The World Is A Thorn
Posted March 08, 2010
By piano89,
Demon Hunter’s fifth studio album, The World Is A Thorn opens with a melodic guitar riff. But don’t be fooled, this album is brutal. A few seconds later the low-end kicks in, and so do Ryan Clark’s ferocious vocals. Bluntly put, The World Is A Thorn is not for wimps.
From militant beats on “LifeWar” and chaotic vocals on “Descending Upon Us” to power ballads “Driving Nails” and “Blood In Tears,” Demon Hunter, with the help of pristine production from Aaron Sprinkle, manage to make the album flow seamlessly despite contrasting song styles and elements. The band has also mastered the marriage of catchy choruses and heavy riffs, exemplified on songs like “Collapsing” (think “Fading”) and “This Is The Line.”
The album’s message is summed up well in the chorus of the title-track, “Won’t bow to man. Won’t bow to government/Won’t trust in a failed system of self-fulfilling lust/Won’t love a world where my God is mocked. I defy.” Demon Hunter unashamedly rejects the world’s view of life.
Whenever a band claims that their upcoming release will be their “heavier than ever,” I take it with a grain of salt, as it rarely turns out to be true. There is some truth to it in this case. While The World Is A Thorn may not be Demon Hunter’s heaviest album overall, it does contain some of the most brutal songs the band has ever penned, most notably the title-track. However, it also contains the band’s softest song (“Blood In The Tears”) yet. Demon Hunter’s unmatchable ability to mesh heavy with melodic and its relevant messages are undoubtedly the reason why the band continues to reign supreme over the metal genre.
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