Published on Oct 2, 1998
Many people might have made the mistake of thinking that Royal
Hunt’s album
Paradox was their first album. After all, this was most
likely the first time that American audiences had heard this Danish
quintet with an American singer, so they had to be new on the
market, right?
Wrong. In fact, Royal Hunt has been around for some time, but it
was only recently that the band got their chance to break through
in America. Now that their first effort has been moderately
successful, their third album (and the first with singer D.C.
Cooper),
Moving Target, has seen the light of day in the States. And
while it’s nowhere near as ambitious as the religious pondering
that made up
Paradox, it is a good example of “prog-lite”.
The band – guitarist Jacob Kjaer, keyboardist/guitarist Andre
Anersen, bassist Steen Mogensen and drummer Kenneth Olsen (who has
since left the band) – produce a form of progressive rock that is
rich but not overly heavy on the keyboards while keeping their
songs and messages surprisingly short. Only two of the eleven songs
on
Moving Target clock in at over five minutes – and from a
band that can do longer pieces without losing listener interest,
the cut in time is a bit disappointing.
The only other real disappointment is that I kept waiting for
guitar fireworks from Kjaer, but they never seemed to come.
Granted, he lets his guitar work speak through the music itself,
but there were some times that I would have liked to hear an
Yngwie-like solo from him. (Then again, maybe if he did provide
them on this album, I’d be complaining about them. I’m never
satisfied…)
Musically,
Moving Target satisfies. Cooper’s vocals are powerful and
controlled, adding a whole new dimension to the music. Tracks like
“Far Away” (including a bonus acoustic version, which is even
better than the original), “Step By Step” and “1348” all show that
Royal Hunt is a band that is more than deserving of listeners’
attention – though I’ll never understand on “1348” how December
equals “13”.
If anything, releasing
Moving Target after the wonder that was
Paradox actually hurts Royal Hunt a bit. I found myself
looking for threads that connected the songs, and kept waiting for
the grand development of the songs that made
Paradox so powerful. Had I heard
Moving Target first, I’d probably be singing its praises
more than I am now; instead, I’m doing something unfair by
comparing the two works, which are their own separate creations.
After all,
Paradox featured a band with two more years’ experience
together.
Moving Target is a decent enough effort, and if this will be
your first taste of Royal Hunt, you won’t go away disappointed. But
its taste isn’t nearly as sweet as
Paradox was.