Huntdown - 2025 - This Is War

(22:31; Demons Run Amok Entertainment / Cargo Records)






















Track list:
1. Dump 2:21
2. Darker Truth 2:35
3. The Pain You Hide 1:58
4. Burning Soul 1:58
5. Fallen Heroes 2:25
6. The Oath 2:04
7. Lost Fight 2:17
8. Deep Down 2:21
9. Far Side 2:09
10. Unleashed 2:23

Line-up:
Cam - drums
Kevin - bass
David - guitars
Pec - guitars
Phil - vocals


French band Huntdown was formed in 2022, and following an initial demo in 2023 and an EP released later that year, the band released their debut album "This Is War" in the fall of 2025 through the labels Demons Run Amok Entertainment and Cargo Records respectively.

This band is a self-described hardcore unit, although from my perception at least they may as well be described as a crossover thrash metal band. Arguably with a bit more emphasis on the hardcore part than on the thrash metal aspects, but in my view at least both are very much present.

The songs do stick to the hardcore approach in terms of structure. Short and concise is the order of the day here, and you won't find any standalone instrumental lead sections on this album. But what we do get on most of the compositions are some neat, flowing and elegant harmony guitar solo overlays, a striking and beautiful contrast to the darker sounds that define the rest of the landscape explored by the band.

The raspy, aggressive dark vocals are of a kind and nature that probably warrants a description as being hardcore oriented in most cases, but in particular in the more hectic phrasings. They are a bit of a primal component throughout, a little bit of a wild beast roaming these landscapes if you like. The guitar riffs, on the other hand, tend to lean more towards a thrash metal type of expression, but with a bit more of a hardcore feel to them in the more uptempo parts of the songs. The rhythms have that same duality to them, with more simplistic patterns used that provide a bit more of a hardcore feel, but when delivering a more expressive tapestry the associations towards thrash metal are more striking to my ears at least. We do get a little bit of a minor variation thrown our way too, as at least to me the song 'Fallen Heroes' strikes me as having a little bit of an ongoing undercurrent that reminds me ever so slightly of early days Celtic Frost and bands of a similar nature.

In my view at least, this is an album that should have a fair amount of appeal to those who enjoy listening to bands that mix and blend elements from thrash metal and hardcore, and in a manner that provides a captivating blend of aggression, primal elements and somewhat more expressive details in a well balanced manner. But, probably, with a little bit stronger focus and emphasis on the hardcore part of this mix. And I find this to be a solid and generally appealing take on this type of music too I might add.

Olav M. Björnsen, March 2026

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/huntdownhc
https://www.facebook.com/demonsrunamok
https://www.cargo-records.de/
https://www.m-o-office.com/

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