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The Dear Hunter - Act III Life and Death

by J Simpson

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The Dear Hunter is a band headed by front man, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and even producer Casey Crescenzo. On June 23rd The Dear Hunter released their 3rd disc titled Act III � Life and Death. The disc is the final offering in the trilogy of concept albums put out by The Dear Hunter starting back in 2006 and just like the first 2 discs it's full of deep moody theatrical rock. Actually I have to clarify, I have no proof that these discs were supposed to be a trilogy or that this is the last disc in this set but after listening all the way through a few times, it just feels like the final act.

Life and Death plays out in a WWI era exploring a young mans struggles and tribulations of love, life and war. The first song "Writing On A Wall" is a very short tune with elegant harmonies, strings and piano that kind of takes you by the hand and readies you for a musical journey through Crescenvo's mind. All the music is epic and no instruments are ruled out. My favorite tune on the disc is The Tank with a brooding dramatic melody and lyrics then turning to a beautiful delicate chorus. That change of pace and direction is common throughout the disc where many different moods, feelings and emotions flourish in each song. The journey ends on the title track obviously called Life and Death and exposes the main character realizing that his life is a mess and to top it off we are all gonna die alone.

I was happy with this disc. It took a couple listens because the music is so bigger than life and grandiose that it's hard to take in at first but the more familiar with it I became the more I was able to grasp what Crescenzo was trying to accomplish. And yes, I think he definitely succeeded.


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The Dear Hunter - Act III Life and Death
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