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User
Album Ratings 163
Objectivity 52%
Last Active 02-21-15 10:45 pm
Joined 02-21-15
Review Comments 2
| The Dear Hunter Ranked
Now that Act V has had time to simmer with all of us, let's see where this all lines up now.
NOTE: this is totally my opinion and should not be taken as an end all be all for what is or isnt "good" by this band. We all know they haven't released a bad tune yet. | | 1 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act II: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
Not only does this album have the momentum of the Delphi Express plummeting through your earbuds, it also has a concept that is engaging lyrically and as a story, but also engages the listener emotionally. While all of their albums find themselves grabbing my heart strings and pulling, Act II rips them to shreds. From the moment The Procession kicks in the door to the bass solo at the end of Bitter Suite III, and the climax of Red Hands that totally made me bawl my eyes out like an infant when I saw them perform Act II in its entirety. Some tracks linger on the same idea for too long and become exclusively for when I listen to the entire record (yeah, Im looking at Blood of the Rose and Evicted), but this doesn't do anything to hinder an album that seems to constantly climax with each song, and never falters to a point of distraction. It's our last taste of Casey's songwriting in a raw, not yet completely realized format that is ambitious and gets it right just about every time. | | 2 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act V: Hymns With The Devil In Confessional
Released less than a year after Act IV and writing in conjunction with Act VI, Act V was something I worried about heavily this summer. What if it was just Act IV pt 2? What if it just sucked and was underdeveloped?Luckily I was wrong: It's Act IV with the momentum of Act II. It has the energy of Act III in many parts and expands on the symphonic qualities of Migrant and Act IV. Regress mirrors Reprise from Act IV brilliantly, Cascade brings the album to a fully realized opening three songs in and has been on repeat on my iPod since hearing it initially. My main complaint with post-Act III releases seems to come out again here though: many slow songs tend to plod along with little momentum, while most "heavy" tracks give 100% focus to kicking ass and taking names. This album does earn its ranking for its consistency. I dont really find myself checking my watch while listening to this all the way through. | | 3 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise
My most anticipated release of 2015 was The Dear Hunter's triumphant return to the Act series, and in my mind that meant that I would get to hear the parts of the band that made 16 year old me fall in love with them in the first place. What arrived was the proper return: an album with the variety and catchiness of Acts II and III, but all with the sheen of Migrant. Despite its constant highlight tracks that immediately became fan favorites (at least that's how it seems), the album has many slow songs that drag more than they engage. However, songs like The Old Haunt, A Night on the Town, The Squeaky Wheel, The Bitter Suites IV, V, and VII, King Of Swords, and Wait really make this album better than I had anticipated after Act III. | | 4 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act III: Life and Death
My one complaint with this album is that just about every other track feels like filler. After being trashed around in In Cauda Venenum we are immediately tossed into a transition piece that feels random and ruins the pacing of a record with a lot of promise. Songs like Venenum, The Tank, Mustard Gas, What It Means to be Alone, and Poison Woman really bang harder than just about anything the band had written up until that point (and possibly, they'll never get this heavy and bombastic again), but for all the great moments that make us love this record, the pacing kills any vibe and momentum it so greatly earns in its high moments. | | 5 |  | The Dear Hunter
Migrant
It's not that bad, guys. Migrant starts off big with Drag You Down and Whisper and then immediately shifts into what can only be described as the obvious growing pain between the sounds of Acts I-III and the sounds of Acts IV, V, and (maybe) VII. It has beautifully haunting passages and a sense of intensity without really ever getting loud and in your face about it. Casey was struggling with a lot during the writing of this album and it shows beautifully. It falters enough, however, for me to recognize it as only better than The Color Spectrum and Act I in its sense of identity. It falls flat frequently, but it all feels cohesive and you know what the band is trying to accomplish. It's definitely a grower, dont give up on it. | | 6 |  | The Dear Hunter
The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)
Oh boy, 36 songs and 9 concepts to deal with here (sort of). I love this collection, and personally find it exquisite, but cannot act like some of the complete collection falls flat (Im looking at you Indigo and Violet EP's). However, highlights like This Body, I Couldn't Do It Alone, But There's Wolves?, The Inheritance, Home, No God, Mr. Mallum, and others make me truly respect the variety that Case and Co. can actually work with. | | 7 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act I: The Lake South, the River North
While it has extraordinary cuts like City Escape, and the Inquiry of Ms Terri, it just does not have the fleshed out feeling every other release from this band has. Its highs are high, but less than stellar moments really feel underdeveloped or just unnecessary. | |
minty901
10.17.16 | 1. Act V
2. The Color Spectrum: Complete Collection
3. Act IV
4. Act II
5. Act I
6. Migrant
7. Act III | Drifter
10.17.16 | The Color Spectrum (Complete)
Act 2
Indigo
Act 1
Violet
Act 3
Act 5
Act 4
Migrant
Cool ranking | Danred97
10.18.16 | Huh, switch Migrant and The Color Spectrum (parts of it anyway) and that's my ranking as well. They'll probably never top Act II, but damned if Act V ain't close. | Drifter
10.18.16 | I might be alone on this, but I really didn't like how perfect Act 4 was. In some parts it worked, but in some it was way too overproduced. I was happily surprised that Act 5 was pretty raw | TheTripP
10.18.16 | V,IV,Color Spectrum (complete),II,III,I... Migrant has't settled with me to decide it's position yet... Saw them Friday, they killed it. | Pangea
10.18.16 | Act 4
Act 2
Act 5
Color spectrum
Act 1
Act 3 |
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