Demon Hunter Comes Out of Exile

By Phil Hawkins

Demon Hunter is (finally) coming out of exile. Exile is their much anticipated 11th studio album from the heavy music veterans and their first release under their own label, Weapons, MFG.

Exile was initially slated to drop on September 9th, but due to production delays the album was pushed back close to two whole months. However, the additional time needed for all the pieces to be in place has been well worth the wait.

*Please note that the follow review is of the standard version of the album and not the deluxe version.*

The album opens with “Defense Mechanism” and wastes no time setting precedent on what is to be expected moving forward. Demon Hunter are not new to the game and with this being their first self released they have a bit more freedom to experiment. “Defense Mechanism” does feature a guest spot from Max Cavalera of Soulfly and is a barn burner with a strong driving presence from [Yogi] Watts on the drums. “Master” follows and while it may not be as fast paced it is still a solid track that presents the contrast early in the album. “Silence the World” keeps a similar pacing to “Master,” but has a more cinematic feel in essence that seems to reflect in [Ryan] Clark’s vocal delivery on the track. It also features a guest spot from Tom S. Englund of Evergrey. It’s placement is interesting as it feels like it could/would be a solid closing track (especially with a runtime exceeding 7 minutes. However, it makes for a solid prelude of sorts as well rounding out the first quarter of the album.

“Heaven Don’t Cry,” the album’s biggest single to date, continues to keep the album in a slower tempo compared to the album opener. However, just because it is slower in tempo and in sequence with the preceding tracks it still carries a lot of heavy music intricacies, specifically in the guitar work. “Another Place” starts out on a slower tempo, but builds into a track that feels like it has an epic scope. It has a big sound, but doesn’t overuse it keeping a solid balance between the instrumentation and the vocals on the track. “Freedom is Dead” brings back a lot of the earlier elements seen in “Defense Mechanism” with driving bombastic drums and some throwbacks mixed in from the band’s earlier work.

“Praise the Void” opens up the second half of the album and has been the most anticipated track due to it’s initial inclusion on Songs of Death & Resurrection that the band did during the pandemic where they “recreated” various tracks spanning their career in a more broken down way. “Praise the Void” was a stand out as it was the first inclination that new music was forthcoming. It feels like a rather somber track that almost seems out of place sandwiched between “Freedom is Dead” and “Revolutions.” The latter starts out strong with a very driving drum beat that quickly shifts down a bit to almost instantly slam right into Clark’s more guttural side of things vocally. This is mixed perfectly with Clark also showcase some more soaring vocals on the “cleaner” side. “Chemicals” is Demon Hunter firing on all cylinders and carries a strong nostalgic feel as it showcases the “classic” sound we have come to expect from DH.

“Godless” feels like an old school metal track in the vein of Alice in Chains and features a guest spot from Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest. The guitars are soaring throughout the entire track and Clark’s vocal delivery are some of the best on the entire album making it a gem so late in the album. “Devotion” almost feels like a last hurrah toward the end of the album, but it’s placement helps keep keep balance on the varied tempos presented on the album without creating an audible whiplash effect. The album closes with “Along the Way” which clocks at over 8 minutes making it the longest track on the album. While “Silence the World” would have fit as a solid closer, “Along the Way” is the perfect track to close out the album. It is another track showcasing the classic DH feel and composition that their fans have come to know and love over the course of the past 20 years.

While some fans may find Exile a bit lackluster as a whole it is a fine example of everything that Demon Hunter has done up to this point. It is musically diverse and you can’t help but appreciate the approach the band has taken on this venture. It has it’s fast paced moments, but manages to keep a sense of heaviness without being a straight up thrash metal album. It is to note that Exile is considered a concept album so there is an overall narrative that unfolds as the album progresses (this may be seen even more on the deluxe edition).

Exile is available now via all major streaming and digital platforms or you can order physical copies via the band’s website.