Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2023 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
June 2023
- The Defiants: Drive
- Ray Alder: II
- Art Nation: Inception
- False Memories: Hybrid Ego System
May 2023
- Renaisance Rock Orchestra: Ice Age Cometh
- Imperium: Never Surrender
- House Of Shakira: Xit
- Cry Of Dawn (Goran Edman): Anthropocene
- Sweet & Lynch: Heart & Sacrifice
- Screamachine: Church Of The Scream
- The Michael Thompson Band: The Love Goes On
- Heaven's Edge: Get It Right
- Circus Of Rock: Lost Behind The Mask
- Enforcer: Nostalgia
April 2023
- Smackbound: Hostage
- Revolution Saints: Eagle Flight
- One Desire: Live with The Shadow Orchestra
- Mecca: Everlasting
- Bite The Bullet: Rocky Road
- Kardinal Sin: S.A.L.I.G.I.A
- Jason Bieler: Postcards From The Asylum
- Angel: Once Upon A Time
- Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion
- L.A. Guns (Guns & Lewis): Black Diamonds
- Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall: Hunt The Flame
- Archon Angel: II
- Blazon Rite: Wild Rites And Ancient Songs
March 2023
- Excalion: Once Upon A Time
- RPWL: Crime Scene
- Transworld Identity: Seven Worlds
- Stormwarning: Stormwarning
- Phantom Elite: Blue Blood
- Narnia: Ghost Town
- Redemption: I Am The Storm
- Cross Country Driver: The New Truth
- The Banishment: Machine And Bone
- Seventh Crystal: Wonderland
- Demons Down: I Stand
Royal Hunt: A Life To Die For
Royal Hunt A Life To Die For
Melodic/Symphonic/Power Metal
5.0/5.0
Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Frontiers Records
by Craig Hartranft
11.15.2013
Royal Hunt has never done anything small or halfway. It's not in founder and keyboard player Andre Andersen's nature. For their twelfth album, A Life To Die For, they've made things even big and better by recording with an orchestra and choir.
Royal Hunt: wardrobe to die for.
Most times this addition is prominent and immense, offering the bombastic color required for Royal Hunt's melodic metal, notably at the start with Hell Comes Down From Heaven, later with One Minute Left To Live and Won't Trust, Won't Fear, Won't Beg (dig those booming kettle drums). Sometimes the orchestration is more subtle, more than a mere accent, but definitely not overwhelming as within Sign of Yesterday.
While the orchestration is significant some songs turn on other factors. For instance, One Minute Left To Live gets it's lyrical urgency from some galloping power metal. Then Running Out Of Tears has a more rock groove and catchy sing-a-long chorus. With all this you have the traditional Royal Hunt elements like Andersen's grand arrangements, DC Cooper's strong, focused, vocals, and sharp guitar lines from Jonas Larsen.
Ramping up their game with an orchestra and choir makes A Life To Die For pure melodic, symphonic, power metal gluttony. It's pure Royal Hunt, and it's all good. Quite recommended.
Royal Hunt - A Life To Die For (Official Lyric Video)
Tweet
In Short
Ramping up their game with an orchestra and choir makes A Life To Die For pure melodic, symphonic, power metal gluttony.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
Album of the Week
This experience deserves mention for one very good reason: Finland's One Desire is one of the best classic AOR melodic hard rock bands in the genre and, perhaps, the world, right now So, I also apologize, in ... [ Read More ]