ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH

Act III: Life and Death is a bit of an odd case in the grand scheme of The Dear Hunter's discography, not only being the last in the act series before Casey Crescenzo took a 5 year break from touching them, but also because it proves to be the most divisive of these acts as well. This divisiveness makes sense upon listening to the album for a bit however, with the approach to songwriting and narrative tone acting as a stark contrast compared to the rest of the band's material. The music here feels as if it's going way harder into being built entirely around their aesthetic, compared to before where that side of them felt far more understated, with the intense songs being blistering, the beautiful songs having an almost ethereal quality to them, and the campy, quirky stuff practically becoming showtunes at points. Narratively this is by far the bleakest and downright most miserable part of the story, which works perfectly considering the fact that the setting here is in the midst of a war, definitely fitting the far more direct and intense songwriting to be found here. All of these interesting choices combined with one of the most consistent tracklists the ban put out makes this my overall 2nd favourite Dear Hunter album however, even if the reasons for some to dislike it are quite easy to see.

After the short intro track essentially telling the listening that Act III takes place during a war, the album immediately kicks it into high gear with In Cauda Venenum, with blaring horns and a more manic, rough vocals performance creating a a very vivid picture, one full of chaos, panic and fury. What further elevates this song is the contrast that's brought in near the end, with everything slowing down and turning this sense of vicious anger and dismay at the current situation into one of longing and remorse, immediately establishing that the main character regrets ever taking part in such awful events. This isn't the only song that leans so heavily into this intensity however, with some others being able to match this or even take it a step further. The Tank is one such example of this, opening up with a grandiose, orchestral intro to provide this sense of scale and majesty before ripping it away with Casey's distorted, strained vocal performance to further represent hopelessness and horrific destruction. This is yet another of the band's best songs, with the chorus bringing in some rather powerful, passionate emotion to reflect upon the tragedy taking place, really displaying some of his best vocals in the process. Mustard Gas is the other prominent song of this style and approach and also does a whole lot. Everything about this song feels chaotic, with the heavy focus on orchestra providing an utterly huge sense of scale, which is then twisted by the rapidly changing structure of the song, repeatedly switching between this and more personal moments, ultimately bringing forth a wide variety of tones and moods within only 4 minutes, with none of them being positive to continue hammering in this narrative point that the main character might as well be in hell.

The slower songs in Act III are interesting in the way they seem more intent on focusing on tone and atmosphere above the more catchy melodies the band so often brings to the table and focuses on. This is easily noticeable in both What it Means to be Alone and The Thief, where the densely layered instrumentation and backing vocals blend together and end up creating a near-ethereal sound which is matched by the far less structured vocal melodies. A lot of the other tracks have their own unique points of interest as well to further contribute to the album's eclectic tracklist. Of these, He Said He Had a Story is easily my favourite thanks to the evocative that ends up being extremely dark and disturbing. It's clear that Casey wanted to write a truly detestable character here and he doubtlessly succeeded in my eyes, all without forgetting to make some incredible music, with the bouncy rhythms and sense of catchiness and power in every facet culminating in a personal favourite track.

Another technique I'm a fan of is how this lighthearted, bouncy and happy music is paired with darker lyricism to make it feels as if someone's true thoughts are being desperately hidden behind a thin, more cheerful facade. This is what makes Go Get Your Gun and This Beautiful Life so good despite the way they musically stand out so much from the rest of the album, with this tonal juxtaposition being delightfully grim. All of this leads up to the final trio of tracks and one of the album's finest moments. Son, Father, and Life and Death all lead into one another smoothly and develop in a very satisfying and interesting way. Each section builds upon the previous, beginning with quite mournfulness and ending with a profound sense of dismay and regret over the actions that took place. Casey really sings his heart out in Life and Death in particular, which when combined with the lyrics that manage to simultaneously feel hopeful and totally hopeless makes for a perfect way to close off the album.

While this shifts in approach taken in this album may be offputting to some listeners, leading to the more divisive nature of Act III, this is just an incredible album across the board to me. It manages to feel so different while distinctly remaining The Dear Hunter, which is always something I find impressive when bands are able to pull it off so cleanly. The more excessive, self-indulgent qualities present here also just appeal to my prog-loving sensibilities in general, which might be another reason why this might not feel quite right to some who enjoy the more indie/alternative rock sound that the band blends into the music. Not really the album I'd tell people getting into the band to start with, but without a doubt one of my favourites, absolutely stunning album all around.

Best tracks: The Tank, Mustard Gas, He Said He Had a Story, the final 3 tracks.

Weakest tracks: Saved