Review: The Dear Hunter creates sonic masterpiece with 'Act V'

Casey Crescenzo, frontman and creative force behind The Dear Hunter, doesn’t just make an album. He creates a living, breathing piece of art. For those unfamiliar with The Dear Hunter’s work, almost every album they’ve released (with the exception of “The Color Spectrum” and “Migrant”) has been an act in a conceptual story created by Crescenzo.

"Act V: Hymns With The Devil In Confessional" was prefaced by a letter to fans posted on the Equal Vision Records website stating this would be the last rock album in the "Act" series. Crescenzo always has said this series would be told in six parts. Even though this isn't the final phase of the story, the album still has a heavy tone of finality to it.

“Act V” stands on its own as an amazing album, but it almost feels like an extension of the album The Dear Hunter released last year, “Act IV: Rebirth and Reprise.” It’s no surprise it has a similar sound to the previous release as Crescenzo wrote in his letter to fans, “These two albums, Act IV and V, were written and recorded much in the same time frame.”

I was amazed by Crescenzo’s ability to use similar melodies throughout both albums, but still give each their own unique personality and identity. “Act V” really leaves its mark on listeners as an album that ebbs and flows from some of the most joyous songs to some of the bleakest in any of the previous acts. The best thing about “Act V” is you don’t have to understand the story or even listen to the other albums to enjoy it.

The opening track, “Regress,” pulls the listener in with an intro reminiscent of a Danny Elfman overture. It almost creates a feeling of wanderlust just before throwing you into the wildly winding track, “The Moon/Awake.” The track crashes into a sinister pursuit, but then twists back into the dark yet angelic tones presented by the opening track. The feeling of wanderlust truly does not relent as the third track bring us right back into this mentality. The lyrics even hammer this theme home. “I’ve been running through the night again, trying to find where the wild things wouldn’t go.” The rest of the album really is a story you have to experience.

The Dear Hunter brings an apocalyptic country tune to “Act V” with “The Most Cursed of Hands/Who Am I,” then heads straight into a vaudeville musical number with “The Revival.” Crescenzo then shows off his abilities as a crooner with “Mr. Usher (On His Way to Town).” The album is incredibly dynamic and lives and breathes, not only as a pivotal part of a story arch, but also as its own sonic masterpiece.

I won’t bog you down with the story being told by Crescenzo throughout these acts. I could go into the theories and characters and ideas portrayed within the music and lyrics, but I’d rather talk about this album. For those of you who want to know more about the story, Crescenzo has a podcast with Alex Dandino called “The Dear Hunter: Acts and Origins” at supercreative.tv. Dandino is working with Crescenzo on translating the “Act” albums into a comic series. This graphic medium even could be the new way Crescenzo plans to deliver the final act – “Act VI” – to The Dear Hunter fans.

While the future of The Dear Hunter’s “Act VI” might be uncertain, there is a mind-blowing work of art for fans to feast upon while they wait patiently for the story’s end.

• Jason Pfrommer is a videographer for Shaw Media who graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in journalism. Pfrommer is a longtime vinyl collector and lover of music. He often can be heard quoting TV and movies and making pop culture references. He can be reached at jpfrommer@shawmedia.com.