20th Anniversary is
a look back at the first twenty years of the career of progressive metal band Royal
Hunt. The 3CD and 1DVD package features songs from each of the band's eleven
studio albums, as well as a new track, some newly recorded acoustic versions
and a handful of rarities. The decision for them to cover all parts of their
career is a welcome one; it would've been very easy for them just to focus on
the material recorded with singer D.C. Cooper, who recently rejoined the band
after an absence of eleven years. In their twenty year history, Royal Hunt has
gone through many line-up changes so the only constant throughout the thirty
four tracks is keyboard player André Anderson.
Given the length of time this set covers and the amount
of musicians that are playing on it (by my reckoning there are at least
thirteen musicians that play on this release) the collection of songs blends
together surprisingly well. No doubt the decision to put the tracks in
chronological order helps this. The progression in the band’s sound sounds very
natural when you hear it develop this way. Often Greatest Hits and Best Of
collections can sound a little bit disjointed but thankfully that is not the
case here.
While the line-up has changed a lot over the years, one
thing has remained constant and that is the amazing musicianship that this band
has shown from day one. That is on display here on pretty much every track and
there are more great guitar riffs and keyboard solos than I can count. A
special mention has to be given André Anderson in this regard. Not only is he
responsible for the fantastic keyboard playing that is featured on the
collection but more importantly he is responsible for writing the songs on
here. Song after song, this collection proves that Anderson is not only capable
of writing great progressive metal but that he is also capable of writing
catchy choruses and hooks that would put some pop writers to shame.
Highlights of the collection include "Wasted
Time" from 1993's Clown In The Mirror. The song powers through the
verses, rocking as hard as anything else on the set but then it slows down for
a classic chorus that will stick in your head for days. "Tearing Down The
World" is a track from D.C. Cooper's original stint with the band. The
combination of his voice and the complicated backing track makes this song
stand out on an album full of great stuff. "Tears Of The Sun" shows
off the bands amazing technical ability, in particular the drums on this track
are fantastic. The double kick drum pounds through the song and drives it along
with Mark Boals' powerful vocals.
Sometimes when you get new tracks and acoustic versions
put on compilations they can feel a little bit tacked on. Cynics would say that
they’re there just thrown together and included to encourage fans that already
own all of the bands albums to buy the new collection. That is not the case
here though. There has clearly been a lot of time and care put into the
acoustic versions and they sound great. The new song is good too, it doesn't
quite reach the heights of some of the classic songs on here but, it sure gives
fans reassurance that Royal Hunt’s next album is going to be a good one.
Overall, this is a collection that's worth picking up
whether you're new to Royal Hunt or a fan that has followed their whole career.
The way that the tracks have been chosen and laid out work as perfect
introduction to newcomers and the new stuff is something that long time fans
are really going to want to hear.
4/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Wasted Time, Tearing Down The World, Tears Of The Sun
James Hinton - MuzikReviews.com Contributor
February 4, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment