Metalcore Juggernaut keeps on rolling...Demon Hunter are one of the better purveyors of Metalcore at the moment. Some complain that they are too like Killswitch Engage, apparently having taken too many cues from that band's mega-hit The End Of Heartache (2004). I, on the other hand, think the opposite. I think Demon Hunter are one of the only bands out there, still producing Metalcore, that are actually worth listening to.
Having said that, Storm The Gates Of Hell is far from perfect. This is largely the fault of the scene and genre than any specific fault of the band's. The thing is, when Demon Hunter are at their most "commercial", they are awe-inspiring, oft jaw-droppingly good: their biggest hit before this album was "My Heartstrings Come Undone" from Summer Of Darkness (2004) - a melodic ballad that evoked a whole swathe of emotions in the listener, retaining minimal amounts of crunch and barely any heavy elements. I'd go so far as to say that much of Summer Of Darkness was perfect, or at least as near to perfect as this genre can get (check out lead single, "Not Ready To Die"). Follow up album The Triptych (2005) was good, but didn't live up to its predecessor.
With Storm The Gates Of Hell, we get a blend of all the best bits from Summer Of Darkness coupled with higher levels of ferocity, reminiscent of their eponymous debut (2002). But, while that may make some long-term, purist fans salivate with glee and excitement, the album again did not quite live up to my hopes.
On this latest album, Demon Hunter have written some songs that have none of the commercial elements that made them such cross-over successes. The opening, title-track is relentless and fast, but ultimately boring. It would work in a live-setting, if your intention was music-to-kill-others-by. Listening on a stereo at home, it sounds a little ridiculous. I'd go so far as to say it's a carbon-copy of almost every other non-commercial Metalcore band out there. A pity.
At the same time, the album has two of the best songs written in 2007, in my humble opinion. There's the ballad "Carry Me Down", which is even more melodic than "... Heartstrings...", and actually has a great uplifting effect on the listener. The second, near-perfect song, is "Fading Away" (the album's first single). This single perfectly displays that band's songwriting chops, perfectly juxtaposing the heavier and melodic sides of the band's personality and signature sound. I defy anyone to not spontaneously start singing along to this song. Ryan has some of the most powerful vocals in the Metal scene as a whole, and it seems criminal to not utilise them to their fullest. Truly amazing, his singing voice, and when used well in conjunction with his truly demonic roars, you get a real yin and yang effect.
Other songs manage to inject huge melodies into otherwise bludgeoning songs, including "Lead Us Home", "Sixteen", "Incision", and "I Am You".
Ultimately, this is a good album, but it suffers from the Metalcore affliction of containing a clutch of excellent or notable songs, and the rest being largely forgettable (and, as is invariably so, it's the "-core" heavy songs that are ultimately discardable).
