Demon Hunter - There Was A Light Here

Demon Hunter is a band that's very often put out consistently good material. They tend to always stick to their guns, while taking some liberties within their albums to experiment with lighter things. They still to this day, remain a force to be reckoned with.

I've heard a ton of opinions on how they play it safe and stuff, and I couldn't disagree with that more. It's just... well metal likes extremities, and DH just aren't that honestly. Much like anyone else, we're here to make art; not some crazy competition to shock people. We just want to make good music that people relate to and enjoy.

So does that changed with TWALH? No. Of course not.

I am going to flip the script a little bit to highlight the lyrics first. For those who don't know, the singer and one of the main songwriters is Ryan Clark. He lost his mother back in 2023 (may have the wrong year, but it's recently). This entire album is how he's gone through it and what that experience was like. So if that's something you relate to, there's plenty of tracks here -

• Sorrow Light the Way - Directly grieving and the experience around it.
  • I just want to note with this track, it's crazy that he put this lyric in there... it's chilling - "I just watched my mother die"
• The Pain in Me Is Gone - Helping someone else after the pain goes away.
• Breaking Through Me - Treads this idea that they are living through you.
• Overwhelming Closure - I mean, pretty self explanatory title there.
• And the slow ballad There Was A Light Here - which according them is Ryan's reflective note to himself on his mother's passing.

Now while on platforms they don't explicitly say they're a "Christian band" - nowadays it's almost impossible to miss if you take a look at any of their lyrics. The idea of God, Jesus' sacrifice is plastered all over the words Ryan delivers. The reason I bring it up, is that the rest of the songs on the album are pretty much your standard affair DH songs. I like to call them "faith based" songs, because a lot of them are about fighting back against evil, struggling with faith and worldly topics, and feelings. You don't have to be a Christian to connect and feel it.

One notable song is the opener - My Place in the Dirt. At first I was a little confused by the lyrics, but after a deeper look and the internet, it's kind of cool to see the song itself is taking a stab on the inactive church - going to faith or the building itself for selfish reasons instead of actually out there doing the work of God and helping others.

You're probably reading this as a fan, and if you are, I could literally just say "It's a DH record" and call it a day. However, I do have thoughts I would like to share.

Most of their albums have a flow. You usually get your heaviest tracks in the front half, the middle is typically full of mid-tempo grooves, there's usually a quick banger or two that breaks the cruise, and the late half of the album is more experimental. This is important, because they aren't the band that just makes 12 tracks of the same song over and over, or typically just sticks to their guns the whole time. This album is no exception.

Comparably, I think this album is closer to their previous release War than it is to anything else. It does feel like the best parts of a few records though... I would it's 60% War - as their bread and butter metalcore style with variation, 20% Storm the Gates of Hell with it's very intense and faster vibe, and 20% The World is a Thorn, where the dark topics and honesty bleed through on the record.

Okay, to switch gears here a little bit - I realize if you are not yet a fan of the band, or haven't analyzed their discography like I have, you may have no idea what I am talking about. The next section then... is for you.

Demon Hunter's "bread and butter" I like to call it, is really basic metalcore. It's this groovy sound, with open choruses, a breakdown here and there, a solo occasionally, and a combination of clean and dirty vocals. If you come to DH expecting to be blown away with technical talent... you're unfortunately in the wrong place. If you're here to listen to very talented songwriters who happen to love metal and express themselves, then you're in perfect place.

The drums and bass are important for their records, because without them, the songs fail miserably. When I say all the musicians write for the song, I mean that. It's why you don't get caught off guard with technicality or things that pull you away from the song itself and it's message. The vocals are always a nail on the head, catchy and meaningful. Ryan has both clean and screams that hit really hard. This is a guitar centered genre, and the music here is no exception.

So what styles do you find in their music? On this album you have a straight slow ballad at the tail end. You get a pretty heavy song at the front, no cleans. You get a couple of songs that are basically all just groove (I'm Done and The Pain in Me Is Gone). You get some more grunge-esk feeling slower tracks like Overwhelming Closure and Breaking Through Me. You have just some straight heavy rock songs like Reflected or Light Bends. Ouroboros and Hang the Fire take a very southern like riff approach, both hit pretty hard.

It's straight forward.

I'll admit here, there is bias. Demon Hunter has been one of my top 3 favorite bands for well over a decade. They may have fallen short of that a couple of times, but they make their way back up there.

I only mention that because it's the why rather than the actual bias. I've loved DH because they hit areas of my emotions and heart that are hard to hit. They tend to be very honest, very deep, and very intentional with what they do, with also creating music and exploring with child-like wonder. Artists both in and out of music in their own right. This is why.

As long as DH puts their heart and souls into their music, I will listen. Even on some of their less than stellar records, they still are interesting and heartfelt.

Give it a spin. You might like it.