THE BEAST

ROYAL HUNT 'PAPER BLOOD' Re-issue - Reviewed By Metal Digest ! Check it out here at this link: https://metal-digest.com/2021/08/18/royal-hunt-paper-blood-reissue/

There are those bands which sit and hog the limelight, some feed upon it, others have it thrust upon them and some are happy to live in the shadows on the periphery of the light. It is here that these bands thrive and one such band are Royal Hunt who have had their seminal 2005 album ‘Paper Blood’ reissued.

It may have been sixteen years since the initial release of ‘Paper Blood’, but the album has aged remarkably well, it still sounds wonderfully fresh with its full frontal melodic progressive metal assault that takes in larges swathes of power metal as well as Neoclassical. What makes this album so standout are the keyboards of André Andersen who gives the guitars of Marcus Jidell a constant hot-headed duel. Furthermore, the vocal delivery from John West is top notch as he delivers a vocal masterclass that wouldn’t be out of place on any Yngwie Malmsteen or Stratovarius album. However, you knew that already… so what does the reissue offer? Well, other than the fact that the album is back in print which is worth it on its own; the listener will also get added bonus tracks, some of these were recorded live with West back in 2006, whilst some are re-recorded new versions. Moreover, those that pick up the physical versions will be treated to a plethora of images and lyric sheets within the booklet.

Royal Hunt never topped this moment and ‘Paper Blood’ is a pinnacle in the bands career. The reissue is worth it for the album alone and the added bonus tracks… well, it’s just an added bonus. - Metal Digest

ROYAL HUNT announced a re-issued version of their 2005 studio album “ Paper Blood ” as a double LP and a newly designed digipak on the 30th of June 2021 . Both are collector's and limited editions which include bonus tracks as well as extended booklets - can be pre-ordered at https://royalhunt.com/store

Message from the band on their Facebook page: 

"Hey all! It´s finally summer: the sun is shining, ice cubes becoming a necessity, drinks are getting larger and even (some of) the musical entertainment is slowly but surely coming back… so let us add a little bit to all that goodness: Paper Blood ” is getting a re-release treatment. Yep, that´s right, you can go to our webshop and check it out for yourself – see, summer just got a tiny little bit more exciting!"

⚈ A double orange vinyl featuring a lyrics inner sheet, two bonus tracks, housed in a 5 mm spine non-gatefold 3D (lenticular) cover. Limited edition, handnumbered copies. (Night Of The Vinyl Dead, Italy, Cat. NIGHT339)

Tracklisting:
1. Break Your Chains 5:30
2. Not My Kind 6:19
3. Memory Lane 5:18
4. Never Give Up 5.30
5. Seven Days 6:18
6. SK 983 4:39
7. Kiss Of Faith 5.16
8. Paper Blood 5.06
9. Season's Change 4.53
10. Twice Around The World 7:15
11. Bonus Track: Long Way Home (acoustic version)
12. Bonus Track: Day in Day out (new version)

⚈ A collector's edition CD featuring 4 bonus tracks in a digipak with soft touch cover incl. 12 page booklet containing lyrics and tons of archive photos from PB-era.(Northpoint Productions, Denmark. Cat.0621104-1NPP, UPS:0200000095468)

Tracklisting:
1. Break Your Chains 5:30
2. Not My Kind 6:19
3. Memory Lane 5:18
4. Never Give Up 5.30
5. Seven Days 6:18
6. SK 983 4:39
7. Kiss Of Faith 5.16
8. Paper Blood 5.06
9. Season's Change 4.53
10. Twice Around The World 7:15
11. Bonus Track: Day In Day Out (new version)
12. Bonus Track: Never Give Up (live 2006)
13. Bonus Track: One By One (new version)
14. Bonus Track: Paper Blood (live 2006)

Get on LP / CD https://royalhunt.com/store

Spotify https://bit.ly/paper_blood_spotify
YouTube https://bit.ly/paper_blood_youtube
iTunes https://bit.ly/paper_blood_itunes
Amazon https://bit.ly/paper_blood_amazon

ROYAL HUNT - Paper Blood (Live “2006”) –

About the album.

"RH burst out with Paper Blood in 2005- a furiously melodic gem which playfully danced among 80s hard rock, prog metal, and power metal. John West charges through these tracks with an arena-ready voice of the gods and he's the main reason why there's an 80s flavor to this, aside from the guitar crunch and attitude. His voice isn't quite as operatic as most power metal singers and isn't as clean as most prog metal singers. Instead, he sounds more like a huskier Bon Jovi or any number of AOR vocalists, which isn't a bad thing. Get it out of your head right now that that's a bad thing.

Throughout the entire album the keyboards buzz right through your body, severing bone and muscle in the most pleasurable way possible. They're not brutal, but the tone used is so heavy and astral that it makes you think twice about pissing on them as leading instruments. If you're going to listen to music like this, you should expect to hear keyboards and like them in healthy quantities. The good thing is that this album loves them, but they're not flowery and there's a solid riff base supporting all this. I dare you to sit through any of the three instrumentals without going through the rest of your life with a brain of fried mush.

Lyrically, Paper Blood is about money and how it practically runs through all of our veins, capillaries, and arteries, figuratively speaking. It took me a while to figure out what the hell paper blood is, but when it dawned on me it was marvelous. The social consciousness prog is known for is well on display here, rest assured. Songs such as "Break Your Chains"(which was nominated for a best metal song on a list a couple years ago) and "Never Give Up" also deliver powerful messages of self-actualization and self-empowerment. We sure need that nowadays.

Royal Hunt continue to show they are a unique voice in progressive metal, striking a steady balance between brawn and elegance, retro and modern". - review by Necrobobsledder / www.metal-archives.com 

 Connect with ROYAL HUNT:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalhuntmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalhunt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/royalhuntband

[Source: https://royalhunt.com/paper-blood-reissue-2021  ] 

Contact: info@northpoint-productions.com