Customer Reviews

Hunter

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yeah that's right, the best debut of 2000 and among the top 5 albums overall of that year too. Now I can hear some of you say "Huh? No one ever heard of this band!". Well that is unfortunately what happens when a good band signs with a record label that wasn't able to promote them properly (and eventually closed it's doors). Despite putting out an excellent first album, barely anyone got to hear it.

What this album is is a triumphant return of speed metal. Though that label is not really used anymore, that's really what this album is. Speed metal in the vein of early Blind Guardian and Megadeth, and the comparisons between Persuader and these 2 bands have been numerous. And though speed metal sounds more like an old memory than something a new band would want to do, their music is astonishly fresh sounding. Speedy guitars, bombastic drums, screaming vocals, even a good share of melody. And nothing overdone, it all just blends together perfectly. There is just as much potential in Persuader than you could hear in Blind Guardian and Megadeth back in the days. And dare I say that this debut IS better than the other 2 bands'. Look out if Persuader ever comes back with new material.

Well whatever I say, it would be best if you could judge for yourself. Do yourself a favor and try to find the opener "Fire At Will". It will give you a good taste of what this album has to offer. This track alone should convince you, a lot better than a 4 stars review will anyway. And if reading my review makes you wonder why I didn't rate this album 5 stars, it's because I'm not the kind of guy that throws these at just about anything. In my book 5 stars are for masterpieces, a mark to be reached by only a handful of albums. "The Hunter" is not one of them, but it is nonetheless and EXCELLENT album.

Some of the best Power Metal I've heard in a really long time. I was so pleasantly surprised to hear something in the veins of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian but even slightly more aggressive. COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE.

this was the best metal release of 2000 . unfortunately the band were signed to a dodgy record label. the original release was only in france, with a very limited amount of cd,s pressed. i am fortunate enough to own this fantastic cd and 5 years after its release it still has that crispiness sound about it, like every time you play a new cd for the first time. the band have a new label and will re-release this cd in late september 2005. they are planning to add more tracks to the 9 on the original cd so keep a look out and do youself a favour, BUY IT. the band will also be releasing new studio album in january 2006, a follow up to the brilliant EVOLUTION PURGATORY

This is one of the most essential power metal albums, period. While their newer tunes are maybe a little more progressive, this album is everything the (often cheezy) power metal genre is trying to live up to. Jens Carlsson, who is also in Savage Circus, and Dark Empire, is probably the best metal vocalist you've never heard of, and leads the charge for this dynamic offering to the metal gods. His voice is reminiscent of Hansi Kursch from Blind Guardian, but better (in my opinion).

This album is a must have for fans of Judas Priest, Symphony X, Iron Maiden, and the afformentioned Blind Guardian. It may also be enjoyable for many of you who are fans of old school American thrash such as Anthrax, and Overkill, since this is a thrashy, yet classic style melodic metal disc, and is better than most of the albums by the retro-thrash bands. Very powerful, epic, and technical. It has a raw and edgy feel, but sounds clean and precise.

The album starts off great with Fire At Will, a powerful vintage style metal song which could have easily come out of the late Eighties, except for the drumming, which is too good to come out of that era. Cursed and The Hunter are phenomenal, and Escape, and My Life For You are also epic.

I don't like this album quite as much as Dreamland Manor by Savage Circus (Jens' other band), but it is still very high on my all time Power Metal album list, as well as on my top 25 all time metal albums. If you are a fan of power, progressive, thrash, or classic style metal, check this CD out.

Most of this album is a mixture of Thrash and Power Metal and it has some of the most impressive songcraft I've heard on a debut album in quite a while (Garden of Shadows' "Oracle Moon" wins out in this regard). With "The Hunter" Persuader have yet to incorporate their future Blind Guardian influences, although the Iron Maiden vibe still rears its head once in a while, with splashes of Opeth scattered here and there. My primary complaint comes from the production which occasionally buries the vocals under waves of monstrous guitars. What makes this album particularly interesting is to hear Jens Carlsson before he mastered his vocal talents. On their second album, "Evolution Purgatory", his performance improves greatly; while on their third release, "When Eden Burns", he sincerely comes into his own as a front man. Compare the song "Fire at Will" on "Evolution Purgatory" with the original recording of the same song on "The Hunter" for a fine example of this. "The Hunter" has better songwriting than "Evolution Purgatory", however, often reaching the heights of "When Eden Burns", where technically impressive musicianship and inspiration go hand in hand. "Evolution Purgatory" has much improved production over "The Hunter", though, so I feel they even each other out overall. Not to mention the expensive price they are asking for this re-issue. It is certainly worth the money for fans of their other albums who may be hesitant. The guitar-work is often amazing, even the bass playing catches my attention now and again. I would say the production on "The Hunter" is on par with early Opeth recordings such as "Orchid" or "Morningrise". Not horrible, but the sound quality could be improved. Still, this album is easy to recommend to all current and future Persuader fans. Thank you.

SUPER EXCELLENT SPEED METAL !!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL!!!