Demon Hunter - Extremist (2014)

Do not take the album cover nor the title as hints of what the album will sound like, because you will only get disappointed. Demon Hunter is not anywhere near extreme metal or anything like that, they are instead performing very likable, but generic metal core that tries to be tougher than what it is. "Extremist" is the band's seventh offering, and it is once again a album that will please their fans, but not make them gain more in any significant number.

The problem I have with Demon Hunter is that every time they release an album, the same thing happens. 2-3 songs are really good while the rest of the pack are just fillers. The same goes with "Extremist". Out of the 12 songs in the album, I am only taking a liking towards 3 songs. The first one is "Artificial Light". It is almost sounds like a cover of a Soilwork song, but the band still manages to make it their own with a really nice chorus that is captivating. The second song is "What I'm Not", a song that is Demon Hunter to the bone. It is these kinds of songs that originally got me into the band. If the band did more of these powerful and modern songs, then I would appreciate their work even more. The third song is "Cross To Bear", which is the hardest song on the album (besides from the short opener "Death"). It has a great amount of punch and if you did not listen to the rest of the album, you would think that Demon Hunter was a lot harder of a band than what they actually were.

The rest of the songs are just either boring ballads ("I Will Fail You", "Hell Don't Need Me") or pure fillers ("In Time", "Beyond Me") that wants too much. Is it too much for the band to make a full album with high quality songs? They have the know hows, so why do they not use it on all of the songs? I don't know, maybe they want to please too many at the same time, a move that has kept many bands from truly evolving.

However, I will give credit to the band that they stay true to their sound and at least tries to evolve. "Extremist" is in fact a small step forward from its predecessor, "True Defiance", and it could also be the band's best album up to date. But that does not mean that "Extremist" will be on my top list at the end of the year.

"Extremist" is not a disappointment, but it is neither a pleasant surprise. Just like its predecessors, it has some songs that stands out and shows the band's full potential. However, the majority of songs are just boring fillers that makes you shrug and shake your head. For every album that goes by, I am getting more and more sure that Demon Hunter will never be a world class act. They will just be known as the band that has some good songs and some albums that are good, but nothing over the ordinary.

Songs worthy of recognition: What I'm Not, Artificial Light, Cross To Bear

Rating: 6,5/10 Gasolines