Confession: hardcore metal doesn’t typically do much for me. To my ears it’s a lot of guttural screaming, a lot of repetitive riffs, and little more to the dynamics than “turn it up to eleven.” Fans are free to disagree and I don’t besmirch them for their tastes, but hey, it’s a niche genre for a reason.

 

Of course there are always exceptions to the rules, and Demon Hunter is one of them. They make hardcore seem more musical. Perhaps the better word is dynamic—they know when to be loud, when to be louder, when to scream their guts out, and when to let the melody rule.

 

That’s right, Demon Hunter may be heavy, but not to the point where they’ve completely abandoned melody, and I believe that’s one of the key ingredients that’s made the band a steadily rising favorite in the genre for the last decade. Album number five, The World Is a Thorn, finds them mixing the old-school metal of Metallica with the pop-friendly post-hardcore Linkin Park, and the authentic intensity of every classic metal act in between. If that seems too broad a gamut, consider the band’s claim that this album is “heavier than ever, yet more melodic.”

Given the number of contestants worthy of being sent home at this point, the only true surprise of the evening was not who would be sent home, but that the Judges’ Save is still in play this season. Too bad they didn’t use it for Lily, Katelyn, or Alex during those disastrous Semi-Finals Results.

 

I know the Save was a somewhat controversial gimmick last season, but I do believe it’s a tool that can be used for “good or evil”. More specifically, using it to save someone worthy of the Top 6 like Crystal, Siobhan, or Lee from a premature exit vs. using it to postpone the inevitable for someone like Katie, Andrew, and yes Simon, even Paige. (You know she was the one in the Bottom Three he thought was worth saving.) But what an interesting twist this year to allow the exiting contestant to sing a past “greatest hit” to appeal to the judges. Not that there was any suspense last night given the shaky exit performance.

The Finals have begun! Now it gets serious … and seriously, I don’t want to think about last week’s eliminations anymore. The thought of Lily, Katelyn, and yes, even Alex not getting a chance to perform among the Top 12 …

 

But you know what? It wasn’t as bad a first night as I anticipated. There weren’t nearly enough great moments for me, but at least there weren’t any major vocal fatalities either. Also, considering the Top 12 made the jump from a tiny studio stage accommodating 100 people to a big theater with a capacity of 450, I’d say the contestants had a decent first week.

 

No easy feat considering that the first theme was the music of the Rolling Stones. Woe to the artist who thought they might try to sleepwalk through “Satisfaction” … and yet no one attempted it. Instead, the singers went deeper into the catalog and picked songs that suited their style. Good grief, where was this self-assuredness over the last three weeks for half these people?

In defense of Adie Camp, it’s unfair for critics to continually compare her solo work to her short-lived stint as the lead singer of The Benjamin Gate nearly ten years ago. Mrs. Jeremy Camp, the stay-at-home mother of two and former worship leader, has obviously put her wilder rocking days behind her, favoring a worshipful AC pop style instead.

 

Personally, I could care less about style; as long as the music is good. This is where Adie Camp struggled on her 2006 debut Don’t Wait and continues to struggle on her follow-up Just You and Me. Her voice is pleasant but unremarkable, the sound is well-produced but routine, and the songs themselves are completely devoid of creativity.