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Demon Hunter
There Was A Light Here
Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Metal / Rock
Album length: 12 tracks: 56 minutes, 47 seconds
Street Date: September 12, 2025
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JFH Staff's Second Opinion
Demon Hunter's post-2020 output has been a little outside of the box. Between an acoustic album, a concept album with accompanying graphic novel, and a handful of standalone singles, it's been an experimental few years for the band. But now with the release of their 12th studio album, There Was A Light Here, it feels like it's back to business. The band has certainly doubled down on their melodic and hard rock tendencies over the years, so when I say it's "back to business," I don't mean it's a full-on blast of furious metalcore with a couple of rock ballads. Tracks like that are present here, of course, like the classic DH-style opener "My Place in the Dirt" and the fantastic "Ouroboros." But so are the really strong rock tracks like "Light Bends," "The Pain In Me Is Gone," and a personal favorite in "Overwhelming Closure." The album balances the harder and softer sides really well, making it nearly impossible to label the album as either a metal album or a rock album - it's just somewhere in between, and it flows so naturally from start to finish. And speaking of finishing, I can't not talk about the closing track, "There Was A Light Here." The album is emotionally heavy, as Ryan Clark processes grief after the passing of his mother, and he channels it into some of the best lyricism of his career. The title track is by far the slowest, most minimalistic song of the band's 23-year history, but it also might be their best ballad (I'd legitimately rank it with "My Heartstrings Come Undone" and "The Tide Began To Rise"). Clark sounds incredible, and though you can hear the sorrow in it, it's also drenched in hope, honoring the legacy his mother left behind ("You may never find the place you're looking for / you may never see her face again this side of Heaven's door / but when the night is at its darkest / in the quiet of your heart, you will know / there was a light here"). There Was A Light Here is easily one of the strongest, most mature, and most well-rounded albums the band has ever released, and it's become an almost daily listen for me. Some bands get this far into their career and start to phone it in, having hit their peak years ago. Not Demon Hunter. I don't know how many years or albums they have left in them, but this one proves that they're still one of the best to do it, and I don't think that will ever change.
- Review date: 9/24/25, Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Record Label: Weapons MFG
Album length: 12 tracks: 56 minutes, 47 seconds
Street Date: September 12, 2025
Buy It: Apple Music
Buy It: Amazon.com (CD)
Buy It: Amazon.com (Cassette)
Buy It: Amazon.com (Vinyl)
Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)
- My Place In The Dirt (5:18)
- Sorrow Light The Way (4:30)
- Light Bends (4:12)
- The Pain In Me Is Gone (4:41)
- By A Thread (4:02)
- I'm Done (4:49)
- Ouroboros (4:04)
- Breaking Through Me (5:16)
- Overwhelming Closure (4:34)
- Hang The Fire (4:52)
- Reflected (4:14)
- There Was A Light Here (6:14)
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