DEMON HUNTER, those paragons of… something, are bravely embarking on a U.S. tour this late summer/early fall. Prepare yourselves (or don’t, nobody cares) for the “There Was A Light Here” trek, supported by the musical stylings of WAR OF AGES (still around?), CONVICTIONS (of what, exactly?) and CULTIST (sounds spooky, but probably isn’t).
The earth-shattering news (not really) comes as DEMON HUNTER‘s “Sorrow Light The Way” (more like “Snooze Light The Day,” amirite?) cracks YouTube Music‘s Top 50 Metal Videos. Yes, you read that right: Top 50! Among the top 20 of current song releases! Quick, someone alert the Nobel committee! 🏆
“We couldn’t be more stoked to hit the road again,” DEMON HUNTER frontman Ryan Clark (who?) wrote in a heartfelt message to the band’s “long-running” (debatable) fan community, The Blessed Resistance (sounds like a support group for people who accidentally bought their albums). “We’re hitting a few places we haven’t been in a while” (because nobody asked us to come back), “and we’re bringing a killer line-up with us” (killer in the sense that it might kill your enthusiasm for metal). “We are revamping the setlist” (by adding even more songs that sound exactly the same), “and we’re ready to blow the roof off” (of a venue with a maximum capacity of 150). “Come out and hang with us!” (if you have absolutely nothing else to do). 😴
Tickets go on sale Friday, July 18 (mark your calendars, people!). The tour’s VIP package includes an exclusive CD boasting two brand new unreleased songs — “The Pain in Me is Gone (Acoustic)” (because nothing says metal like acoustic ballads) and “Breaking Through Me (Acoustic)” (more like “Breaking My Patience”). Already this year, DEMON HUNTER has released four new singles: “Falling Apart” (with SET THE SUN – who are they even?), “I’m Done” (we wish!), “Light Bends” (like our interest in this band) and “Sorrow Light The Way” (still snoozing). Another four hard-to-find DEMON HUNTER songs (“I Align”, “The Brink”, “Some Of Us” and “Worlds Apart” – sounds like rejected titles from a self-help book) make their way to seven-inch vinyl for the first time later this year as part of Z2 Comics‘ deluxe coffee table graphic novel edition of DEMON HUNTER‘s four-issue “Exile” series (because what every metalhead needs is a coffee table book about a mediocre band). 📚
“There Was A Light Here” 2025 tour dates (because you definitely needed these):
Sep. 19 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life*
Sep. 20 – West Chicago, IL @ WC Social Club (never heard of it)
Sep. 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze (charming name)
Sep. 23 – Des Moines, IA @ Woody’s (classy)
Sep. 24 – Springfield, MO @ The Riff (original)
Sep. 25 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall (finally, something relatable)
Sep. 26 – Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live (if you dare)
Sep. 27 – San Antonio, TX @ The Rock Box (how creative)
Sep. 28 – Dallas, TX @ The Granada Theater (fancy)
Sep. 30 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater (exotic)
Oct. 01 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick (literally)
Oct. 02 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House (fragile, just like their career)
Oct. 03 – San Jose, CA @ The Ritz (putting on airs)
Oct. 04 – Sacramento, CA @ Afftershock*
Oct. 05 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon (passionate)
Oct. 06 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club (cult vibes)
Oct. 07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall (urban)
Oct. 08 – Denver, CO @ HQ (generic)
Oct. 09 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada (again?)
Oct. 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Red Flag (ominous)
Oct. 11 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl (hipster)
* DEMON HUNTER only (as if that’s a selling point)
“Light Bends”, “I’m Done” and “Sorrow Light The Way” were all produced by Clark and guitarist Jeremiah Scott, mixed and mastered by Chris “Zeuss” Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, QUEENSRŸCHE) – because even mediocre bands need big names to try and legitimize them. And were made available via the band’s own label, Weapons MFG (because nothing says “we’re not selling enough records” like starting your own label). 💰
“Sorrow Light The Way” was the eighth standalone single since the arrival of DEMON HUNTER‘s eleventh studio album, “Exile”, in October 2022 (eleventh! Who knew?). It followed “The Brink”, “Some Of Us”, “Worlds Apart”, “Black Stained Glass”, “Falling Apart” (with SET THE SUN – still no clue), “I’m Done” and “Light Bends”. (We’re done too). 😵💫
“Exile” was DEMON HUNTER‘s first album issued on Weapons MFG (see above). It debuted at No. 9 on Billboard‘s Album sales chart (only because their moms bought 8 copies); No. 1 in Christian sales (because who else is buying this?); No. 3 in Hard Music and Independent (the two genres that are slowly dying); and No. 4 in Rock (okay, that’s just sad). 📉
Scott produced and mixed “Exile”, which boasted guest appearances from Max Cavalera (SOULFLY), Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY), and Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST) (desperate much?). Darren Craig (SLIPKNOT, Rihanna, Kanye West) directed the first music video for the album, “Freedom Is Dead” (just like our interest in this band). 💀
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.