#11. Demon Hunter - The Negative
Life, death, Demon Hunter in the Countdown? Like Florence + The Machine, DH have been downright prolific over the years. #16 in 2017, #8 in 2012, #19 in 2010, while entirely missing out in 2014 (although revisionist history would place "I Will Fail You" in the company of favorite songs from that year). Whether it be ballad or harder rock piece, the Washington-based quintet are simply an institution here. Even though singer Ryan Clark is the only remaining original member, the group still manages to capture the essential sound of their previous records with each passing disc, releasing (now) 11 albums since 2002. While I don't listen to their new stuff quite as much as their older material, there still always stands to be 1 or 2 songs off of every album that stick with me. It's generally been the ballads in more recent year, which is one of the things that perked my interest when the band announced they'd be double a double release in 2019.
As a matter of fact, they split the harder songs from the more ballad-esque tunes into a two album package, aptly titled War and Peace. The downside of a band who has already released 9 albums trying to churn out 20 songs is that you're going to have a lot of filler. I wouldn't say either record is terrible, but I think if they just did, say, 12 or 13 songs on a single album it would've been much stronger than the two separate discs. That's just my opinion, and of course there were several songs I enjoyed including "More Than Bones" and "Loneliness" from Peace, and "Cut To Fit", "On My Side", and "The Negative" from War. It wasn't the first track that caught my ear, and honestly I enjoyed "More Than Bones" the most when the albums first dropped, but the chorus "Everyone, everyone starts in the negative with me" kept bouncing around in my head. It was almost too simple for me to wrap myself around it, but the song punishes you from Clark's immediate screaming at the beginning to the pummeling drums and, of course, the catchy chorus. If there's one thing DH is great at, it's making a chorus that you won't forget. The video is a wonderfully artistic concept with shadows of Clark and the band playing in shades of red, white and black. It's definitely one of my favorite videos of 2019.
Back to back heavy tracks cap off the first half of 2019. What lies ahead? Will a metal act finally claim the top spot, or will it be another female fronted act for the third consecutive year? Stay tuned!
Favorite Line: "Everyone starts in the negative with me"
Title: The Negative
Artist: Demon Hunter
Album: War
Previous #11s
2018: Power Quest - No More Heroes
2017: Haim - Want You Back
2016: Circle of Dust - Contagion
2015: Catfish and the Bottlemen: Cocoon
2014: Meg Myers - Desire
2013: Vampire Weekend - Diane Young
2012: Swimming With Dolphins - Sleep To Dream
2011: Power Quest - Glorious
2010: Taio Cruz - Dynamite
2009: Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
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