Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2025 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.
CELEBRATING 18 YEARS!
- 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
February 2025
- Robin McAuley: Soulbound
- Perfect Plan: Heart Of A Lion
- Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
- Mantric Momentum: Alienized
- Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
- Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
- Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
- Dream Theater: Parasomnia
- Tyran: Tyran's Oath
- Saber: Lost In Flames
January 2025
- Wildness: Avenger
- The Ferrymen: Iron Will
- Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
- Bonfire: Higher Ground
- The Big Deal: Electrified
- Landfall: Wide Open Sky
December 2024
- After Lapse: Pathways
- Illusion Force: Halfana
- Powell-Payne: Voilá
November 2024
- Sunstorm: Restless Fight
- Storace: Crossfire
- Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
- Lionville: Supernatural
- Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
- Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
- Lonerider: Down In The Dust
- Seventh Crystal: Entity
- Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
- Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
- Impellitteri: War Machine
- Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter
October 2024
- Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
- DGM: Endless
- Daytona: Garder la Flamme
- Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
- Frost*: Life In The Wires
- Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
- Fans Of The Dark: Video
- Radioactive: Reset
- House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
- Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire
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
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
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
New & Notable
After a brief three year absence from the studio, Swedish rockers Perfect Plan return with their fourth long player, Heart Of A Plan. This arrives after their vocalist, Kent Hilli, has been involved in a few other projects ... [ Read More ]