Review: Demon Hunter Brings 'There Was A Light Here' Tour to Atlanta

The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia hosted a stacked night of heavy music as Demon Hunter, Convictions, and Cultist rolled through town on the “There Was A Light Here” tour. This was my first time seeing both Demon Hunter and Cultist live, while I had previously seen Convictions once before. I also got to experience the show with both of my sons, Leo and Max, along with my friends Steve Morse and Trey, which made the night even more memorable.

Cultist opened the night with a high energy set that immediately grabbed the crowd’s attention. The band has two lead vocalists, and somehow they make it work incredibly well. Both singers were constantly moving around the stage, jumping up front and engaging directly with the audience. Their energy never let up. Even though they are still newer compared to the other two bands on the bill, it felt obvious they gained a lot of new fans on this tour. They brought intensity, chaos, and excitement from start to finish.

Convictions followed with a set that kept the momentum going strong. Their frontman did an amazing job hyping up the crowd and keeping the energy level high. It was clear they already had a strong fanbase in attendance, as many people were singing along and reacting to every breakdown. One of the coolest moments of the night personally was watching my son Leo experience his first mosh pit during their set. He even managed to leave with both a Convictions and Demon Hunter setlist by the end of the night.

When Demon Hunter finally hit the stage, the crowd erupted. The band sounded incredibly tight musically, and their stage production was visually impressive without feeling overproduced. Most of the set remained dark with heavy red, white, and blue backlighting creating an intense atmosphere across the stage. Spotlights were mainly reserved for moments when Ryan Clark spoke between songs or during the acoustic portions of the night.

One unique part of the show was hearing the band perform “The Brink” acoustically. They later played a second acoustic song as well. From the flow of the night, it almost felt like these moments were intentionally placed to give the band a breather during an incredibly long 20 song set. The stripped down moments worked well and gave the audience a different side of the band live.

With the lights finally up during those acoustic moments, you could clearly see Ryan Clark’s tattooed torso and head along with his rad hand painted overcoat. His personalized microphone stand and microphone featuring a patriarchal metal cross attached to it was also a very cool visual detail that fit the band perfectly.

Celebrating 25 years as a creative band that continues paving new paths in heavy music says a lot. The music industry is not an easy place to survive long term, especially for a band that has consistently done things their own way. Demon Hunter has proven many doubters wrong over the years, and hearing fans sing nearly every word back to the band proved once again just how loved and respected they are. They are clearly still here to stay.

To top the night off, I was excited to head home with a Cultist album on vinyl as a reminder of an unforgettable evening of music and memories.