ACT II: THE MEANING OF, & ALL THINGS REGARDING MS. LEADING

In my opinion this is the undisputed masterpiece of the three Dear Hunter releases currently out. This is one of a very number of 80 minute albums that I can listen too and consider every track an absolute masterpiece. There is zero filler here; all the tracks work together and none of them are noticeably weaker than any of the others.

Musically, this falls into the sort of "pseudo-prog" alternative rock genre, probably most similar to Coheed and Cambria in terms of style. If anyone has heard Casey Crescenzo's previous project The Receiving End of Sirens that is going to be the best reference point for this, though this does, I think, have a bit more prog influence than that does.

Additionally, this is a concept album, and in fact is part of a larger concept cycle as evidenced by the "Act II" in the title. This section, I believe, has to do something with the main character ("The Dear Hunter") falling in and out of love with a prostitute he meets, but even after many, many listens I am unsure as to what exactly the story here is. That's not a bad thing, though, the music takes precedence to story, and in my opinion that's how concept albums should be.

The vocals will probably not be for everyone; Casey Crescenzo sings in a very emotional, almost raw style that has far more to do with the emo and alternative scenes than with the theatrical prog vocals of the 70s. That said, I think they are absolutely phenomenal. He is able to convey an immense amount of power and emotion in his vocals, and it works with the music and the lyrics perfectly.

Thus, I have no qualms about calling this an absolute masterpiece; from the epic "The Lake and the River" to the comparatively sedate "The Bitter Suite" to the incredibly intense "Red Hands," there is not a weak track here.

5/5