HUNTER, founded in Mannheim in the early Eighties, were one of the most promising bands in the then emerging hard ‘n heavy scene in Germany. In 1985, the still young formation was able to get a deal with Earthshaker Records and within 10 days they recorded their debut album “Sign Of The Hunter”, which was released in the same year.
“Keep The Chance” followed in 1987 on the German label Rockport. Despite offers from the USA for a tour, the band then became quiet and the musicians went their own way for decades. It wasn’t until 2019 that they got together again.
Now they have ready new album titled “Rock ‘n’ Roll V.I.P.“, a classic hard rockin’ platter with that ’80s heart all over, from classic melodic twin guitar riffs to traditional hard n’ heavy vocals. Think Krokus, Victory, Saxon, AC/DC, some early Accept, etc, all fun, enjoyable timeless rock n’ roll.
Tracks like ‘Hard to Survive’, ‘Demon of the Highway’ and ‘Runaway Ramp’ sound like a cocktail of the band mentioned above, commercial rockers easy listening all over.
Then there are songs like ‘Who Needs the Devil (When You’re Already in Hell)’ which borrows heavily from AC/DC and Krokus, that they make Airbourne jealous. One could say that same about the title track, but I hear a bit of more modern bluesy touch, like Buckcherry.
Then one of the album highlights, the standout full-throttle heavy metal blast ‘Black Cat’ sounds like the greatest song Tygers of Pan Tang never wrote.
These are just influences, Hunter’s distils their own sound, and all the songs here have something to offer, even the instrumental closer ‘The Huntress’ is impressive, with numerous tempo changes and various strong sounding rhythms that does not overstay it’s welcome by wrapping up after four minutes.
Hunter does the trick with “Rock ‘n’ Roll V.I.P.”. Yes, it’s all melodies and riffs that you have heard before. However, while this sounds familiar, it does not feel old, or like you’ve heard it a thousand times before. That’s a testament to the band’s ability to construct melodies that have just enough of a variance to sound familiar yet stand out on their own.
Opinions will surely vary with this one, but I would certainly suggest that you check them out. There’s a lot of strong 80s hard rocking material here.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
01. Phoenix Rising (06:14)
02. Rock 'n' Roll V.I.P. (04:25)
03. Hard to Survive (04:00)
04. Runaway Ramp (04:05)
05. Who Needs the Devil (When You're Already in Hell) (03:38)
06. Dust 'n' Bones (05:03)
07. Demon of the Highway (04:09)
08. Vegas Madness (05:15)
09. The Eagles Fly High (03:56)
10. Black Cat (03:46)
11. The Huntress (04:16)
Hunter – Rock’n’Roll VIP (2024)
 |
