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1. Anthony A. Guasco says:

   March 28, 2010 at 10:13 am

   Wow, just wow.
   
   First off, I’ve been a DH fan since the very first album(self-title).
   
   Where to begin?
   
   Lets put it simply…
   
   Are you a Demon Hunter fan?
   
   Do you like their soft ballads? Do you like their super aggressive sound? Do you think that some of their older albums were a little too repetitive? if you agree with any of those 3…then BUY THIS ALBUM IMMEDIATELY.

   This album, astoundingly takes what we know and love from DH and takes it to the next step in power.
   
   With new hard-pounding lyrics that will make the skin melt off your bones, more guitar solos with a strong powerful thrasher-metal influence, fast upbeat thrash drum beats, undeniable choruses, hard ear-deafening verses, guest singers, and more variety than ever before!!

   I don’t know about you guys, but i love all of DH’s albums, but i always felt that the first two albums were amazing but too repetitive, and while Triptych and Storm the Gates of Hell had much more variety between songs, it still lacked “some” of the things we loved from the albums before them.
   
   BUT…now…here we are…with what we want!!! Variety, original sound, new sound!!!

   DEMON HUNTER IS BACK, AND BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. The Todd says:

   March 28, 2010 at 12:27 pm

   for months prior to the release they had several times that this would be their hardest and most melodic album. first, how many times has a band said that? and second, i thought, oh no, they are going to mess with the forumla and mess it all up.

   well, happy to report that this is still the same great Demon Hunter. very solid album, after the first listen it is what you would expect from a band’s next album, just a steady progression of their sound.

   again, only one listen, so i’m not going to rank it and say where it stands with the others, but my opinion is that it does seem a bit harder then Storm The Gates.

   definitely worth picking up.
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. The NewReview says:

   March 28, 2010 at 2:54 pm

   There’s something…different about this new Demon Hunter. Maybe it’s just been so long since I’ve delved into their music (to be honest, the last of their albums I gave more than a second spin to was Summer of Darkness) but this doesn’t feel like the Demon Hunter I know. It’s voracious, angry, and dark. It grips by the throat and doesn’t let go even as you’re begging for release. Don’t take that as evidence long-term fans shouldn’t like this. Oh, they should. This is Demon Hunter at their evolutionary peak, an amalgam of every iteration, every sound they’ve committed to 0′s and 1′s and it’s fantastic.

   I am aware of the many changes the band has undergone since they first appeared on This is Solid State eight years ago, but every album has generally stuck to the “legacy” style. Not this one so much. Perhaps it’s the infusion and growth of the more recently joined members. Perhaps it’s the evolution of the scene in general (and a friendly competition with fellow-Christian metal stalwarts Living Sacrifice). Regardless, it only takes one listen to the title track to realize that Demon Hunter is coming out of the gate swinging on The World is a Thorn.

   Many parts of this album remind me a lot of Soul Embraced’s later efforts (when they dropped the death metal schtick for a more balanced sound). Many more parts of this album remind me of Embodyment’s first album (a perfect mix of heavy and light/melody). With Clark still belting out the vocals, just about all parts of this album remind me of everything else Demon Hunter’s done. And then, there’s the slight feeling (very slight) that I’m listening to a Mushroomhead album. Clark’s yells and spoken parts do favor Jeffrey Nothing’s and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

   Song structure is similar to past efforts. Heavy parts (solos, growling, gang shouts, chugs, chromatic runs) interspersed with lighter melodic parts (singing, synths, pads, pianos, violins). Some of these songs, however, are absolutely brutal, and frankly took me by surprise. I had never heard, as far as I could remember, songs as heavy as “Shallow Water,” “The World is a Thorn,” and “Just Breathe” on any other Demon Hunter album. Color me pleasantly surprised.

   I know I usually mention production here, generally by instrument. I’ll save that seeing as this is mixed about as perfectly as it can be. Everything’s in its own range and nothing beats out anything else. The only negative aspect of this album is its inability to make the synth and various vocal filters fit in. It’s done sparingly but it’s a bit distracting when it comes.

   If you like Demon Hunter, you will like this album. That’s a given. If you’ve stayed away from them for a while (I’m guilty of that) because you felt they strayed a bit from the first couple of albums, go ahead and get this. It’s heavy and yet it still maintains the facets of Demon Hunter’s sound that makes them more accessible. It’s a beautiful combination of old and new. You’ll enjoy it. Just trust me on this one.

   OUR RATING
   
   (4.5/5)
   Rating: 4 / 5
4. Mark Nelson says:

   March 28, 2010 at 4:52 pm

   In a world where Christian music can (sadly) be categorized by the mainstream, God-is-my-girlfriend, mediocre rock bands, Demon Hunter is a welcome retreat.

   Musically, the album is amazing. It is one of the heaviest metal albums I have heard but they somehow still manage to find a way to make it melodic, and not the usual mindless wailing and screaming that is commonplace nowadays (although it IS metal, so there is some screaming to be found.) Demon Hunter is clearly very talented when it comes to music, and they aren’t afraid to show it in their songs from the very skilled drumming in “Lifewar” to the blazing-fast guitar solo in “Collapsing”.

   What most impressed me however, was lyrical content. Demon Hunter obviously had a clear idea of what they wanted to express in this album…and they didn’t pull any punches. They have their eyes fixated on their enemy, and in this case it happens to be the secular world and it’s godlessness. The album is appropriately entitled The World is a Thorn, and most of the album is centered around that theme. Songs such as “Tie This Around Your Neck” describe a world where sin reigns and Christians will not be tolerated (And in this reign of godlessness / The heathens will say / Tie this around your neck / Fool), and the title track is a statement of relentless intolerance of the sinful world surrounding them (Won’t bow to man / Won’t bow to government / Won’t bow to greed / Won’t bow to false hope / Won’t bow to self / Won’t bow to modern code / Won’t sell my soul to a dead world / I defy).

   All in all this is a great album musically and lyrically and should not be ignored. If you like any sort of metal or even just hard rock, check this album out.
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. king beagley says:

   March 28, 2010 at 7:06 pm

   Demon Hunter has always kicked rear end righteously, and this album is no exception. from the get go, this album is like a rodeo bull trying to buck off its rider. Bjorn Strid of Soilwork and Christian Alvestam of Scar Symmetry and Miseration guest star on this album. like Killswitch Engage before it, Demon Hunter is a mixture of melody and brutality, and the two are engaged in a fistfight. song no. 3 entitled “Collapsing” has a bit of techno feel at the beginning of it and then starts the beatdown. I cannot say that this is the most radical album because I have listened to Demon Hunter for 5 years and every album they release is a standout. Demon Hunter has laid down the gauntlet for its peers to follow.
   Rating: 5 / 5