Royal Hunt - A Life To Die For

Progressive Metal
Frontiers
2013








1. Hell Comes Down From Heaven
2. A Bullet's Tale
3. Running Out Of Tears
4. One Minute Left
5. Sign Of Yesterday
6. Won't Trust, Won't Fear, Won't Beg
7. A Life To Die For

Royal Hunt's last album Show Me How To Live was a pretty exciting one for me. It wasn't their best release ever (though it was very good), but it featured the return of DC Cooper to the band. DC has always been my favorite Royal Hunt singer so that was big for me. The album itself was a grower that I'd probably rate higher now than when I first reviewed it. The songs weren't very outside the box or as experimental/interesting as Royal Hunt can get, but they were melodic and powerful. Still, I went into this one hoping the band would get a little more adventurous with their songwriting this time than trying to make Paradox again.

Well, for better or worse this is much of the same. The sound on A Life To Die For is similar to the last album which is similar to the DC Cooper stuff that came before. The vocal melodies seem sort of familiar, the music sounds much as it has, and the heavy on the strings orchestration continues to show up in the background. If you've heard Royal Hunt with DC Cooper this album isn't really going to shake your expectations. This is the sort of melodic progressive with a hint of power that they've always done. The problem is that once again the band feels to reach outside the box and this does feel kind of rehashed. Pretty much the exact problem I'd feared this album would have.

Besides the familiarity, there are some other problems that strike me in regards to the songs though. The general style may be very recognizable, but there are other issues that hold some tracks back. Hell Comes Down From Heaven's chorus seems rammed into the music and doesn't really fit the flow of it for one thing, but even more than that, the song is a bloated one at nine and a half minutes. It really didn't need to be that long as far as I'm concerned. Running Out Of Tears is also worth noting as sounding just too sugary sweet for my ears. That chorus is so overblown happy I think it may have given me diabetes. Sign Of Yesterday is a better song, but also suffers from a bit too much sugar, so to speak. None of these songs are really bad, but they do have elements that hold them back from being better.

Overall, this is an alright album for fans, but it breaks no new ground and doesn't offer any song I can call extremely memorable. It's a pleasant enough listen in that the music is well executed, DC is a good singer, and this is passably melodic and smooth, but this just doesn't offer anything exciting. This is just a little too cookie cutter for me.

Highlights: One Minute Left To Live, A Bullet's Tale

Rating - 3.0/5

Royal Hunt - Show Me How To Live

Progressive Metal
Frontiers

2011

1. One More Day
2. Another Man Down
3. An Empty Shell
4. Half Past Loneliness
5. Hard Rain's Coming
6. Show Me How To Live
7. Angel's Gone

Like a lot of folks out there, my favorite Royal Hunt has always been Paradox. Probably their most popular album to date and a fan favorite. I've always enjoyed Royal Hunt and listen to anything they release anyways, but there was a particular excitement to this release for me. DC Cooper back in the fold at vocals was just an intriguing notion after all these years.

After listening to Show Me How To Live this album pretty much meets my expectations of it. This release might as well be Paradox Pt. III based on the sound. Everything here is very much in that vein stylistically as the music is melodic but with punch and has that touch of choir vocals and a bit of a symphonic touch. DC Cooper sounds in fine form and just makes this album sound like it should have immediately followed Paradox. The whole band takes a step back in time here, though in all fairness, they started to do that with Paradox II anyways and X was maybe just something of a misstep. Show Me How To Live just sounds more metal and energetic than X and it's a welcome change.

With Show Me How To Live the formula is back in place and this is a nice, direct Royal Hunt album that should please fans of Paradox II and the DC Cooper era. Soundwise this is what fans of Paradox would probably want. Almost to a fault though I have to say and that is my one real nitpick with this album. Show Me How To Live is so familiar and doesn't really break any new ground. I guess that can and maybe even should be expected of an album like this where an old vocalist is coming back into the fold. I can't help thinking it would have been nice if the band expanded the sound just a little though. At times I do get just a bit of a sense of a rehash. All in all though this is a fine release and I enjoyed listening to it. If you're a fan of Royal Hunt you should certainly get this. If you're unfamiliar with the band and like melodic progressive and/or prog/power stuff I'd say pick up Paradox first.

Highlights: Half Past Loneliness, Hard Rain's Coming, Angel's Gone

Rating - 3.5/5

Royal Hunt - X

Progressive/Melodic Metal
Frontiers
2010

1. Episode X (Arrival)
2. End Of The Line
3. King For A Day
4. The Well
5. Army Of Slaves
6. Shadowman
7. Back To Square One
8. Blood Red Stars
9. The Last Leaf
10. Falling Down
11. Epidose X (Departure)

Royal Hunt's last album, Paradox II: Collision Course, is one of those albums I'd probably rate higher in retrospect. The thing with reviews is you can only have so much time with the albums before you want to write a review and get it out. Then there is that 'growth' factor which can take awhile. The bottom line though is that I loved the last album, even if it took a bit for Mark Boals to fully click with me in particular.

With this album the band had stated they wanted to draw on some of their roots/classic rock influences, etc and I can hear a lot of that in the finished product indeed. I think the combination of being on Frontiers (which is in large part known for it's melodic rock/metal), having Mark Boals in the fold, and this conscience effort to draw on older rock influences all led the band in the same sort of direction. You can still hear Royal Hunt's sort of touch to the music, but in large part this one feels much more like a melodic rock/metal album than the epic progressive album that Paradox II was. I find X a pretty good listen, but it does lack that extra something in both creativity and power that the last one had and that's a little bit of a let down for me. This seems to focus more on smooth melodies than ever really kicking ass or even grand atmospheres. That being said there are some catchy groove riffs, like in the song Army Of Slaves, which I dig. Really the all out melodic rock songs have some solid hooks at times, even if they're not exactly what I came into this looking for.

The bottom line would be that this just isn't as grand and epic of an experience as Paradox II was, but it is none the less not a bad album. Just not as classic as the previous. I'm sure this is still worth picking up for Royal Hunt fans.

Highlights: Army Of Slaves, Back To Square One, End Of The Line

Rating - 3.5/5

Royal Hunt - Paradox II: Collision Course

Progressive Metal
Frontiers

2008

1. Principles of Paradox
2. The First Rock
3. Exit Wound
4. Divide and Reign
5. High Noon at the Battlefield
6. The Clan
7. Blood In Blood Out
8. Tears of the Sun
9. Hostile Breed
10. Chaos A.C.

After over a decade, Royal Hunt have decided to sequel what is probably their most popular album to date and certainly my favorite release of theirs, Paradox. I had a fair amount of uncertainty going into this one with John West leaving them without a singer shortly before the album was recorded. Finding a vocalist to fill DC Cooper's shoes was hard enough but now a new vocalist would have to follow in the wake of two vocal giants like DC and John West.

After listening to this I'm not sure I'm ready to say Mark Boals can match either vocalist in terms of sheer talent, he does fit the band quite well as he can muster both an effective high range that recalls DC while most of the time keeping an earthy melodic mid-range that is a pretty good fit for John West. Certainly, I can see why they picked Boals and he should handle all eras of the band admirably live. But back on the note of the album itself, I must say it did take a couple listens before I warmed to Boals and I suspect it may take others the same as it is still an adjustment.

In terms of the music, I've gotta say that this album manages to capture the vibe and lyrical content of the first Paradox well while not going backward in time as the music still has that melodic flow of the John West material. In a way this album captures both new and old's strength as I find this album more cohesive without all the interludes the John West material was sometimes overfilled with, but it has the gripping melodic vocal lines and power of the newer. A change in vocals has not really altered the formula in the sense that this should be in a familiar vein and welcome to longtime fans.

Basically, this is a nice homage to a classic without being cheesy and an attempt at entirely redoing what has already been done and I think it should please any Royal Hunt fan. If you're not familiar with the band this could make for a pretty good intro for a band who's been around quite awhile now but sometimes gos overlooked. Fans of great melodic and creative music that still has some balls and energy should take note.

Highlights: Exit Wound, The First Rock, High Noon At The Battlefield, The Clan

Rating - 4.0/5

Royal Hunt - Paper Blood

Power/Prog
Frontiers Records

2005

1. Break Your Chains
2. Not My Kind
3. Memory Lane
4. Never Give Up
5. Seven Days
6. SK 983
7. Kiss Of Faith
8. Paper Blood
9. Season’s Change
10. Twice Around The World

The latest in a long and steady career of albums, Paper Blood marks the 8th album by this very consistent band. Probably best known for their couple albums that introduced one DC Cooper, this album continues with John West whom they've had for the past few. West has also probably exceeded the band in notariety as he's been featured in many other groups such as Artension and Feinstein.

Really though Royal Hunt is pretty underrated. I never hear a thing about this band from anyone and for a band that's forged their own style and kept things steady since the early 90s, this is suprising. Using an interesing blend of atmospheric keyboards and heavy riffs this would certainly appeal to fans of finnish power and progressive metal. John West is mostly mid ranged and melodic but can let go at times. Kind of like a more 'metal' sounding Jorn Lande in a way, but he has a sound that's pretty unique. An interesting blend of progressive rock, choir-like backups, and heavy riffing, this album is nothing particularly new for the band, but they continue on in their own style. If you haven't checked them out yet and this sounds appealing to you then it's about time.

Highlights: Never Give Up, Break Your Chains, Paper Blood

Rating - 3.0/5