Top 10 Demon Hunter Songs

Demon Hunter is one of my top 10 bands of all time, and trust me, there is good reason for that! This band has released solid album after solid album. None of their albums are objectively bad in my opinion. Even their weakest album, "Summer of Darkness", still has so many songs that just pummel you with aggressive metal assaults. Because of how much great content this group has, it was hard to narrow down my top favorite songs by them. But, I managed to do it so here they are!


Honorable Mentions: “I Will Fail You”, “The World is a Thorn”, “This I Know”, “Turn Your Back and Run”, “Carry Me Down”, “Slight the Odds”, “Beauty Through the Eyes of a Predator”

10. "The Tide Began to Rise" (The Triptych)

Demon Hunter is primarily known for their harder material, but one shouldn't go without pointing out their softer songs, some of which happen to be their best and most emotive material. This track is one of the best ballads the band has produced, and may be their softest track in general. Guitars are used at a minimum here, with the song instead being dominated mainly by piano and some absolutely gorgeous strings. The backing musical accompaniment does a great job at bringing out some the raw emotions behind this song, and Ryan Clark's superb vocal performance only serves to bolster the emotion further. The lyrics here are wonderful, with Ryan contemplating on sacrifice in a powerfully introspective way: "If this is all the love my spirit can give/Just take it back tonight/There is not a reason more to live". What Ryan is essentially saying here is that if his love doesn't reflect the redemptive love that Jesus gave, then what is he really living for? That's something that challenged me when I first heard this song, and that is why I will always love it.

9.  "Collapsing" (The World is a Thorn)

This was the first Demon Hunter song I ever heard. Now, it wasn't like I'd never heard rock before (because this song is certainly more rock oriented). But when I first heard this song, I was still taken aback. It was probably the most intense rock song I'd listened to at this point in my life, as it verged very closely into going to metal territory. But I liked it when I heard it then, and I like it even more now. It's not nearly as lyrically deep as some of Demon Hunter's other songs, but its subject matter about denying being in a horrible state of mind is still interesting. What really shines here is the prominent guitar riffs and drumming, as well as the super catchy chorus which will easily get stuck in your head for days. I have no clue why this song didn't get onto some sort of rock station, as I know it could've performed well on there. The biggest highlight in this song is an indescribably awesome guitar solo by featured guest "Speed" Strid. It's some of the best guitar work I've heard on any Demon Hunter song and that is saying something. This song is a good place to start if you've never listened to this group before!

8. "Sixteen" (Storm the Gates of Hell)

It's funny that I place this song right next to "Collapsing", because this was the first song that I heard by Demon Hunter that is more representative of the type of music they usually do as a band. I remember being shocked by Ryan Clark's intense screaming abilities. Years later, I have come to be a huge fan of this song, and will always appreciate it as being my gateway into the metal scene. The intro of this song is one of the most memorable moments of any Demon Hunter album. The combination of an almost ethereal string arrangement along with some huge guitar riffs makes for a haunting feel which fits the very dark and angry tone of the rest of this song. I love the subject matter of this song, as the title cleverly plays off the "fifteen minutes of fame" idea. This song is directed at Christians who don't really believe what they say. But Ryan Clark suggests maybe they deserve "sixteen minutes" of fame because someone could be affected by their words and become a Christian. That is a unique subject matter for a song, but even if Ryan allows these hypocrites an extra minute of fame, he's no less aggressive toward them, angrily belting out lyrics like "Sixteen oh holy day/Your time has come and passed/The rapture we've been waiting for/Has come to us at last/Sixteen to every fake, sixteen to every whore". Wow, those unabashedly brave lyrics still leave me speechless. Ryan has a real self-righteous conviction here, and I love when he uses that anger to get across a well-needed message. Also deserving recognition here is the great chorus with some gorgeous cleans as well as the powerful bridge.

7. "Undying" (The Triptych)

This song is one of Demon Hunters most well known, and why shouldn't it be? From the huge guitar riff in the beginning and ending of the song to the explicitly spiritual lyrics as well as an intense mid-breakdown, this song shows everything that the band is about. Everything about it still works to this day, and the lyrics are still relevant in talking about how our faith should be a presence to everyone: "One final heartbreak/Dying lights will guide our way/Free our blind state/They will call us by our name/Undying". It's inspiring to hear Clark discussing how our ancestors who have gone before us will continue to guide our way in the faith. He's praying that God will use them to make us truly see the world for what it is, and then we will get our eternal reward in death. It's one of the band's most redeeming messages they have to offer in their often dark content, and I think that's why people have attached to this song so much. I certainly have, as it shows us exactly all that the band has to offer. If you haven't listened to this song, you're seriously missing out.

6. "Gasoline" (Extremist)

Demon Hunter's most recent album "Extremist" created a bit of a divide between fans, with some of them hating how soft the album was, while others really enjoyed DH taking the softer route, perhaps because those were the people who enjoyed the group's ballads a little more. My opinions of the album have been conflicting; I certainly won't claim that it is one of the band's greatest releases. But there's one thing on which I and many others can agree on: the fan favorite song "Gasoline" is amazing! This track is one of the most unique songs the band has done. It starts out deceptively as a ballad, but then the chorus has a build-up that feels pretty interesting. Then out of nowhere, Ryan lets out a gut-wrenching scream and we are led into a gigantic breakdown with huge guitar riffs and drum patterns. This happens three different times in the song, and it certainly doesn't get old. This is one of DH's most dynamic songs, and that's the very reason I love it. It also has interestingly satirical lyrics in which Ryan says about people who want him to water down his lyrics, "We'll smother out the flames/With gasoline". Ryan's stance is clear: he will never stop being speaking boldly on what he believes in, and it made me smile to see how he responded to people critiquing him. I love how he utilizes clever sarcasm as well as some more of that righteous defiant anger.

5. "My Throat is an Open Grave" (Demon Hunter)

This is undoubtedly my favorite ballad by this band, as well as one of my favorite ballads of all time. Everything about this song from the group's debut album is done perfectly. If you listened to this song alone, there's no way you could tell this band was new at this time. The song starts off with an interesting dark ambience before going into a memorable guitar riff that goes throughout the rest of this song. Ryan's vocals are a bit higher on this song than many other DH tracks, so that only serves to make this song more unique. I love the metaphorical sensibilities the lyrics have: "This isn't me I used to say/All the love was so gone/It feels so good to be alive/I've been dead for so long". Even though Ryan is now alive because he's found redemption, the song still feels bittersweet as Ryan continues to acknowledge how long he's felt dead inside. The memory of the darker times will never leave him, and in the tone of the song, he feels so truthful in saying this, albeit with regret. In the context of the album, which feels somewhat conceptual, this song becomes more redemptive. As a stand alone, this is a song that make me emotional every time I hear it, especially the beautiful ending where it's just Ryan and some backing strings. The reflective side of this band is just as good as their intense side, if not even better. That's why I'll always hold songs like this one in high regard.

4. "I Play Dead" (Summer of Darkness)

This is easily the best song from "Summer of Darkness", and because it's so unbelievably good, it shines well above the rest of the tracks on the album. Right from when the huge guitar riff came in that led into a soft acoustic guitar and Ryan's surprisingly quiet vocals, I knew I was in for something very different from this band. Out of all their songs, I would say this one feels like one of the most distinguishable. I can't exactly describe it, but I've never heard Demon Hunter do another song like this before. The lyrics talk are a metaphor for addiction that Clark says is turning him into something he doesn't want to be. So, he actually "plays dead", meaning that he acts like a shell of himself, so people can't actually see what he's going through. This feels relatable in so many ways, and maybe that's why I always feel for Ryan when he says this. The way he expresses his feelings of pain are legitimate. This song also has an excellent payoff in the bridges and chorus, where Ryan determines he won't let the pain inside him have control: "I've got to find a way to stop before it starts...I won't, I won't leave without a trace/I won't be erased". In what is the band's darkest album, this song feels like a breath of fresh air as it shows there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I've already talked some about how I love this song musically, but the best thing about this song is how it seamlessly transitions from Ryan clean singing softly to absolutely unleashing on his unclean vocals.

3. "God Forsaken" (True Defiance)

At almost six minutes long, this song is nothing short of an epic. It certainly feels like one, starting with a slow fade in, then having an explosion of big drum beats and some of the hugest guitar blast beats that Demon Hunter has ever produced. This song also has a nice groove to it that reminds of something from the classical metal age. Ryan's screaming here is great as usual, but it's his clean vocals that really sell me on this song. This is one of his best clean vocal performances, so much so that I'd prefer to call this metal track beautiful in its own way. He nails it in the chorus, making it one of the most memorable DH choruses to date. The lyrics are also good in serving as a parable of sorts, warning the listener about how easily we can stray away from God: "A fall to the fires of hell never fails to awaken/Though my soul ascends, in the darkness of my heart again/I'm god forsaken". The idea of being god forsaken is a clever double metaphor, as Ryan mentions how straying away from God makes him feel personally forsaken, but he is also forsaken by God. But the best part of this song is the ending. This song has a huge payoff by ending with the longest Demon Hunter breakdown to date, and it's a delight to the ears. It hits as hard as you'd hope it would, and it will get your head banging. I can't describe it perfectly to you if you haven't heard it; if nothing else listen to this song for that breakdown alone, as it's something that you need to hear. This song gave me everything I love about the band, it just multiplied it tenfold.

2. "Tie This Around Your Neck" (The World is a Thorn)

If you enjoy Demon Hunter sounding brutally angry, then you will love this song. I know I did; I've never heard Ryan scream so intensely before or sing with such passion about what he was discussing. Here the subject of the song is the idolization of materialism, and Ryan wastes no time in establishing how it has effected our world: "This is the age of the dead/The generation of pagan and self-led/You can feel the bones shatter beneath our feet...The heathens will say/Tie this around your neck...Fool". The gory imagery here, especially of Ryan saying that if you give in to this idolization you are tying your own noose, is tough to hear. But much like "Sixteen", it's convicting and convincing. To add on to the extremely dark lyricism, there is the best drum work I've heard in this song as well as a guitar that is all in your face. The chorus of this song briefly takes a break from the intensity to provide some clean vocals, but only for a brief instant before it goes back into a song that feels like it could take place in a war movie. Everything about this song works. DH nail the tone, and this is only one of quite a few darker songs on what could be the band's most aggressive release. This song certainly isn't for everyone, but I think it should be able to please even the most particular of metal fans.

1. "Thorns" (Storm the Gates of Hell)

This song still makes me feel emotional even when I listen to it now. Let's get the musical aspects out of the way first. This is one of Demon Hunter's just straight up hard rock songs. These are rare to find. The song is also accompanied by a subtle piano which works with very well with the song. Ryan uses clean vocals the whole time, and he sounds simply amazing; this is in my opinion his best vocal performance to date still. And that might be because he has such a passion for what he's talking about. I don't know if this song was meant for a fan, but Ryan is addressing someone who cuts in this song, and talks about their condition in tragic detail: "In your thoughts you played a symphony of self/But your soul had bled a darker song of close to nothing left". That alone makes this song extremely heavy. A subject like this needs to be treated carefully. Ryan does this very well, not once mentioning God in a cheesy way in this song. Instead he chooses to use Jesus's suffering on the cross as the relatable factor. He tells this girl (and whoever else is suffering) that Jesus already got cut and bled for you, so you don't have to do it yourself: "You will find it in the dead of night, where solitude is born/In the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns". The way Ryan expresses Jesus's suffering is done so subtly, and because of that this song can work for multiple people. I've read convicting stories about how DH saved people with this song, and I can totally see why. This is the band's most important song. I can feel the passion they put into this track, so it comes out to be one of their most redemptive songs to date. This song is the one that proves Demon Hunter will always be a band to stay in my top 10 list. They have a passion for creating quality music, and they have a passion for delivering a much-needed message to a broken world. For that reason, I will forever be grateful for this band being a part of me.