| Royal Hunt | |
| Landscape: | Yes |
| Origin: | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Years Active: | 1989–present |
| Label: | NorthPoint, Kick, Steamhammer, Semaphore, Magna Carta, Scarlet Frontiers |
| Current Members: | André Andersen D. C. Cooper Andreas Passmark Jonas Larsen Andreas "Habo" Johansson |
| Past Members: | Marcus Jidell John West Mark Boals Henrik Brockmann Steen Mogensen Jacob Kjaer Kenneth Olsen Per Schelander Allan Sørensen |
Royal Hunt is a Danish progressive metal band. The band was founded in 1989 by keyboardist André Andersen in order to combine basic values of classic rock with progressive, current musical elements.[1] The name originated from a painting seen in a museum by Andersen.[2]
Royal Hunt is known for creating melodic music with a progressive and symphonic flair. They experienced success during the mid-90s with American vocalist[3] D.C. Cooper on their albums Moving Target and Paradox mainly in Japan and Europe.
Throughout their history the band has experienced several lineup changes. In 2007 they acquired singer Mark Boals, who replaced former vocalist John West. In 2011 after numerous requests from fans and promoters worldwide they decided to reunite with their former vocalist D. C. Cooper for a special tour, covering the first four albums of the band. They recorded a new album entitled Show Me How to Live featuring the returning D.C. Cooper as their permanent vocalist moving forward. Cooper also provided vocals for the 2013 album, A Life to Die For, and again provided vocals on "Devil's Dozen", "Cast In Stone" and "Dystopia – Part 1".[4]
In October 2021, the group announced the completion of songwriting for the new album – "Dystopia – Part 2".[5] The album will be released on 28 October 2022.[6]
For festival appearances in 2024, the band are scheduled to perform with a line-up including their former lead vocalist Mark Boals and Statement's drummer Daniel Rasch Nielsen. Boals and Nielsen are temporarily covering for Cooper and Johansson due to the latter's scheduling conflicts. The Boals/Nielsen-incorporating lineup will play at Leyendas Del Rock in Spain on August 7 and at Jailbreak Festival in Denmark on August 17.[7]
In Japan, the band is famous for the song Martial Arts, which was used as entrance music for professional wrestler Masahiro Chono.[8] [9]