Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Royal Hunt
Label: Northpoint Productions
Release: 2018
Length: 50:03
Rating: 4/5
With their new album, the legendary Danish neo-classicists and hard rockers Royal Hunt keep tirelessly expanding their discography well into the new millennium. The band was founded back in 1989 by music maestro, main composer and creative visionary Andre Andersen, a keyboardist of Georgian roots, and now they’re back on the scene with their fourteenth album. Given the “hailstorm” of studio albums released over the last nine years, it’s a bit surprising that the latest one followed its predecessor »Devil’s Dozen« after a gap of three years.
As a fun fact, the dragon on the new album’s cover is identical to the four bronze sheet-metal castings on Ljubljana’s Dragon Bridge. Apparently Royal Hunt went to get the same casting of that sculpture, just like the city of Ljubljana did back in the days of Franz Joseph I, straight from the Vienna decorative objects factory A. M. Beschorner. I hope you caught that last paragraph as the joke it was.
Anyway, we can describe the new album »Cast In Stone« as a seriously bold return to the roots, since the record brings a bigger dose of decibels again, meaning more natural sonic tones in the production, as well as more organic feel, compactness, dynamics and liveliness, with the guitar parts pushed further up front in the mix again. This time around, the band has really nailed a few riffs. They boast an instantly seductive character that feels even more tangible when you compare it to the ideas on the previous three albums, which are still very good and high quality in every respect. Well, »Cast In Stone« doesn’t give you that first impression of recycling what’s already been said, even though it actually does exactly that, but it’s packaged so successfully that it simply doesn’t set off that feeling in the first place. The new album is really a kind of return to »Paradox« and »Moving Target«, though it’s clear that, seen across the whole Royal Hunt career, »Cast In Stone« is yet another typical record from this band.
So the band builds its arrangements in line with its tradition. Royal Hunt aren’t reinventing the wheel. The guitar parts are loaded with orchestration, and in the orchestral sound the string arrangements naturally burst to the front. Considering that most of the songs are mid-tempo, they unfold a gripping atmosphere that stirs you up with its narrative mystery, once again very effectively. Even though Royal Hunt are unique on this planet in this approach and instantly recognizable, when it comes to creating moods you can draw a few parallels with the British band Ten, especially in recent years. But that’s a different story. D.C. Cooper keeps up an extremely charismatic, authoritative stance on lead vocals, delivering a fresh load of explosiveness and passionate, emotional commitment. The man still nails even the highest registers with enviable brilliance and real vocal charisma.
The album »Cast In Stone« maintains and develops a strongly pronounced pomp character and high atmospheric bombast throughout, which we’ve pretty much gotten used to with Royal Hunt. The only question is how gripping it gets. And this time there’s plenty. True fans of the band will grab this album with both hands, because it’s a truly excellent addition to the band’s classic days.
Line-up
DC Cooper – vocals
André Andersen – keyboards
Jonas Larsen – guitar
Andreas Passmark – bass guitar
Andreas Habo Johansson – drums
Production
Royal Hunt
Tracklist
1. Fistful of Misery
2. The Last Soul Alive
3. Sacrifice
4. The Wishing Well
5. Cast in Stone
6. A Million Ways to Die
7. Rest in Peace
8. Save Me II
