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Hunted: Welcome the Dead

Heavy/Power/Progressive Metal

4.5/5.0

Massacre Records
Website MySpace
by Craig Hartranft,  08.08.2011

Hunted's full-length debut, Welcome the Dead, may cause some consternation, even agitation, among both the traditional and modern metalhead. Frankly, they don't fit. Well, maybe more the classic tradition. Hunted blurs genres with many parts classic metal and some thrash and power metal with clean vocals. But with the shifting tempos and signatures, they reveal progressive metal tendencies. Perhaps, they don't even know the direction they intend.

After several listens I find myself perplexed, even mystified. With The Silence of Minds, Aria, and Scars, I'm intrigued, but scratching my head. Hunted seems to venture towards exaggeration with their constant shifting arrangements. Fast. Slow. Power metal. Then thrash. Then what's next. But, damn, It sounds so good, and Hunted is quite good. Am I being too obtuse? I hope not.

Perhaps Hunted is attempting too much in their songs mixing so many genres. Perhaps they wish to resurrect the best of melodic metal, in its variant forms, over the last three decades. They certainly make Nevermore acceptable to the pedestrian populace with their cover of The Heat Collecter. Perhaps, Hunted is the best thing to happen to the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NMOTHM). Why not? Reimagining great metal, but possibly redundant in substance, or not, Hunted's Welcome to the Dead is a brave wind of fresh air. Very recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Reimagining great metal, but possibly redundant in substance, or not, Hunted's Welcome to the Dead is a brave wind of fresh air. Very recommended.

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The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]