13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Voting Now Open | Live Ceremony 4/8 - Tickets On Sale Here
Extremist Deluxe Edition by Demon Hunter  | CD Reviews And Information | NewReleaseToday

Shop Now At Amazon Buy Christian Music On iTunes

ADVERTISEMENT

Extremist Deluxe Edition [edit]
by Demon Hunter | Genre: Hard Rock/Metal | Release Date: March 18, 2014
 

The band whose albums have inspired some of the fiercest dedication in heavy music have crafted a new album full of their most rousing anthems thus far on their latest album for longtime label Solid State.

Vocalist, primary songwriter and band co-founder Ryan Clark states: "In seven albums, none of us have ever been this proud of what we created. It feels like we channeled DEMON HUNTER from 2018. "Fans that have grown with us will absolutely love the record," he added.

More than 50 radio stations added the album's first single to rock radio “Artificial Light," which was the most added at CMJ Loud Rock. The Christian Rock single "Last One Alive" was the most added single this week as longtime fans raced to YouTube to watch the lyric videos. Both singles went to No. 1 on iTunes Metal Chart including one other song "I will Fail You" as the band's supporters snapped up digital and physical album preorder bundles. Fans can pre-order the album at iTunes and at the Solid State Store where folks can pick up the deluxe edition and merchandise.

Extremist features Clark (vocals) alongside longtime members Patrick Judge (lead guitar since 2009), Jonathan Dunn (bass since 2002), Tim "Yogi" Watts (drums since 2004) and Jeremiah Scott (rhythm guitar since 2011), who brought his producer talents to the table as well. Longtime producer Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin) was still involved, but Scott took on the majority of the production work. DEMON HUNTER continued their tradition of working with top mixers from the rock/metal worlds (Machine, Jason Suecoff, etc.) by hiring Zeuss, whose production/mixing credits include Rob Zombie, Hatebreed, Municipal Waste and Crowbar.

Not only does Extremist plow into new sonic territories, but it stretches DEMON HUNTER technically – no small feat, as anyone familiar with the band’s celebrated catalogue can attest. The album boasts the pummeling metal and melodic balladry fans have come to expect. Songs like "I Will Fail You," "Hell Don't Need Me" and "Gasoline" explore the spaces in between, resulting in a new creative nadir for the band.

One of the biggest faith-centered bands in the history of metal, DEMON HUNTER has built an extremely dedicated following in the Christian music world and the general market alike, commanding the respect and friendship of bands like Five Finger Death Punch and In Flames while alternating as a staple at major Christian Music Festivals across the United States and Europe. The countless Demon Hunter related tattoos (logos, symbols, lyrics) and fan artwork documented on their Facebook page demonstrates the fierce loyalty the band has inspired for over a decade. Major publications like Revolver and Decibel have covered the band's music as well as Ryan Clark's design work with the Grammy-nominated and Dove Award winning firm, Invisible Creature, whose clients include Coca-Cola, Target and Alice In Chains.




Track Listing
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
01. Death
02. Artificial Light
03. What I'm Not
04. The Last One Alive
05. I Will Fail You
06. One Last Song
07. Cross to Bear
08. Hell Don't Need Me
09. In Time
10. Beyond Me
11. Gasoline
12. The Heart of a Graveyard
13. Waste Me (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
14. Helpless Hope (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
15. The Last One Alive (Teminite Remix)[Digital Download Bonus Only]
16. The Last One Alive (The Face Remix)[Digital Download Bonus Only]

Entry last edited by liveheart on 09.12.17

Christian CD Reviews
(1) Total Review(s) | Average NRTeam Rating:
Rated 3 Stars
Add Your Review Join The NRTeam
 
Sort Reviews By: Most Helpful | Most Recent | Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 1:  

Is it really Extremist? | Posted April 20, 2014

I’m contemplating suing Demon Hunter for being misleading.

When I heard that the name “Extremist” had been cast for their new album, I thought the band was going to dial up the volume. I anticipated “in your face” songs with Ryan Clark’s vocal roars taken to the maximum. The band delivered an increasingly aggressive sound on their past two albums, The World Is a Thorn and True Defiance. I had expected Extremist to amp up the hard sound even more. But what Demon Hunter has included on their seventh studio album ranges widely. While the majority of songs are primarily melodic and thoughtful tracks that harken more to their ballads, the balance of tracks offer up only a taste of Demon Hunter’s harder elements. But, Demon Hunter didn’t totally ignore the fans who like it hard and heavy.

The band is well known for opening their albums in a dramatic fashion, but “Death” takes top rank as their most unusual opener. Exceedingly dark in reach and richly layered in conveyance, “Death” begins slowly with an aptly dark Latin chant “mors, obitus, decessus” (all describing death) as the character death, offers the words:

I’m not your sacrifice. I’m not your shelter in the storm.

I am determinately man. Just who do you think I am?

I’m not your child. I’m not your paragon of just.

I am by other means damned. Just who do you think I am?

I am death. I am death. I am death. I am death.

The follow-up song, “Artificial Light”, brings the listener back into the traditional metal of Demon Hunter. The song seeks to offer solace to metal fans who fail to find a resolution in lyrics written by other bands from the metal realm. “Cross To Bear” with it’s staccato sonics and lyrical delivery stands out. As do the harsh words that lyricist, Ryan Clark, vents on those who try to equate their worldly troubles to those that Christ bore on the cross.

Sing to me your plight unjust, define it for the rest of us.

No river of your tears, no sympathy will find you here.

Not one of you bastards has a cross to bear. Not one of you bastards has a cross to bear.

One of the stand-out softer numbers include “I Will Fail You”. Clark shares honest lyrics that describe how we, as imperfect humans do, fail to meet others expectations due to our inherent flaws. We all lack the perfection of Christ.

Lost in the shadow of an endless grace. Relentless, my reign is unbound.
In this abandon I will devastate. Dismember, till agony’s found.

Though the sorrow and fear they may depart you today.

I will fail you, of that I’m sure. I will remind you of the pain forevermore.
And when my sins are just a memory, faith restored, I will fail you to the core.

The boys from Seattle close off Extremist with “The Heart Of A Graveyard” and it’s odd ’70′s synth intro gives the tune a vibe reminiscent of the horror punk of The Deadlines. Just as The Deadlines sang about death and dying (and vampires, oddly enough), Demon Hunter shares the horror of a life that ceases without an end in sight. Where Christians look towards a future after our worldly death, others can not.

Tell me. Tell me of your consolation. Tell me. I am lost in the gray.
Tell me that your final home is not a… a shot in the dark.
Tell me that your hopes and dreams don’t end in the heart… of a graveyard, of a graveyard.

Extremist will have a place in my musical library as an interesting musical journey taken by Demon Hunter. While Extremist is a solid album, it still falls short of many of Demon Hunter’s previous releases, lacking attention grabbing songs such as the ballad “Dead Flowers” or true metal tracks like “Storm The Gates Of Hell”. The positive aspect remains that Demon Hunter has stretched their sound by broadening their musical style to the widest degree. Unfortunately, the end results heard on Extremist have left my high expectations found wanting.

Dave Hawkins - The Antidote http://www.theantidoteradio.com/

Comments (0)Add Comment | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
NRTeam Review RSS Feed
Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 1:  

Christian Music, Facebook Christian Music, Twitter Christian Music, YouTube Christian Music, Instagram

ADVERTISEMENTS

13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Voting Now Open | Live Ceremony 4/8 - Tickets On Sale Here

Christian Music

©2024 NewReleaseToday
A Division Of NRT Media Inc.

 

Secure
CHRISTIAN MUSIC
Discover New Artists
New This Week
Coming Soon
Playlists
Free Music
Album Reviews

NEWS
New Music
Movies / Media
Events
Tours
General

PODCASTS
NRT Now Podcast
NRT Podcast Network

VIDEOS
Music Videos
Exclusives

EXCLUSIVES
Articles
Devotionals
Interviews
Concert Reviews
We Love Awards

MORE INFO
RSS
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Advertising
Staff
New Music Email
Contact

RESOURCES
Music Studies
Artist Training

CONNECT
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube