ROYAL HUNT – The Watchers

Somehow I have got the impression that our Danish/American friends have turned into a studio band. All shows were cancelled last year due to “11. September”, which now is a term that not only bands, but also airline companies and actually anyone doing business use to explain why things go downhill. I know from personal experience that it’s not harder to pass a security control at airports these days, and you don’t really need 6 hours from check in to the gate, like our Danish composer friend just told the Sweden Rock Magazine…
Anyway, here’s Royal Hunt’s last part of a trilogy thing which includes the “Intervention” EP (only available in Japan), the fantastic studio release “The Mission”, and now the album “The Watchers”. I thought this was meant to be an EP as well, but with something like 70 minutes of music, I can’t really call it that. Maybe that’s what happens when you don’t tour – you can put out a full length CD instead of a CD? So what exactly is this release? Well, it holds the full version of the song “Intervention”, as well as a radio edit, and several live recordings, plus rerecorded material from the band’s past. Personally, without making a negative remark about DC Cooper, I have to say I prefer the amazing vocal qualities of John West. The live stuff is also high quality, no wonder as Royal Hunt is a damn good band, that likes to do things up to a certain standard when they finally do them. (Meaning; if you ever caught them as a headliner, you will for sure experience the deep going professionalism this band is all about!) Get part one, get part two, and get part three – and maybe the Danish Royalties finally will get some tour support… ;-p