A Life to Die For

A Life to Die For is a work on which Royal Hunt draws grand progressive metal through classical, gorgeous keyboards, layered choruses and D.C. Cooper’s dramatic singing. A record that pushed the fullness after Cooper’s return further. While holding a complex, long construction, its melodic flow is extremely clear, and even treating heavy, serious themes, it reaches the listener naturally and powerfully as one song. From the powerful drive of the opener “Hell Comes Down from Heaven” and the drama of the dramatic “A Bullet’s Tale” to the title track “A Life to Die For,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “One Minute Left to Live” and “Sign of Yesterday” convey the work’s fullness. Within the thick, grand scenery guitar and keyboards create, rich melody that carries emotion big and powerfully is its sure core. A truly Royal Hunt-like record that, while grand and large in scale, never loses a human, deep afterglow. Cooper’s mature expression and Andersen’s outstanding songwriting mesh beautifully. An engaging symphonic-metal work showing the fullness of Royal Hunt after the return — a record where the band’s maturity shines.