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Blog Categories Review ROYAL HUNT - Dystopia - Reviewed By Loud And Proud!

ROYAL HUNT - Dystopia - Reviewed By Loud And Proud! Sunday December 27 2020, 10:36 AM

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ROYAL HUNT - Dystopia - Reviewed By Loud And Proud ! Check it out here at this link: https://loudandproud.it/royal-hunt-dystopia/

Thirty years of career, one life. And André Andersen has no intention of giving up, far from it. With 'Dystopia' he gives us the studio album number fifteen for his Royal Hunt. In a stable line-up from 2015's 'Devil's Dozen', ours offer a concept album that has all the characteristics of the classic Royal Hunt sound, an elegant prog metal full of orchestral references, in which the keyboards of maestro André Andersen play as always an important role, perfectly balanced by the vocals of a DC Cooper for which time never seems to pass. 'Dystopia' is a concept album based on Ray Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451', and perhaps for this reason it is even more atmospheric and theatrical, as well as richer in pop suggestions, than the recent rehearsals of the band. even if - as mentioned - we can speak of everything except revolution. In addition to DC Cooper, five other singers participate as guests, including Mark Boals and Mats Levén, in addition to the great ex Henrik Brockman, who had sung on the first records of the band. The Royal Hunt are confirmed recognizable from the first listening, thanks to the keyboards of André Andersen but above all to that epic and orchestral feeling that had made them unique from the very first steps. If masterpieces such as 'Moving Target' and 'Paradox' appear long gone, especially due to the commercial impact they had, 'Dystopia' is certainly not inferior from a musical point of view, indeed it shows a strong attention to effective melodic lines, as in single 'The Art Of Dying'. The commercial soul of the record is evident in 'I Used To Walk Alone', that brings together Mark Boals with the female voice of Alexandra Andersen, with a theatric / pop result that cannot fail to remind Abba - a comparison that also comes out in the following 'The Eye Of Oblivion', albeit in a rock-oriented version. Even 'Hound Of The Damned' winks at the musical, in its sonic evolutions. Precisely this mixture of (hard) rock and theatricality is the strong point of the Royal Hunt today, who with 'Dystopia' will make their old fans happy - and perhaps not only them.

Royal Hunt have just released a new music video - “The Art Of Dying” – single song from their new concept studio album “Dystopia” (NorthPoint Productions/King Records) -

New Concept Studio Album

ROYAL HUNT will release their new studio album – “Dystopia” – on December 16th via King Records (Japan/SE Asia) and on December 18th via NorthPoint Productions (Europe/N & S America). A concept album offering a considerable expansion of the band´s trademark sound and featuring performances by guest vocalists: Mats Leven (Candlemass, TSO, Skyblood), Mark Boals (Y.J. Malmsteen, Ring of Fire), Henrik Brockmann (Royal Hunt, Evil Masquerade, N´Tribe), Kenny Lubcke (Narita, Zoser Mez) and Alexandra Andersen (Royal Hunt, JSP).

“Dystopia” will be released in following formats: regular CD (jewel case), various Deluxe editions / bundles and a gatefold, heavy vinyl LP.

ROYAL HUNT keep intriguing fans with their adventurous endeavors and the band´s 15th studio album is no exception: a monumental concept opus featuring symphonic, progressive yet hard hitting compositions full of impeccable performances, wrapped tightly into immediately accessible format and a lush, contemporary production.

The addition of some extraordinary guest singers and their outstanding performances combined with vastly extended orchestrations creates a truly conceptual, cinematic feel throughout each and every track.

Tracklist:

01 - INCEPTION ℉451

02 - BURN

03 - THE ART OF DYING

04 - I USED TO WALK ALONE

05 - THE EYE OF OBLIVION

06 - HOUND OF THE DAMNED

07 - THE MISSING PAGE (Intermission I)

08 - BLACK BUTTERFLIES

09 - SNAKE EYES

10 - MIDWAY (Intermission II)

Bio

Royal Hunt is a power / progressive metal band from Denmark. The name Royal Hunt appeared for the first time in 1989; a brainchild of André Andersen (main songwriter in the band) this outfit was created in order to combine basic values of Classic Rock with progressive, current musical elements. Today, after selling around 1.8 million albums and touring the world numerous times, the band is still going strong.