Demon Hunter Singled Out Week: Someone To Hate

Interestingly enough, "Someone To Hate" was actually the original title for "Collapsing," the lead single from our previous album, The World Is A Thorn. As a matter of fact, there is an original version of "Collapsing" with some of these lyrics on it, and at that time, the verses were all screaming vocals. We went back into the studio after we'd finished the whole record (which is the only time we've done that) to revise the song. I completely rewrote the verses and pre-chorus, and we decided to do melodic singing vocals throughout the entire song.

When writing songs for True Defiance, I came back to the lyrics and title for "Someone To Hate" because I still liked them and I didn't want them to go to waste. I did end up rewriting the bulk of them, but the general idea is still there.

The working title for the demo of this song was shamelessly titled "Slay" for fairly obvious reasons. I first wrote the opening guitar lead and it was just begging for a rhythmic gallop over the top. I think it sounds insanely hard. The picking for that lead was actually 1/4 the speed on the original demo and Patrick suggested we speed it up like a black metal lead, which was a great idea. The same is true for the bending note in the pre-chorus. It was originally one strum, bent in time. Aside from the amazing solos, this is where Patrick really shines- he takes my basic ideas and makes them much cooler. Every occurrence of a pinch harmonic (which you can hear in this song) is also his personal input. I leave most of these details to him as he's 10 times the guitar player I am. I love pinch harmonics, especially when used tastefully. They immediately remind me of the mighty Tommy Victor, which is a very good thing.

This song features one of my favorite guitar solos on the new record as well. When we were getting ready to record, I showed Patrick an At The Gates solo and said, "Hear that? That little stutter effect? I want that in a solo!" I assumed it was a pedal effect, and Patrick said, "No, that's him tapping the whammy bar really fast." I was like, "Seriously?" And he was right. You can hear what I'm referring to right in the middle of this solo. It's an awesome little detail.

The keyboards in the bridge section are all Aaron Sprinkle's handy work. This kind of thing is definitely one of Aaron's strong suits- the little details that add so much to the song. One of my favorite Sprinkle additions also appears in this song- at the beginning of the very last chorus. He created this really cool electronic part that adds a great dynamic to the section. It reminds me a little of Nine Inch Nails, a little of Soilwork. Either one being awesome.

One last minute addition was the line "Heart is cold" at the top of the chorus. I felt that the vocals came in too late in the chorus, so a short line tagged onto the beginning was the perfect remedy.

The lyrics to the song speak about the idea of being hated by those that oppose my world view, and how being someone to hate isn't something I'll necessarily shy away from, if it's for the things I believe in whole-heartedly. In this scene, if you aren't making someone upset, you're not saying much of anything.