Demon Hunter - True Defiance

Demon Hunter is a band that gets better with age... Or with member changes. The writing combo of Ryan Clark and Patrick Judge helped to push the band to a new height on The World Is a Thorn. The band has gotten better with each record and my expectations after The World Is A Thorn were high.

And True Defiance doesn't disappoint. The album kicks off with Crucifix. I'd argue it's the best album opener Demon Hunter has had yet and the band has had some killer album opening tracks. Right from the start you can hear Patrick Judge really stepping up his game in the guitar department. Well Ethan Luck brought guitar solos to the band, Judge is a pure metal guitarist and his solos on True Defiance are solid and tasty.

God Forsaken is a track that I think fans who weren't thrilled about The World Is A Thorn will really connect with. The ballad side of Demon Hunter is back in full force on True Defiance and God Forsaken shows that great melody that Ryan Clark has always been able to deliver with DH. Unlike The World Is A Thorn, it's the ballads that really standout on True Defiance. Tomorrow Never Comes is a beautiful song. Judge's solo the leads the track off is amazing and the song is just haunting enough to give it that something special that past DH songs like Carry Me Down had. Dead Flowers is an absolutely amazing track that closes True Defiance perfectly.

The trash elements from The World Is A Thorn are still on this album and there's an element of modern metal that Demon Hunter hasn't explored before this record. It's another stellar record in a great discography. Demon Hunter continues to expand and craft metal in new ways without losing what makes them such a great band.