on June 22nd 2004

Demon Hunter straddles a fine line between underground rock and straightforward nü-metal with the same protocol as many other Christian-founded acts: not forcing it down your throat at all. Luckily, the songs that help contribute to the latter and also help make up the band’s sophomore release, Summer of Darkness, sound like moderately tolerable radio singles, like “My Heartstrings Come Undone” or “Not Ready to Die” (the second of which is quite the antithesis to one of Andrew W.K.’s certain party anthems). But that’s really just it. No one wants an album filled halfway with tolerable radio singles and the other half with meandering filler.

The band pulls off some nice harmonizing often, but it’s overshadowed by the lackadaisicalness of the slow, almost monotone vocals that slip in in every song. When they sing the line “I saw the fall of all your children, I’m soooo collllllld” in “Our Faces Fall Apart” as the song fades out, it sounds more like general carelessness than depression. I’d imagine that if there were a video made for this song, the shot of the vocalist singing like this would have him seated in some dusty wooden chair in a room of solitary confinement as he looks apathetically off-camera. Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s one of the prime reasons this album is so disinteresting.

One thing that helps this album a bit is the guest vocal work. Mike Williams, from The Agony Scene, makes a great contribution in the preface to the chorus in “Beheaded.” Normally I can’t stand his glass-shattering theatrics, but it works here well for some reason, likely as a changeup to the somewhat baritone singing level Demon Hunter uses. Even when “Coffin Builder” falls victim to the abovementioned monotony in the vocals, Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch keeps it from completely losing.

There’s definitely a certain “brutality” that the band is going for, and it’s most likely the same one that’s brought up every time someone mentions the word “metal.” It just doesn’t happen here. The music is too generic and redundant in itself. Sure, it’s obvious the band is concerned with injecting plenty of melody (closer “The Latest and the Last” contains a chorus showing it quite well), but it’s hard to see them being able to keep that while exhibiting a truly in your face style and not hold back like how it seems they’re doing.

Summer of Darkness isn’t horrible, but it couldn’t be classified as much more than background noise.

VIDEO
“Not Ready to Die” Low High

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peterbatiste (August 5, 2011)

This bands advance in our world. Amzing band!

Anonymous (November 8, 2005)

DEMON HUNTER is the BEST band out there! Have you guys heard their new album, The Triptych??? It rocks my face off and the face off anyone who listens to it. Demon Hunter is an amazing and very talented band. and also very strong in their message about Christ! Demon Hunter, ROCK ON!!!

Anonymous (January 29, 2005)

what the crap is the matter with you people? demon hunter is awesome. and they're Christian, too. then again, im not much of a critic, oh well. i like listnin to em', so i will.

Anonymous (November 19, 2004)

Its nice to have a good hardcore band for once. A Christian one at that.

Anonymous (September 26, 2004)

Demon Hinter is the best. They can cast Mana Burn which converst MP points into damage which is really useful against sorcerers and archmages.

chrisafi (July 2, 2004)

I thought Heartstrings come undone was.. pretty good.
Nice backing. And good harmonies
But I must agree the rest is something I would expect from a band rejected by every label in the country.

Anonymous (June 25, 2004)

hahahahahaha

this is so fucking bad.

-Greenvandal!

Anonymous (June 24, 2004)

how many hardcore or punk bands, espcailly those with only two albums released and have only toured once or twice play sets as long as and hour and 10 minutes?

I think evergreen terrace played about 30 minutes both times i saw them headline - there is a band i vow to never see live again, no matter how much i love their recordings. Those two shows were some of the worst experiances i have ever had at a show (many more problems than just the set length)

Anonymous (June 23, 2004)

I think Demon Hunter is a Warcraft III refernce

Anonymous (June 23, 2004)

Since when is 1 hour and 10 minutes considered a "really long set"?

Anonymous (June 23, 2004)

Demon Hunter??!! Is that a D&D reference?

FortyMinutesWest (June 22, 2004)

Demon Hunter is one of the worst bands out there. Right up there with Hawthorne Heights and The Hurt Process.

Anonymous (June 22, 2004)

i haven't heard the actual recording yet, but they played 6 or 7 songs when I caught them at the Whisky in Hollywood last week, and I thought they sounded great. The song with the guy from HASTE THE DAY was really good. A very powerful band live, for this type of music they played a really long set, about an hour and 10 minutes. It was great

punkcorekid (June 22, 2004)

Yeah, I was definitely disappointed when I bought this. I bought for the simple fact the boys from Training For Utopia are in this band now. What a letdown. I definitely thought it sounded nu metal too. And nu metal is gay.

Anonymous (June 22, 2004)

Its better than any other nu metal band at least

Anonymous (June 22, 2004)

If they're called fucking Demon Hunter, they shouldn't suck so much...

-BSD

Anonymous (June 22, 2004)

The pre-set album score is based on what the reviewer gave it initially.

That being said, this band makes me laugh. This album cover makes me laugh. These song titles make me laugh.

Like laughing at a retarded kid, you almost feel sorry for them and the shit they're gonna get.