Artist: Hunted
Title: Welcome The Dead
Type: Album
Label: Self-Released

Hailing from Cardiff, Hunted offer up an enticing blend of Progressive, Power and Heavy Metal. The first time I listened to Welcome To The Dead I came away with a few little niggles about the album but having spent a decent amount of time in its company I can’t think what the hell they might have been. I can only assume I wasn’t listening properly because Hunted’s music is intelligent, skilfully performed, ambitious, vibrant and dynamic.

First track proper ‘The Silence Of Minds’ sets the bar frighteningly high as it showcases everything that’s to come – the technically gifted performances, the superb sense of melody – but every track that follows rises to the challenge with ease. Perhaps the album’s highlight is ‘Aria (In Memoriam)’, a heartfelt tribute to guitarist Steven Barberini’s brother, which is poignant and utterly absorbing. However all the songs here have so much to offer and richly reward repeated listening as they all have real depth and a multitude of musical nuances to uncover. The album is rounded off with a sweetly executed cover of Nevermore’s sublime ‘The Heart Collector’ and it is a real testament to the strength of Hunted’s original material that this classic in no way overshadows what has gone before. Nevermore are definitely a reference point when attempting to define Hunted’s sound but you’d also have to add dashes of Iron Maiden and Angra if you wanted to get close to the truth. Yet when music is this rewarding in its own right then who can really be bothered trying to spot influences?

If you enjoy technically excellent progressive metal that never loses sight of the importance of hooks, melodies and riffs then Hunted are for you and you know what? I think there are even better things still to come from this band.

www.myspace.com/huntedrock