album: Peace
artist: Demon Hunter
genre: rock
release date: March 1, 2019
star rating: three out of five

review by Noah Yager

Peace is Demon Hunter’s 10th album, which had a simultaneous release alongside War. Ten albums is quite the milestone for any band, and it’s impressive they’ve been able to stay around this long as a metal group. Demon Hunter has always had some softer tendencies in their music, especially with their more recent albums. Now, with Peace, they’ve crafted their softest record yet.

It may not be metal, but Peace is still a rock album – and a pretty good one at that. Strong melodies carry it, and almost every song feels fresh. “More Than Bones,” “Peace” and “Recuse Myself” are all solid rock songs. “I Don’t Believe You” is a standout for some really cool song structure. “When the Devil Come” is a great acoustic song, and “Fear Is Not My Guide” is probably the prettiest Demon Hunter song you’ll ever hear (it also has a cool tie-in to “On My Side” from War).

There are only a few drawbacks I could think of. For one, the album can sometimes feel a little slow-paced. “Loneliness” is a good example. It’s a slow, low-energy song that can become boring. Also, “Two Ways,” while actually having a few screams, felt disjointed at times.

Peace is new territory for Demon Hunter because they’ve never done anything other than metal, yet they still manage to deliver a solid rock record here. However, being a fan of Demon Hunter’s metal side, I’m hoping this is a one-time thing. While I wish Peace was heavier, a lot of song diversity and innovation help this album stand out. This album may be a turnoff for many Demon Hunter fans, but I think listeners might be pleasantly surprised (as long as you’re not expecting anything hard). And for people who can’t get into metal but just like rock, Peace could be perfectly suited for you.