Double Live in Japan
With their incredible skill at merging classical music and heavy metal, Royal Hunt's albums have always sounded like studio-only productions. It seemed that a lot would be lost in the translation to live performance. This disc definitely proves that that is not the case. The band reproduces nearly flawlessly the songs from their fine studio discs in concert. The precision and power of those performances are captured very well on this double CD. The disc showcases all of the soaring melodies, fast-paced, classically oriented riffing, and creative arrangements for which the group is known. Royal Hunt's core group (Andre Andersen, D. C. Cooper, Jacob Kjaer, and Steen Mogenseen) are joined on various cuts by Kenneth Olsen, Maria McTurk, Lise Hansen, and Allen Sorenson. This album should please fans of both heavy metal and progressive rock, and is a great introduction to the catalog of this great group.