Hunter
Rebel Angels Rise
Out: September 2nd, 2023
Playing time: 37:10
I have many good memories of Belgium. Besides the Metal Female Voices Fest in Wieze, the Power Prog & Metal Fest in Mons was also organised there for several years. And there are many bands from the Benelux country. The most recent example is Hunter. Formed in 2016 and apparently in an unchanged line-up since then. That doesn’t happen very often either. After a demo (“Death Shall Have Dominion” 2017), the self-titled debut album was released in 2019. Four years later, the second album “Rebel Angels Rise” is now on the store shelves.
The opening song “Wicked” is a very fast played song. Singer David Walgrave sings with a scratchy partly pressed sounding voice. A great guitar solo makes the whole thing even better. “The Forge” starts more calmly, but not less hard. Later, heavy guitar riffs provide maximum blast. David contributes some high Metal screams. The title track “Rebel Angels Rise” is a melodic midtempo smash. Again, there are powerful riffs on the ears. The singer soars into the realms of higher tones. The ballad “Requiem” then sets a contemplative point of rest. The vocals are mostly accompanied by clean acoustic guitars. Did I say ballad? After one minute, the tempo picks up. All calmness is over. The first part of “The Knight Of The Black Rose, Part 2” is on the album debut. The story of Lord Soth from the Dragonlance book is retold here. Harsh guitar sounds symbolise the sadistic and evil plans of the dark knight. “Suffocate” is pure Speed Metal again. With occasional growls. In contrast, “Morior Invictus” seems almost epic. The bonus track “Dominion MMXXIII” is a new recording of the opener of the debut album. This song is also very epic over large parts. Once again, David Walgrave goes to higher pitches, but also shrieks and growls.
“Rebel Angels Rise” is an album for friends of straightforward Heavy Metal. Besides the singer, the guitar section is also convincing. I wish more of that.
Hunter – Wicked: https://youtu.be/mxRxZsbs86M
Lineup:
David Walgrave – Vocals
Jeroen ‘The Bull’ Wauters – Bass
Joost Vlasschaert – Guitar
Dries Deturck – Drums
Thomas Abeel – Guitar
Track liste:
- Wicked
- The Forge
- Rebel Angels Rise
- Requiem
- The Knight Of The Black Rose, Part 2
- Suffocate
- Morior Invictus
- Dominion MMXXIII (Bonus Track)
Rating:
Album (40%): 9/10
Cover-Art (20%): 8/10
Songwriting (40%): 9/10
Overall Rating: 8,8/10
