ROYAL HUNT – The Mission

A Scandinavian band with an American singer? Does that ring a bell? Can you also agree that the combination is a winner? With the risk of insulting the Kamelot guys, who do things just as good but the opposite way, I have to say that Royal Hunt rules just as much as TNT did back in the eighties. Though without any further comparisons… The last CD, “Fear”, was also the best one in the class, and the level the band is on now is at least just as high. Compared to “Fear”, “The Mission” has richer sound, and I believe it will stay in my CD tray even longer (and I still haven’t put “Fear” back into the shelves yet). The record holds seven songs, divided by instrumentals. The variation is perfect, the melodies are great, and the disc ends with a killer hard edged song called “Total Recall” – perhaps the hardest hitting motherfucker Andre Andersen has created so far. Other future classics are “Surrender” and “World Wide War”, which reminds a little of “Lies” from the last opus. And John West? Well, he shows an even wider range than ever before, and there’s no doubt that DC Cooper bites the dust once again, though he is such an amazing singer himself. Royal Hunt makes timeless music. If you can’t afford a whole lot of CD’s, and you too fast get tired of the stuff you buy – here’s one for you!