The Dear Hunter – “Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise” [Album Review]

Wow! Just wow! As record labels sit there complaining about the reasons why their shitty, production-line bands don’t sell records anymore, Casey Crescenzo is out there creating some of the most epic-sounding progressive rock I’ve heard in a long time. In fact, even labeling it epic doesn’t come close to describing the beauty, depth and variety of feelings, moods and emotions contained on this record.

Written as part of an ongoing series, as the title states, Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise is an album of such depth that you could pick this up in six months time and find something new and exciting that you missed last time you let Crescenzo wash his music over you. An ambitious piece of work to say the least, Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise switches effortlessly from all-out rock to passages that have movie score written all over them. On tracks like “Is There Anybody There,” Crescenzo provides soaring, soulful vocals to match the equally powerful, dramatic soundtrack he has created. As the album progresses through its absolutely hypnotic journey, describing it becomes increasingly more fruitless but, if you take a movie score and give it to Faith No More and Biffy Clyro, this could be the end result.

Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise is a challenging, thought-provoking, powerful piece of work. It’s also one that, should you put in the effort a record like this demands, you will be rewarded with something that will really change the way you think about music.

Track Listing:

01. Rebirth
02. The Old Haunt
03. Waves
04. At the End of the Earth
05. Remembered
06. A Night On the Town
07. Is There Anybody Here
08. The Squeaky Wheel
09. The Bitter Suite IV and V: The Congregation and The Sermon in the Silt
10. The Bitter Suite VI: Abandon
11. King of Swords (Reversed)
12. If All Goes Well
13. The Line
14. Wait
15. Ouroboros

Run Time: 78:22
Release Date: September 4, 2015

Check out the song “Waves” here.