Review Summary: What will I know when the morning comes?
The best word to describe The Dear Hunter is ambitious. Whether it’s the conceptual story behind their first three albums, or the epic bombast of
The Color Spectrum, The Dear Hunter have proven time and time again that their pretentious nature is their greatest strength. However, that theme seemed to have halted when
Migrant showed the band’s temperate side. By all means, it wasn’t a bad album as it did offer what the band could do without the need of a concept to push their agenda, but it lacked the imagination and that made them so influential in the first place. Now we fast forward two years and The Dear Hunter deliver the next chapter in their story,
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise, an album that prevents the band from slipping off the edge.
For the most part,
Act IV has The Dear Hunter returning to their original sound. Casey Crescenzo, as usual, does a wonderful job as his voices carries so much emotion throughout while the rest of the band gives the record personality. Both have their moments of glory with passion from the former and orchestrations and instrumentations of the latter combining to create beautiful melodies and choruses that are catchy and memorable. The best example of this is the album’s nine-minute track, ‘A Night on the Town’. While Casey proves yet again to be the main force behind the music as he shines in the song’s chorus, the orchestral background helps develop the harmonious grace more than ever in the song’s second half. ‘Waves’ is another great example as the composition that sets the track's melody becomes the main focus of the song instead of the vocals. The result is arguably one of the most exquisite pieces that The Dear Hunter have ever crafted. Even the more familiar elements in ‘The Old Haunt’ and ‘The Bitter Suite’ contain the substance and character that the band is so good at creating.
Regardless, there are other influences to be found, mostly in the latter half of the record. These influences help develop diversity which in turn prevents the band in becoming stagnant. One such example, ‘King of Swords (Reversed)’, is so bizarre with its synth pop sound and melody that it's hard to turn away. The track itself is a fun listen, yet it will surely be divisive amongst their fans. However, where the album falters is in the last few songs. It seems as though The Dear Hunter are showing their limitations in ‘The Line’ and ‘Wait’ where the band’s strengths seemed to disappear. Both tracks feel much more basic compared to the rest of the album and don’t manage to reach that level of passion that is displayed earlier. Even the final track ‘Ouroboros’, which returns to the orchestral melody, feels misplaced in the end as it’s stuck following these somewhat lackluster moments.
Even with a few shortcomings,
Rebirth in Reprise is another great edition into The Dear Hunter’s discography. With Casey’s excellent performance and the beautiful melodies set by the instrumentation, many listeners are going to be satisfied with the band’s return-to-form sound. It’s the ambition and the imagination that makes The Dear Hunter so great and influential to begin with, and
Act IV is just the epitome of just what this group can accomplish. Now with four Acts out of the way, it’s a question of what exactly they will come up with next.
