The fact that Hunter have never made it beyond the boundaries of their Polish homeland is nothing short of a tragedy, something attested to by the stunning quality of this double DVD, 25th Anniversary performance available via Mystic productions. Purveyors of what the band have dubbed ‘soul metal’, Hunter take elements of Metallica, Alice in chains and classic rock such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and filter them through classical influences to create a truly original sound sparkling with invention and wit. With the majority of their catalogue sung in Polish (although English language versions of several albums have been released), their lyrics may prove to be impenetrable for some yet with music being a universal medium there is much to admire even if you can’t understand a word.
Having released four albums to date, as well as two live efforts, Hunter developed apace from the youthful thrashings of ‘requiem’ through the darker ‘medeis’ and the quite brilliant ‘T.E.L.I’ to eventually arrive at ‘Hellwood’, a masterpiece of staggering proportions which receives a decent airing on the first DVD which covers a 100 minute concert filmed in Warsaw’s noted Stodola club. Whilst earlier performances (including those captured on the ‘Holywood’ DVD/CD set) lacked the powerful presence of Jelonek, the bands energetic violin player, here all the elements are present and correct for an immense show that serves to highlight the band’s singular strengths.
Opening with an introduction which would have the UK’s health and safety gurus sobbing into their manuals, Hunter’s arrival on stage is greeted by a group of creepy pagan’s marching through the centre of the crowd carrying flaming torches with which to light the onstage fire pits and Hunter’s desire to crush the audience with a powerful rendition of ‘Strasznik’. From the off the sound is absolutely crystal clear with each instrument beautifully captured and as the band launch into an intense ‘smierci$miech’ there is no doubt that Hunter are out to put on the show of their lives with vocalist Drak on particularly fine form, adorned in black and a suitably grandiose top hat.
With songs boasting complex arrangements and the band clearly rehearsed into the ground, it’s inspiring to see a band united in front of an equally passionate audience who roar the lyrics back, particularly during the beautiful, bewildering ‘labirynt Fauna’, in which Drak leaves half the singing up to the crowd whilst the band pile on the heavy, atmospheric riffs and Jelonek’s violin tears holes across the surface. That the remaining 16 songs are equally inspirational is no mean feat although when it comes to highlights there’s the brutal, punkish ‘so…’ (complete with Jelonek donning a skull mask that makes him look strangely like a folk approximation of Slipknot), the ever-popular blast of ‘freedom’ and the ecstatically received ‘fallen’ which is extended well beyond its traditional length as Drak heads off into the crowd to greet his adoring fans who undoubtedly see the band as the national treasure they are.
…And that’s just disc 1. As with ‘Holywood’, hunter have plundered to make sure this set is nothing if not value for money and so a second disc captures the band in Wroclaw in 2008 along with the band’s well-shot promo videos (particularly the creepy videos form ‘hellwood’), a documentary (alas no subtitles thus rendering it rather unsuitable for the international market) and a decent photo gallery.
A no-less expensive looking shoot than Stodola, the Wroclaw concert captures Hunter (complete with former drummer Brooz) all attired in military uniforms and looking happily insane in front of yet another suitably enthusiastic audience. The sound is once again crystal clear with the only complaint being that with the options of PCM and DTS sound it’d be nice to also have a Dolby 5.1 option, although that really is nit-picking. Impressively, although there is a lot of crossover between the two set-lists, there are seven additional songs on disc 2 which do not appear on disc 1, including the band’s bonkers cover of ‘hey ya’ (originally released on ‘Holywood’) as the informal encore, all of which serves to make sure that both sets are worth watching from start to finish. Rough and ready and with Drak struggling to suppress a smile as he attempts a dodgy falsetto, it shows the inherent humour in a Hunter performance despite the serious nature of many of their songs and it never fails to raise a smile to see the band having such an obviously great time on stage.
Overall this is a fantastic package which serves as both a great souvenir for long-time fans of the band and as a stellar introduction to a band who deserve to be far better known than they are. Clad in black with embossed lettering, it’s an attractive purchase and the generously sized photo-booklet tucked inside the sleeve is especially welcome, rounding out this special, celebratory set and giving it the feel of something truly special. Difficult to track down in this country (although you can try www.mystic.pl) this is yet further proof of the skill, passion and inventiveness that Hunter bring to rock music. A wonderful release and to borrow the Polish song which is appropriate on such occasions – ‘sto lat!’
