Released: Mar 9, 2010
Genre: Metalcore, Alternative Metal
Label: Solid State
Number Of Tracks: 11
Founding guitarist Don Clark exited the band, but Demon Hunter still dole out crunchy Christian metal that fans of Sepultura and Machine Head will flock to.
The World Is A ThornFeatured review by: UG Team, on march 12, 2010 14 of 15 people found this review helpful
Sound: For a band that never, ever tours, Demon Hunter sure are prolific, with their releases. They’ve issued five albums since 2002, yet they rarely hit the road to peddle their wares, because vocalist Ryan Clark and his brother, guitarist Don, run a successful graphic design firm. So the day jobs are too good to abandon in favor of the band. Until now. For The World is a Thorn, Demon Hunter are down a Clark brother, but they are no worse for it. While we will miss Don Clark and his riff-tastic-ness, the band hasn’t lost a step or missed a beat. The album, like Lamb of Gods’s epic Wrath, gets better as you delve deeper into; later cuts are stronger than the ones that precede them, which is not to say the earlier tracks are weak. They band just back-loaded the album with excellent tracks throughout and there is absolutely no fillers here. The gloomy ballad “Driving Nails” is followed by the title track, which operates at a punk rock speed and positions itself as the fastest and most br00tal song that Demon Hunter has ever laid at our feet. That song, track six, is followed by “Tie This Around Your Neck,” a chunky, choppy, mid-tempo song that has a guitar tone and punch that instantly reminds me of Roots-era Sepultura or The More Things Change…-era Machine Head. While many Christian metal bands pledge their allegiance to the “core,” as in “metalcore,” Demon Hunter strays far from that path. This is straight up, aggressive metal. “Collapsing” has a cool, synthy opening that makes it a standout track, as well. That synth part recurs later in the song, too, and adds an extra dimension to an already interesting song. There are some breakdowns and moshy parts, but never fret or fear. You will be headbanging, too. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Ryan Clark knows how to handle a melody and he employs two vocal styles: melodic/clean and talk-scream. His band does not shy away from their Christian associations whatsoever, but his lyrics, coupled with his delivery and the music contained within, are never limiting for a secular audience. The guest appearances – Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork and Dave Peters of Throwdown on “Collapsing” and “Feel as Though You Could,” respectively, add another element of surprise and fierceness to the songs. The vocal melodies and the chorus on “Collapsing” single this song out as a potential single and illustrate the band’s infectiousness. Demon Hunter have a knack for big, powerful melodic choruses and they don’t disappoint on The World is a Thorn. // 9
Impression: Demon Hunter have always handed fans mid-tempo metal that is as catchy as it is heavy. They don’t sacrifice one element in favor of another. The result is unforgettable metal albums that are under the influence of mid-1990s Roadrunner-style metal, which Ryan Clark himself had readily admitted. Now if only we could just get them to tour more often… // 9
The World Is A Thorn
Reviewed by:
millarso, on march 12, 2010 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: The anticipated follow-up to Storm The Gates of Hell, The World Is A Thorn follows in the same vein. The Demon Hunter sound is hard to pinpoint. A good chunk of their songs are the crushingly heavy, raw sounds that one would expect from a metal band, while at the same time one can also find ballad-like numbers and beautiful melodies intermingled. The lead singer, Ryan Clark is known for his quick transitions from ragged, angry vocals to clean, melodic vocals. Patrick Judge(lead) and Ryan Helm(rhythm) cover the guitar work on this album in place of Don Clark and Ethan Luck(drummer, Relient K), who most fans would be familiar with. Although fresh to the lineup, these two provide some good riffage and actually bring some good solos to the table, which is something generally not present on other Demon Hunter titles. Jon Dunn keeps a steady rhythm on the base, while the drums, done by Timothy "Yogi" Watts (also drummer for The Showdown), maintain a consistent yet furious beat. The album was mixed by Aaron Sprinkle, who seems to have balanced everything out fairly well. Here's a song-by-song breakdown.
01. Descending Upon Us: good opening via guitar prelude, from the first growl you can tell that this song is going to be fast and angry. Lots of dark spoken word, good breakdown around 3:50, interesting use of bells with percussion.
02. Lifewar: heavy and chugging, a little misplaced in comparison with first song. Drumming sounds sort of machine-like. Average song and a little different from other DH material.
03. Collapsing: hard-hitting beat, Catchy chorus and powerful riffing. Dimebag-stylized solo at 2:26. One of the album highlights.
04. This Is The Line: haunting intro, whole song has a dark tone, good instrumental at 2:30.
05. Driving Nails: ballad-like, orchestration gives it a somber and epic tone, both mellow and powerful, for those who liked "Thorns" and "Carry Me Down", from their last album.
06. The World Is A Thorn: fast and unrelenting, rapid fire tremolo-picking throughout, slightly repetitive.
07. Tie This Around Your Neck: seethingly angry sound, good cutoffs in verses and good vocal melody in chorus. Breakdown at 2:27.
08. Just Breathe: synth complements track well, catchy prechorus/chorus, vocally versatile, good solo at 2:45.
09. Shallow Water: traditional metal drum intro, good chorus, the wailing guitar part while creative can be painful for casual listening at times. Average track.
10. Feel As Though You Could: good harmony in prechorus, the song is nothing special musically, tortured growling at the end of song.
11. Blood In The Tears: another ballad, suffers from a lack of energy, another average track.
This album uses a lot of electronic sound with it, which might be off-putting to some, but I thought it complemented the music well. Unfortunately, it suffers from a poor close that could leave the listener waiting for something more. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics range anywhere from catchy to semi-lifeless on this album. The focus of the lyrics are focused on how toilsome the struggle of life can be, but they also try to display hope and confidence. Being definitively Christian, a lot of the lyrics are also about being a Christian in a world that largely denies the religion's authenticity. An example of a catchy song on the album would be "Tie This Around Your Neck". The lyrics are very in your face and controversial. The chorus is relating giving in to the normalities of the world to unwittingly hanging oneself. An example of dry, lifeless lyrics would be "Feel As Though You Could". The title words in the chorus don't carry very much meaning in the context they are used in the song, and phrases like "Burn this down!" are sort of cliched and overused in this song.
This album focuses a lot on the different aspects of Ryan Clark's vocal ability. He uses everything in his arsenal including raspy barks, angry growls, sharp cleans, and even several darkly delivered spoken words reminiscent of the spoken words on a Disturbed song. On top of Ryan's outstanding vocal ability, he is accompanied on a handful of songs by a star-studded cast of guests. These include Bjorn Strid (Soilwork)on "Collapsing", Christian Alvestam (Miseration, ex-Scar Symmetry) on "Just Breathe", and Dave Peters (Throwdown) on "Feel As Though You Could". // 7
Impression: When all is said and done, this is a pretty solid album, especially when one looks at the recent lineup changes made prior to its recording. It is sort of a natural evolution from Storm The Gates of Hell. If I had to give you my favorite songs, I would probably say that "Collapsing", "Just Breathe", "Tie This Around Your Neck", and "Driving Nails" stick out the most to me. They did a good job of adding some creative elements into their music with this album, but lack lyrical variance and depth at times. Production-wise, it seemed well mixed, except I thought that some of the lower end riffs on some songs could have a later punch. If this were stolen or lost, I would probably be pretty pissed off, but if I had imported them to my computer, I don't know that I would go for another physical copy. Solid, but not mindblowing overall. // 8
The World Is A Thorn
Reviewed by:
bagpipemetal, on march 15, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: I've been a fan of Demon Hunter's Melodic, Hardcore infused, Metal since I picked up "Storm The Gates Of Hell" in '07 I also bought their other three albums and have more or less liked them all. One thing that I always wished that they would do is include more solo's in their songs, but Don and Ethan just didn't seem the soloing types. Don and Ethan left the band last year and I was worried that this would adversely effect the band for the worse. It Didn't. The new album has much more of a Thrash feeling than the older CD's, There's a solo on almost every song, (The Ones on Collapsing and This Is The Line Are my Favorites) The harmonized Guitar intro to 'Descending Upon Us' is also really good. They even throw in some gang vocals on 'This is The Line' which shows their hardcore influence but overall I'd say this is the most 'metal' album demon hunter has done so far, I only wish the songs were a bit longer. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Ryan Clark's lyrics have always been more taking a view of life from a Christian perspective than praise and worship, providing lyrics that Most everyone, Christian or Not, can relate too. His Vocals on this album are the best that they've ever been. His screaming has expanded to the lower and higher registers while his singing is the best it's ever been. That's one of the things I've always loved about DH, their vocalist can sing really well as well as screaming. Their are guest vocals on this album but I don't feel that they added much to the overall sound. // 10
Impression: Overall I'd say this is Demon Hunters best album, The guitars have improved greatly, the Vocals have improved, the drums have a more groove metal feel to them and you can actually hear the bass in the mix now.
Favorite songs are: Descending upon Us, This Is The Line, Collapsing, and The String mix of Driving Nails (Which is why you need to get the deluxe edition) LifeWar is probably the worst song on the record, it's too short and really choppy. // 9
The World Is A Thorn
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 12, 2010 0 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: Ah, after a two and a half year wait, Demon Hunter returns with what they promised to be their "heaviest, yet most melodic" record yet. This album delivers in spades of both. Tracks such as "Driving Nails" and "Blood in the Tears" are melodic ballads that are possibly the softest material from the band yet. But the title track to the album (yes, there is a title track) could very well be a song from Pantera or, dare I say, Slayer. The tempo is distinctly remeniscient of thrash metal, and just as heavy.
Now, on to the sound. Yes, the album is noticably mixed to put emphasis on the vocals, but the guitars are more technical here than in any past Demon Hunter record. This is especially prevalent on "Just Breathe", which features a very impressive sweeping section. This record is fast, heavy, and although it does have ballads that the record could do without, it is definitively the heaviest record brought forth from the Seattle band. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: Oh, the lyrics. Demon Hunter has never been known for deep, philosophical lyrics. But there is a different aire on this record. This record is written with a more angry feel to the record. Two songs released prior to the release of the record showcase this perfectly. "The World Is a Thorn" and "Tie This Around Your Neck", respectively say; "The gavel has fallen, along with the rest/Are we expected to settle for this?/Bring us the plague, lead us away." And; "This is the age of the dead/The generation of the pagan and self-led/You can feel the bones shatter beneath your feet/the blood of lust staining our teeth/We feed on pain, delusion, the filth of the modern plague/And in this reign on Godlessnes, the heathens will say/Tie this around your neck".
Ryan Clark started his career as a decent vocalist. However, he has made significant improvement on each record, and on this one he is phenomenal. On the song "Collapsing", he reaches high notes that he has never shown on any DH record. // 9
Impression: Demon Hunter is a very unique artist, blending vocals remeniscient of nu-metal or thrash metal with metalcore. Comparing it to other artists of their genre, Demon Hunter stands out. Of the record, the most impressive songs are "Collapsing", "Just Breathe", "The World is a Thorn", "Feel As Though You Could", and "Descending Upon Us". If this record were to be stolen, I would just burn off another copy, because I have the album downloaded onto my computer. // 8
If you read it properly it actually says they rarely tour. A decent band. Christian Alvestram (Scar Symmetry's old vocalist) does guest vocals on one of the songs. Definitely worth a listen imo.
They don't tour because the lead singer (and past guitarist) have a graphic design company. Imagine it as if this is a side project to another band. Side projects don't get touring abilities as often. They have a live album out as well.
Yeah, album is decent, a solid effort, but not my favorite they've done. The Triptych is prob' my favorite, along with the self -titled.
They do about one short tour per-album basically. I was lucky enough to see them in Allentown PA for the "Storming the Gates of Hell" tour... it was insane. They played with Advent, The Famine (soooo brutal live), Oh, Sleeper (also sick live, guitar work is awesome) and Living Sacrifice. I went to the show primarily to see Living Sacrifice cause I've loved them for ten years or so and I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to see them after they broke up for a while. Whole show was really solid, DH played the same set as on the 45 Days DVD/Live In Nashville CD.
I think it sucks that they only tour in the south and western states. As Demon Hunter being my favorite band, it REAALLLLLY sucks! This album is quite awesome and definately their most melodic, not heaviest, Triptych is the best, this album is up there tho....they are waaaay more than a decent band, jeesh haha
If you read it properly it actually says they rarely tour. A decent band. Christian Alvestram (Scar Symmetry's old vocalist) does guest vocals on one of the songs. Definitely worth a listen imo.
Lawl, thats all he seems to be doing these days, guest vocals. Did some with Deadlock too.
As for the album, I was half expecting this to be some other deathcore/metalcore failure. But it actually sounds like an updated Slayer album. Shame about the vocals.. I'd like it more.
They usually do a big tour after every album, and they play at cornerstone, sure they don't tour as much as other bands but they do tour. ALso, this album is really awesome.
I absolutely love Demon Hunter. No, I'm not Christian, but these guys are amazing. I was there for live in Nashville. My ears rang for 3 ****ing days. Don't miss a chance to see them.
If you read it properly it actually says they rarely tour. A decent band. Christian Alvestram (Scar Symmetry's old vocalist) does guest vocals on one of the songs. Definitely worth a listen imo.
haha Christian is in Miseration and .45 lol, he doesnt just do guest vocals
Lawl, thats all he seems to be doing these days, guest vocals. Did some with Deadlock too.
As for the album, I was half expecting this to be some other deathcore/metalcore failure. But it actually sounds like an updated Slayer album. Shame about the vocals.. I'd like it more.
Just Meh for me..Im into a diverse, wide range of music for some reason I just can't get into this band for some reason after trying multiple times...
Want good christian metal? Go listen to August Burns Red
Just Meh for me..Im into a diverse, wide range of music for some reason I just can't get into this band for some reason after trying multiple times...
Want good christian metal? Go listen to August Burns Red
Demon Hunter's not the greatest metal band out there, but I would call them one of my top faves. This album is definitely a progression from "Storm the Gates," but some of the vocal melodies remind me of their self-titled. Big fan. Also, I have the deluxe edition of this album, and the two extra songs really put a better end on the album, in my opinion.
Just Meh for me..Im into a diverse, wide range of music for some reason I just can't get into this band for some reason after trying multiple times...
Want good christian metal? Go listen to August Burns Red
Well, that's your opinion. I mean, I like ABR also, but they are too different to compare. Demon Hunter is far more melodic than ABR, so they are more accessible to a lot of people.
butlerc777 wrote:
Demon Hunter's not the greatest metal band out there, but I would call them one of my top faves. This album is definitely a progression from "Storm the Gates," but some of the vocal melodies remind me of their self-titled. Big fan. Also, I have the deluxe edition of this album, and the two extra songs really put a better end on the album, in my opinion.
I never got to check out the bonus songs, so if they do end the album better, I might have to check them out.
I just bought this album, already really liked DH but now they even skyrocketed more! This album is almost a masterpiece, so good. I'm surprised none of the reviews said anything about "shallow water", I love that chorus so much. This band keeps getting better and better, nobody sounds like them, completely original, and I've seen videos of them live they're really good at shows. Can't wait to see what they come up with next, hope they come to Oklahoma City soon!
Also, nothing personal against Don and Ethan, but I really think the replacements DH found after they left (Patrick and Ryan) are going to really help the band a lot. Patrick's lead style especially has changed DH's sound a bit, and I think it's better.
Comparing this to Lamb of God made me want to throw up.. Wrath is a terrible album.. lamb of God is another has been metal band fallen mainstream.. Anyways.. The world is a Thorn is a decent album in my opinion.. The Triptych remains the bands strong album.. Especially lyrically
The vocals are always fun. the beats and cutoffs are really catchy. They actually do- even though I hate to say it- stand out from all those other metalcore bands that sound the same. They may not be the greatest, but they've got a little something lots of bands lack.
They don't tour because the lead singer (and past guitarist) have a graphic design company. Imagine it as if this is a side project to another band. Side projects don't get touring abilities as often. They have a live album out as well.
Finally an album I can appreciate from DH.
The only thing I hate how it's being marketed as much as possible... they had what, 2 contests, a bunch of studio vids and podcasts, and this ridiculously boring box set...
Edit: ^ sorry bout the bad post, my computer went stupid.
Anyway, what i was trying to say was that A Ghorst Reverie has my vote for one of the dumbest UG members.
AND, great album. Not a single lacking track. I was at my local store when they opened on Tuesday.
Bought this at Best Buy for 8 bucks yesterday. Great deal, thanks Best Buy.
Anyway, I'm totally lovin' on this album. Demon Hunter certainly has grown a lot. I hate to say it, but I'm glad Don left. Patrick is a much better guitarist.
If you read it properly it actually says they rarely tour. A decent band. Christian Alvestram (Scar Symmetry's old vocalist) does guest vocals on one of the songs. Definitely worth a listen imo.
Lawl, thats all he seems to be doing these days, guest vocals. Did some with Deadlock too.
Christian is with a band called Solution .45 now. From what I've listened to, it's a better version of Scar Symmetry. Go check out "Gravitational Lensing."
I hate people implementing religious shit into music when they have a good sound. Not that big of a problem here, they don't sound that amazing, but not like complete shit. Eehh
If you read it properly it actually says they rarely tour. A decent band. Christian Alvestram (Scar Symmetry's old vocalist) does guest vocals on one of the songs. Definitely worth a listen imo.
Lawl, thats all he seems to be doing these days, guest vocals. Did some with Deadlock too.
Christian is with a band called Solution .45 now. From what I've listened to, it's a better version of Scar Symmetry. Go check out "Gravitational Lensing."
Not really that much better.. Infact its more of a SS remake. Prefer Scar Symmetry for the sheer space factor, but Solution is something I might buy, so thanks.
never listened to them before. I might need to check them out.
And just to let you know, As I Lay Dying are in fact christian
They are deffinitly worht a listen. Also, AILD's Tim Lambesis founded another, parody band called Austrian Death Machine, which is great fun.
Austrian Death Machine is hilarious.
lookit the line-up..
Main Line-Up
Tim Lambesis lead vocals, guitar, bass, drums
Ahhnold (Chad Ackerman in Total Brutal, Josh Robert Thompson in Double Brutal, Justin Olszewski for live shows) Schwarzenegger vocals
Also..
Lambesis stated where As I Lay Dying "is heartfelt and full of passion" Austrian Death Machine on the other hand "is an outlet of pure testosterone and stupidity."
Shredder Man wrote:
...
lookit the line-up..
Main Line-Up
Tim Lambesis lead vocals, guitar, bass, drums
Ahhnold (Chad Ackerman in Total Brutal, Josh Robert Thompson in Double Brutal, Justin Olszewski for live shows) Schwarzenegger vocals
Also..
Lambesis stated where As I Lay Dying "is heartfelt and full of passion" Austrian Death Machine on the other hand "is an outlet of pure testosterone and stupidity."
And I consider "testosterone and stupidity" to be quite hilarious.
I thought this album was pretty good actually. The band matured and seem to be confident with what they are doing. Metal-core being what it is though...definitely nothing that would make them top of the list for albums of the year.
any music or media that relates itself to a gospel band or christian denomination is ridiculous. It defeats the purpose of the religion in many ways. meaning, demon hunter sucks.
any music or media that relates itself to a gospel band or christian denomination is ridiculous. It defeats the purpose of the religion in many ways. meaning, demon hunter sucks.
You're ridiculous, go home little boy... but seriously, is that even worth saying?
any music or media that relates itself to a gospel band or christian denomination is ridiculous. It defeats the purpose of the religion in many ways. meaning, demon hunter sucks.
A band that doesn't tour? Lame.
Indeed, and not quite nice to the fans either.
I disagree, I sent them a message on Myspace and what are the odds? Bassist Jon Dunn messages me back thanking me for the encouragement and such. Was it really Dunn? Who knows, but I'll just go with it.
Every "real" metal band has some sort of message they're giving to the listeners, even if they don't say it right up front like some do (and even if the listeners don't get it). If a metal band is trying to send a Christian message, does it automatically qualify for getting ragged on?
any music or media that relates itself to a gospel band or christian denomination is ridiculous. It defeats the purpose of the religion in many ways. meaning, demon hunter sucks.
Open your closed mind. And close your open mouth.
Nice August Burns Red reference! That's a cool lyric. Anyways, I've given a few tracks on the new album a listen and I really like the new direction Demon Hunter has taken. I don't mind change, I have four albums of classic Demon Hunter.
i REALLY loved driving nails, i thought it was very beautifully composed and the lyrics were really nice, i really like metal and rocking out for God, But taking it down to really praise Christ even more..is just heart changing
!!!! love both bands.. is as i lay dying christian as well? heard rumors.