The Dear Hunter's 2009 New Album, Life and Death
Melodic Band Take Their Concept Albums on Tour with MeWithoutYou
Aug 4, 2009
The Dear Hunter released their latest record, Act III: Life and Death back on June 15, 2009 and are currently on tour in support of the album. Put out through Triple Crown Records, this album chronicles the latest endeavors of "the boy," now a man, looking (and finding) love, loss, and reinvention. A tour in support of the effort has been rolling since June 8th when The Dear Hunter headed out with MeWithoutYou though there also more intriguing tour stops along the way including an opening slot in late August with prog-rock heroes Coheed and Cambria.
Life and Death was produced by singer/pianist/lyricist/multi-instrumentalist Casey Crescenzo. With engineering duties being shared vy guitarist Andy Wildrick, the entire period piece epic was conceived and handed to birh at the band's studio in Providence, Rhode Island. Whereas the band's previous lineups had been nebulous at best, The Dear Hunter solidified their roster for this album by adding permanent members: Erick Serna (guitar), Nick Crescenzo (drums), and Nate Patterson (bass). The album is a turn of the century sweeper employing a rogue's gallery of instruments from live strings, woodwinds, and the harp.
The Band Talks About Life and Death
"Every band wants to say that they are evolving," says Casey speaking to the media about Act III, "and that with each new record they are tapping into a new era for the band--usually spouting off a phrase akin to 'This record is so much more melodic--the heavy parts are heavier, and the soft parts are more serene.'" Casy has made telling the story of the Dear Hunter is sole project since leaving his former band, The Receiving End of Sirens, and it shows in the intensity of his verbiage.
"...a record speaks for itself," Casey continues, "and the only job of the artist is to create and not promote. Having said that, we make no attempts to declare the magnitude of the record from the point of view of the audience. The only thing we can proclaim is how rewarding the creation of the record has been and just how profound the effect of that creativity has been on our lives."
The Story of Act III: Life and Death
The album is set in the World War I era and its stylistically composed as if musically wrought of that time. Pianos jangle throughout the record, strings swell and dance with the beautiful harmonies created by Crescenzo and company. "The themes of the record fall slightly darker than previous work," says Casey, "...Act III sets no direct historical ties, only a loyalty to the emotions of the human spirit, documenting the metamorphoses of a fictional character as he makes the transition from innocence to impurity."
The storyline is smack in the middle of the singer/songwriter's aims for his band. The story has been conceived to be told in six parts, which leaves three more albums for The Dear Hunter to garner more attention and branch out creatively, as if their tree wasn't already made from deep enough roots.
Songs on the record such as "City Escape" and "The Tank" swirl with period strings and horns as they churn the heart of the story around the manic rush to stay alive, whereas the simplistic, tightly constructed "Go Get Your Gun" displays Casey's ability to write a pop song even if it's 1900. The Dear Hunter recently announced a headlining tour for the Fall in great support of Life and Death which will begin September 23rd in Akron, Ohio.
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