Demon Hunter
Frankly, I’m tired of these “Special Edition” releases that are the latest record industry ploy. Re-releasing an album that came out within the last year, giving it some new artwork, slapping a few sub par bonus tracks on the end, and maybe giving us a DVD with some stuff that not many people care about. It’s a way to cash in on the true fans who’ve just got to have everything a band releases, regardless if they purchased the original version of the album a mere 12 months ago. It feels sleazy.
But every once in a while, the aforementioned album comes so packed full of extras, that not only is it worth the money, but it’s also a real treat for those not privy to the release prior. That’s where Demon Hunter’s The Triptych: Special Edition comes in. We get four bonus tracks: three acoustic and one remix of “Undying” by Aaron Sprinkle. The remix is one of the best and heaviest industrial type remixes you’re likely to hear. It would have been cool to hear some of the band’s heavier tracks translated acoustically rather than the three ballads we get here (“My Throat Is An Open Grave,” “My Heartstrings Come Undone,” and “The Tide Began To Rise”); heavy tracks laid bare that way show whether a song is truly great or merely heavy.
On the DVD we get lots of goodies. There’s the previously released (but rarely seen) Waging the Third War footage from the making of The Triptych, on the road scenes from the band’s recent tour, a professionally shot live show in its entirety from Pomona, California’s Glasshouse, all of the band’s music videos to date, and lots of photos. You can tell Demon Hunter relishes being on the road since they only tour once per album cycle, and it makes the entire experience more meaningful for the band and fans alike. With the live show, it’s great how raw and live the concert is, but the melodic vocals are weak and off-key most of the time.
As mentioned, this is definitely worth your time and funds. I never thought I’d say that about a “Special Edition” album, but Demon Hunter has made it worth your while. [Solid State] Chad Olson
This album review was originally published in the Jan/Feb Issue (#123) of HM Magazine. Order the Print Version to read tons more reviews.
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Comments
By Jake
Ya I heard the new songs like the acoustic version of heartstrings loved it.
By Ryan
I'm a huge DH fan and i think that being able to see the concert again is a great bonus eith the 4 music videos and acoustic songs
By Jeff Cooke
This is probably the coolest music package that I ever bought. Personally, I like the special editions because of the extra stuff (the concert on this one is worth the price alone). It gets costly and I just buy the extra stuff from a limited number of bands but if you're a fan it's worth it. Demon Hunter is an EXCELLENT band! Well worth it.
By Carl
I'm from Australia and just heard of this band...being desolate of good industrial music for a long time, I'm soooo wanting to get this album!! bless ya guys!!!!!
