Review Summary: After releasing their two heaviest (and greatest) albums back-to-back, a more experimental approach like this was bound to happen. Doesn't excuse the poor quality of the album, though.
Demon Hunter is one of the longest-running metalcore bands in the business. Most of the ones out there, if they're lucky, do three or four albums and enjoy moderate success. Then they either fizzle out of the scene or just call it quits for no reason. But Demon Hunter? They've been doing this since 2002. This is their seventh album. That's pretty amazing.
Demon Hunter has always been an up-and-down band. They've had some masterpiece albums (The World Is A Thorn, The Triptych, True Defiance), and they've also had a couple of weak albums (Summer of Darkness), or in the case of Storm the Gates Of Hell, just flat out terrible. So where does Extremist fall?
Well... I guess we had to expect that after two albums that contained their heaviest material ever, we should've come to expect a more experimental album. But that's what we get here--one of their most diverse releases ever. Much like Summer of Darkness, things are a mixed bag. Some songs are brilliant ("Death," "The Last One Alive," "Beyond Me"), some songs are just okay ("Artificial Light," "What I'm Not," "One Last Song") and some just flat out terrible songs ("I Will Fail You," "Hell Don't Need Me," "The Heart of a Graveyard").
Demon Hunter normally has only two ballads on an album. But there are a *lot* more here. And the moments that are heavy, tend to be rather inconsistent. "One Last Song" is a perfect example--it has some good guitar work, and an excellent bridge--but a shockingly bland chorus. And the singles? Well, "The Last One Alive" is an album highlight--it's your typical great Demon Hunter radio single. But "Artificial Light," although it's good, just doesn't live up to other lead singles, like "Collapsing," "My Destiny," "Infected," or even "Not Ready to Die." Unfortunately, there's not much else they could've gone with, because can you imagine the short-but-sweet "Death" with its Latin chant early on being a single? "Beyond Me" could've worked, but still. And as for "I Will Fail You," it lives up to its title, because it is an epic fail indeed. I mean... why? What were they thinking?
People may think you're bipolar if you are listening to this album with headphones. Because one moment you may be rocking out, and the next you may have a disgusted expression on your face. But that's what this album does--it polarizes you as you're listening to it. It polarizes itself, if you will.
Now, I'm not Demon Hunter, but I certainly wouldn't be saying that "this is the album we're most proud of." Still, though, it's certainly not the worst thing they've ever done.
Recommended Songs: "The Last One Alive," "Beyond Me," "Death"
