Storm the Gates of Hell - Demon Hunter

Jeff Atack | 30 January 2008

Font size: + - | print | email to a friend

Storm the Gates of Hell
Demon Hunter
Solid State/Tooth & Nail
2007

Along with label mates, Underoath, few Christian bands have enjoyed the influence or commercial success of Seattle’s Demon Hunter.

As their name suggests, Demon Hunter’s music is not your average mellow pop/rock. A quick listen through their three-album back catalogue reveals songs full of full-blown, Mesa Boogie overdrive coupled with what seems like a strange mix of throaty shouting and stadium rock vocals.

The genre is in fact called Metalcore, and Demon Hunter join such illustrious secular company as Slipknot and Korn.

Over the years many have questioned the validity and appropriateness of Christian bands who, like Demon Hunter, have put out music in styles traditionally associated with less than holy lyrical content. Others maintain that style, in and of itself, is neutral and that any genre can be redeemed for kingdom purposes.

Demon Hunter certainly takes this view and Storm the Gates of Hell is the latest installment on that mission.

Lyrically the album treads some dark ground. Both the title track and the equally piercing ‘Sixteen’ pull no punches and challenge half-hearted Christians to repent of their complacence and luke-warm lives. ‘Follow the Wolves’ similarly exhorts Christ-followers to no-longer follow the mindless wanderings of secular society, but rather, to live up to the counter-cultural calling they have in Christ. The issue of suicide and ‘cutting’ is tackled in the melodic ‘Thorns’, and it is Christ’s own wounds which are put forward as the solution to those in such a state of desperation. ‘Carry Me Down’ speaks to the issue of impending death and the confidence and joy that only those in Christ possess:

“All the blood is rushing out
I’m better off without
The walls are closing in
Sing for me again”

Musically this album is first rate. Brutal guitars dominate throughout as you would expect, but judicious use of piano and strings introduce elements of light and shade that balance well with the rhythm section. ‘Follow the Wolves’ even introduces synthesizers bringing an almost techno feel to the song’s chorus. While there is plenty to please fans of hardcore, it is the strong sense of melody in both instruments and vocals that lift this album above merely average. The lead single ‘Fading away’ is a prime example of this fusion of power and melody, and will undoubtedly become a live crowd favourite.

Vocalist Ryan Clark effortlessly moves between aggressive “screamo” vocals and anthemic hard rock singing, and unlike many of his peers, his vocals are able comprehensible without the help of the lyric sheet. It is Clark’s outstanding vocal abilities, plus the band’s first-class songwriting, that elevate Demon Hunter to the upper echelons of their genre.

Storm the Gates of Hell should serve to broaden Demon Hunter’s appeal, yet still please established fans of the band. What can be said with certainty is that Demon Hunter are a band who takes their Christian faith seriously, and unlike some so-called Christian groups, are not afraid to wear it on their sleeves.