“While other bands of the early 2000s NWOAHM burned bright and faded quickly, Demon Hunter have remained a seething bed of embers the entire time.” – Revolver Magazine Demon Hunter is an American metal institution. The band embraces brazenly transcendent melodies without apology while maintaining a defiant heaviness akin to the most timeless metal music. Demon Hunter weathers the changing tides in rock subculture and the music industry, proving ever resistant to trends and resilient, making music as determined and resolute as the men within the band. The group’s extended family around the world cherish Demon Hunter songs as personal anthems and instruments of empowerment. Songs like “I Am a Stone,” “On My Side,” “The Last One Alive,” “Collapsing,” and “HEAVEN DON’T CRY” resonate deeply in times of celebration and sorrow. They’ve toured as main support to In Flames and co-headlined dates with Red. As a headlining act, Demon Hunter helped introduce audiences to bands like August Burns Red. Demon Hunter forged a musical identity from diverse elements that coalesce into a singular electric charge, merging seemingly disparate sounds with seamless agility. The energy of thrash, the catchiness of European melodeath, the gloomy atmospheric majesty of gothic rock, the song craft of dark romantic pop, and the fist-pumping aggression of Southern groove all reside in the band. Ryan Clark leads the band as frontman, primary songwriter, and co-founder. The self-titled first album arrived in 2002. Bassist Jonathan Dunn came aboard for their first tour. Summer of Darkness (2004) saw MTV2 rotation for “Not Ready to Die” and a spot on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack alongside Slipknot and The Cure. Drummer Tim “Yogi” Watts made Demon Hunter · by Ryan J Downey · 2024 ryanjdowney.com · ryan@superherohq.com his recorded debut on The Triptych (2005). Patrick Judge toured in support of Storm the Gates of Hell (2007), officially joined for Live in Nashville (2009), and made his studio debut on The World is a Thorn (2010). True Defiance (2012) cemented the band’s current line-up with the introduction of guitarist Jeremiah Scott and broke into Billboard’s Top 40. Extremist (2014) produced the SiriusXM hit “The Last One Alive,” moving close to 20,000 copies in its first week alone. Outlive (2017) debuted to even stronger sales than its predecessors. Demon Hunter performed at Chicago Open Air (with Ozzy Osbourne, KISS) and Heavy Montreal (Gojira, Trivium) to support the album and headlined several festivals. In 2019, the band unveiled not one but two new full-length albums on the same day. War was filled with aggression, and Peace doubled down on melody; both are dynamic standalone offerings. War and Peace debuted at No. 1 and 2 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart, in the Top 5 of the Hard Music chart, and the Top 10 of Billboard’s Current Albums chart. “On My Side” was No. 1 on Music Choice and played heavily on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal. Clark, a GRAMMY-nominated designer, oversees all visual aspects of the band. Scott has produced their albums since Extremist. In 2022, the band launched their own record label, Weapons MFG. The inaugural release on their label was EXILE, a concept album with an accompanying four-issue comic book series. “HEAVEN DON’T CRY” quickly became one of Demon Hunter’s most popular songs. Demon Hunter’s discography is born from unwavering commitment, uncompromising determination, and the stark recognition of an often-cold world tempered with defiant hope. Demon Hunter constructs songs with confessional lyrics, heady and catchy melodies, monster riffs, and grooves. They combine meticulous production with urgency and bold imagery with bolder themes.