lukretion HammerFall’s fourth LP, Crimson Thunder, does not offer major stylistic innovations compared to the formula the Swedes had used since their very first album, Glory to the Brave. As heralds of the “power metal renaissance”, HammerFall continue to cunningly assemble together assorted influences from the 80s heavy/power metal scene, including NWOBHM, neoclassical metal (Rainbow, Dio, Malmsteen), and traditional epic metal (Manowar). While the influences are obvious, the blend the Swedes have to offer is admittedly hard to resist when the band play on all cylinders. Alas, this is probably where Crimson Thunder is lacking and the reason why it has gained such a bad reputation among fans and critics. It is actually not a bad album per se, but it comes across as uninspired and dull – almost as if the five-piece did not put their whole heart into writing and recording it. For this reason, it simply does not stand up to the comparison with the three albums that preceded it.

It is quite difficult to find obvious factual faults with the songwriting and arrangements of the album’s 11 songs (well, except the simplistic lyrics and the awfully cheesy ballad “Dreams Come True” – but those come as part of the package, I suppose). Everything sounds competent and ticks all the right boxes when it comes to traditional heavy/power metal. The no-frills drumming is fast and precise, providing a steady if slightly unimaginative rhythmic foundation to the songs. The guitars switch with ease between riffs, melodic leads and power chords, transmitting tension and then release to the music, as necessary. Dual leads and interplays are used cleverly hinting at NWOBHM influences. Occasionally, the bass takes on a lead role while the guitarists take a backseat, like on the single “Hears on Fire”, providing astute shifts in dynamics. HammerFall also indulge in gentle nudges to neoclassical metal, especially in the guitar solos, just to remind us that they are after all from the land of Mr Malmsteen. Meanwhile, Joacim Cans churns out his usual share of simple and easy-to-memorize melodies, helped by male gang backing-vocals in the choruses, a trick taken directly from the playbook of Manowar. The production is excellent, bursting with power and clarity, reminding everyone why Charlie Bauerfeind (Rage, Blind Guardian, and many others) has gained such a strong reputation as a metal producer.

These are all textbook traditional heavy/power metal aesthetics, which should awake and excite the Metal Defender in our soul. Alas, it instead actually risks putting it to sleep. The first half of the album is particularly dull, filled with a bunch of similarly bland songs that can only be distinguished by the speed of their underlying click-track. While listening to them, I reminded of the tired feeling I sometimes get at metal concerts, late in the evenings of a weekday, after an intense day at work. I knew exactly at which part of a song I am supposed to get excited and animated by, but I just can’t gather the energy to do so. These songs have the same effect on me: I know precisely what each part is supposed to achieve– the verses building tension, the pre-choruses slowly increasing in loudness and then the epic release in the mighty refrains -, but they just fail to get to me. Ultimately, I believe it comes down to run-of-the-mill songwriting, which recycles ideas that we have all heard somewhere else, done better (possibly by HammerFall themselves).

Once we are past the terrible keyboard-driven interlude “Lore of the Arcane”, the album’s second half gets better. Here HammerFall seem to have put a little bit more imagination into the songwriting. “Trailblazers” feels fresh and dynamic, thanks to its frequent tempo changes and a chorus that for once does not feel totally cliché. Chastain’s cover “Angel of Mercy” offers a nice, doomy diversion, fuelled by a moody chorus with a Dio-esque feel to it. I also like the mellow instrumental “In Memoriam”, where Stefan Elmgren showcases good taste in the choice of leads and texture. “Hero’s Return” gets a thumbs-up for giving me strong NWOBHM vibes (Iron Maiden, especially in the verse) and it again has a decent chorus and a nice clavinet coda to round things off. The version I own also includes a bonus track, a speedy rendition of Malmsteen’s iconic song “Rising Force” from his 1988’s Odyssey album, which actually feels somewhat amateurish as it fails to capture the classy, pompous feel of the original.

Ultimately, the bunch of decent songs surfacing in the latter part of the record save it from a complete flop. It is still fair to say Crimson Thunder does not quite match up with the expectations the band’s first three LPs had created. But at the same time, it is not a terrible CD to spin once in a while, preferably while doing something else while listening to it (it’s quite a good album to drive to!), in order to reduce the sense of dullness that would otherwise become pervasive in an active listening session.

siLLy puPPy HAMMERFALL has traversed the span of one year short of three decades now and emerged back in the early 90s as one of Sweden’s earliest power metal bands and has weathered the storms throughout the years with its classic heavy metal meets power metal stylistic approach that is still going strong. The band has just released its 12th studio album HAMMER OF DAWN to a ravenous fanbase which gets a great big thank you in the form of the opening track “Brotherhood” where the band pays tribute to all those who made it possible to stick around for so long. Awww. You gotta love a band that really appreciates those who made its success possible. A little humility goes a looooong ass way!

On HAMMER OF DAWN we are treated to a collection of ten classic metal meets power metal tracks that while not offering anything new under the sun nevertheless showcases HAMMERFALL in its comfort zone dishing out what it knows best with its ear wormy metal anthems in full bravado. Power metal is a tricky beast for me as sometimes it can become a bit overweening and downright cheesy but HAMMERFALL seems to have found that middle ground where classic 80s metal leaves off and power metal begins all the while adding a pinch of thrashy gallops to its heft. Like many an aging band that is more than set in its ways, HAMMERFALL is a band that you pretty know what you’re getting with nary a thought to the contrary.

The power stomps of “Brotherhood” showcase all the band’s traits with the dual guitar riffing frenzies and juiced up bass and percussive responses. Despite three decades into their career these aging metal rockers sound on top of their game with vocalist Joacim Cans showing no wear and tear in his vocal deliveries. The band is as tight as ever and provides all the instantly catchy melodies one should expect from a tight-knit power metal act of this caliber soon to enter its fourth decade on the scene. The album is well paced and doesn’t become too much of a one trick pony with plenty of metal rampage but also operatic call and responses, slowed down power ballads and a soaring background atmospheric smoothness.

What’s not to like? Well everything is quite nicely crafted but as with most of this band’s efforts, it’s all a bit predictable and exists in a soft cuddly safe zone that neither surprises nor offends. It’s all within that band of full accessibility with no room for even the slightest hint of experimentation or deviation from the norm. Possibly due to the fact HAMMERFALL is very much a lyric oriented band, these guys don’t seem to have the ambition to indulge in excursions for the fairly typical verse / chorus and occasional bridge construct. Sure this band is no Helloween on a good day or even a Blind Guardian on a bad one but consistency surely counts for something and for those utterly addicted to the power metal high then you can’t go wrong with any given HAMMERFALL release. All in all a solidly enjoyable album even if it’s a bit on the generic side of the spectrum.

DippoMagoo Swedish heavy/power metal band Hammerfall have become very reliable over the last 22 years, releasing one great album after another, without showing any signs of slowing down. They first splashed onto the scene in 1997 with their critically acclaimed debut, Glory to the Brave, and ever since they’ve been both very prolific and consistently entertaining, proving themselves to be one of the absolute best in their field. While I tend to enjoy some of their albums more than others, they always manage to have their fair share of excellent tracks on every release, and so I always look forward to hearing new music from them. I was particularly impressed by their previous release, Built to Last, which proved to be a big return to form following the much-reviled Infected, and the solid but somewhat underwhelming (r)Evolution. Their eleventh full-length release, Dominion, is nearly here, and after several spins, I can safely say it not only improves upon its already excellent predecessor, but it’s an amazing album in its own right and one that can easily stand toe to toe against any of the band’s best works!

Hammerfall has a pretty distinct sound at this point, striking pretty much a perfect balance between 90’s-early 2000’s Euro power metal, with slight modernization here and there, and some classic heavy metal. The only album that didn’t quite fit that description was Infected, which had a much darker, slightly heavier and more modernized sound, overall. Dominion, however, continues where Built to Last left off, showing the band at their most melodic, and the most energetic they’ve been in quite some time, channeling their younger selves at times, while still having some sight modern twists, as well as a couple of their heaviest songs to date. The guitar work is, of course, excellent, as always, with some amazing melodic lead guitar work, some great solos, and some very heavy riffs, and while there are times where the music takes a slightly modern twist, for the most part, the songs have a very classic feel to them, which works perfectly. There are a few points where the music approaches Infected levels of heaviness and darkness, but the band always counters it with some excellent, uplifting vocal melodies, and so anyone turned off by that release should not be disappointed by this one. As far as pacing goes, the album is very much what any Hammerfall fan should expect from the band, with a perfect mix between speedy power metal, some slower, hard-hitting heavy metal, a couple of tracks which alternate between the two, and a couple of ballads. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the release, though, is the vocals, with Joacim Cans sounding clearly at the top of his game, delivering the kind of epic, soaring power metal vocals he’s always excelled at, and especially shining during the choruses, which are easily some of the band’s catchiest, most melodic and just plain best in quite some time. Production and performances are of course excellent across the board, as always, and everything sounds perfect.

Leading up to the release, the band has delivered three singles, all of which would suggest a move away from their typical power metal sound, though all three of them are excellent tracks, in their own right. First up, lead single “{We Make} Sweden Rock” is a rather upbeat, moderately paced heavy metal track, with a slight hard rock feel to it. It has some nice heavy riffs throughout the verses, which give way to a very melodic, extremely catchy chorus, and while the lyrics may be a bit cringy for some, the performances and overall songwriting are more than strong enough to help make it a winner, and the guitar solo and chanting in the second half are quite excellent. The second single is “One Against the World”, which starts with some pretty cool modern sounding keys, before slowing down and turning into one of the band’s heavier tracks. The verses plod along at a slow pace, but with some very powerful guitar work, and they do a great job of building towards the typically great, uplifting chorus. The track picks up in the middle, with an epic speedy section that brings classic Iron Maiden to mind, and then it only speeds up further from there, going into full power metal territory for a truly awe-inspiring final run through the chorus. The third and most recent single is the title track, another very hard-hitting track, with a killer lead riff that falls somewhere in between Black Album era Metallica and classic AC/DC, as well as being some of the band’s most brutal guitar work ever, aside from Infected. The track moves along at a fairly slow pace, with calm, melodic verses, enhanced by some cool choir vocals chanting the name, and then the chorus comes in and is beautiful, with some of the band’s best vocal melodies of all time, and some very funny lyrics. The solo section in the middle is also epic and brings back some of the heavy riffs from early on. Overall, it’s my favorite song on the album, as as well as probably my favorite heavy metal track they’ve ever made, aside from maybe “Patient Zero”, from Infected.

The singles may cause fans to expect less power metal on the album, but thankfully that is not the case at all. First up, we have the explosive opener, “Never Forgive, Never Forget”, which starts with a nice soft intro, where the music immediately gives off a slight old Western vibe, and this remains throughout the entire track. Following that intro, the tempo immediately picks up, with the verses galloping along at a fast pace, while the chorus is very fun, melodic and quite fast-paced, with the track only briefly slowing down for some nice instrumental work in the second half, followed by an extremely fun and intense vocals section, which gives way to some great solos. Two tracks later, “Testify” is the heaviest of the power metal songs here, moving at a fast pace throughout and delivering some pretty crushing riffs, with a slightly modernized sound, overall. The highlight of the track is the chorus, with some pretty cool gang vocals delivering the title. It’s very fun and intense track, overall. On the more melodic side of things, “Scars of a Generation” has a very classic Hammerfall feel to it, moving at a nice pace with some moderately paced verses, before going full throttle for a very speedy, yet extremely melodic chorus, which is sure to please many power metal fans. It’s a very fun track, with some awesome vocal melodies, and is one of my favorites. The last two speedier tracks on the album are “Bloodline” and “Chain of Command”, both of which strike a nice balance between being fast-paced, melodic and having some heavy riffs and very melodic, catchy choruses, as well as some great instrumental work during the solo sections. Both tracks also have some excellent choral vocals throughout, and both are excellent tracks, overall.

Aside from the singles, the only real heavy slower track is “Dead by Dawn”, which has more of a classic Hammerfall sound to it, with some pretty heavy riffs during the verses, but with more of a traditional feel to them, while the chorus is quite fun and intense, and has some more great choral vocals. On the softer side, Built to Last ended with the incredible power ballad “Second to None”, which the band decided to follow up on this release with “Second to One.” While this track isn’t quite as epic as the aforementioned masterpiece, it’s still a very nice ballad, starting with some nice piano work and vocals, which remain throughout the first two verses and chorus, before guitars take over for a very emotional solo. The chorus is excellent, and the verses do a good job of building up to it, while the instrumental work is excellent. It doesn’t have any speedier passages or any real metal elements, at all, unlike “Second to None”, but it’s an excellent ballad, in its own right. Closing out the album is the second ballad, “And Yet I Smile”. This one starts with some excellent melodic guitar work, and it’s a slightly heavier track, overall, with some nice bursts of heaviness, particularly in the second half, while still clearly falling into power ballad territory. It balances nicely between soft and heavy sections, with Joacim delivering some brilliant vocals throughout, especially during the chorus, the instrumental section is extremely well done. Overall, it’s a very strong, if somewhat predictable, way to end the album.

For the longest time, I used to consider Hammerfall as one of those “singles” bands, where each of their albums would have maybe 2-5 excellent songs I played over and over, while ignoring the rest, but over time I’ve grown to enjoy almost all of their work, and while some of their albums do still feel a bit inconsistent, the band has proven their ability to deliver some great, more consistent releases over the years. Dominion is yet another triumph, with some of their best tracks to date, including some excellent speedy power metal, some slow, crushing heavy metal with excellent vocal melodies, and a couple of excellent ballads. Longtime fans of the band should be very pleased, while anyone looking for some fun heavy/power metal is highly recommended to give this album a shot, as it’s one of the band’s best works to date!

Originally written for myglobalmind.com: https://myglobalmind.com/2019/08/10/hammerfall-dominion-review/

Kev Rowland When HammerFall released their second album in 1998 they were following up from the incredible success of their debut, and cemented it with ‘Legacy Of Kings’ which charted in multiple territories including Top 20 in Germany and their home country of Sweden. Nuclear Blast have now released a boxed set containing two CDs and a DVD (which I haven’t seen), with loads of additional material which makes this a “must purchase” for any fan. The ’20 Year Anniversary Edition’ contains the original album (remastered of course), along with singles/bonus cuts which were available in other territories, live versions from recent tours, and what is probably the most interesting for real fans, rehearsal demo material from 1998. It is certainly interesting to compare those songs with how they sound on the original album!

HammerFall rarely fail to deliver, and this is certainly no exception with their take on power metal which at times also brings in a folk element, always with loads of bottom end and great vocals. It is interesting to hear them cover Helloween’s “I Want Out” as while a good version it doesn’t contain the power and emphasis of their own material, while I am still not sure why they recorded “Man On The Silver Mountain”, but they don’t do bad (and it is a brave man indeed to take on Ronnie). I am sure that most metalheads will already have this album in their collection, but while waiting for the next album (which should be out in a few months), this is well worth investigating again.

DippoMagoo Over the years, I’ve discovered that I tend to have some unique opinions on metal that differ wildly from most fans, and one of the best examples of this is with Swedish band Hammerfall. The band started out in the 90’s as a mostly pure, old school power metal band which should have been perfect for my tastes, and yet for some reason the primitive, basic songwriting of their debut Glory to the Brave, for all the energy it had in its speediest moments, never really grabbed me the way some of their more polished efforts like Renegade and Crimson Thunder did, despite the fact that many consider it to be their best album.

Likewise, in 2011 when the band made the zombie themed Infected, an album that moved away from their typical blend of epic, upbeat power metal and old school heavy metal into a darker, harder hitting and more modern-sounding heavy metal album with only occasional bursts of speed (also their one and only album to not feature their mascot Hector on the cover art) and the majority of their fans hated it, I was largely impressed. In fact, that album still stands as my favorite in their discography due to its unique feel, its powerful riffs and how much it stands out when compared to the rest of their work, which aside from that release I usually tend to judge not on which albums I like the most overall, but on which albums have more highlights. Unsurprisingly, when the band attempted something of a return to the roots on their previous album, (r)Evolution, and many of their fans thought of it as their best in years, I was left with mixed feelings. So suffice to say, I was a little bit nervous when it came time to hear their tenth full-length album, Built to Last, but against all my expectations it has ended up as one of my favorite heavy/power metal albums of the year, and I like it almost as much as Infected.

Don’t let that last part serve as a warning, though, because this album definitely isn’t similar to Infected at all. In fact, one of my complaints about (r)Evolution was that it felt like the band was stuck in a spot where part of them wanted to go back to their early sound, while another part wanted to stick to their modern sound, and so it ended up feeling like a weird mishmash between the two, with even some songs like “Wildfire” feeling like failed attempts to do speedy power metal while incorporating modern elements, and things fell apart quickly. The highlight of that album was the lead single “Hector’s Hymn”, a track which along with “Bushido” felt like classic Hammerfall at their best, and so I was hoping the band would commit one way or another this time around, either going fully back to their roots or continuing with their modern sound. Thankfully, they did, and they made a decision I’m sure longtime fans will be pleased with: They’ve made a full on return to their classic sound, with a blend of epic speedy power metal and catchy old school heavy metal tracks, in a release that stylistically falls somewhere in between Renegade and Crimson Thunder, my two favorites from their early years, leaving very little trace of the sound found on Infected and, to a lesser extent, its predecessor No Sacrifice, No Victory.

Now that I’ve gotten that long introduction out of the way, let’s move on to the fun part. Musically the band sounds tighter and more energetic than they’ve been years, with the fast parts having more energy than they did on the previous few albums, and there are some very nice melodies and guitar solos to be found throughout. At the same time, the slower tracks are also equal parts more fun and more inventive than on the previous album, while being much lighter than Infected or its predecessor. Vocally, Joacim Cans sounds as strong as ever, and he hits some pretty high notes on a couple tracks, showing he still has it in him to deliver huge choruses the way he could in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. More importantly, the songwriting is very consistent across the board, as there’s only one less than the great track to be found (which I’ll get to in a bit). In fact, while Infected is my favorite Hammerfall album stylistically when it comes to pure songwriting quality, I’d put this right up there with Crimson Thunder as the band’s best work to date.

Things get off to a rocking start with “Bring It!”, a fast paced track with a bit of a heavy metal edge to its guitar riffs during the verses, and while its chorus falls victim to the kind of basic songwriting found on their debut, here it’s delivered with so much energy from the choirs that it ends up working in a kind of weird way. One thing’s for sure: If you listen to the song even a couple times, you’ll get that chorus stuck in your head for a long time. Next up is “Hammer High”, a slower track which starts off with nice drumming, before settling into its slow but steady verses, which then give way to the first big chorus of the album, where both Joacim and the choirs deliver some deliver some epic vocals. It’s the first of many tracks on the album that instantly gives the feeling of classic Hammerfall, and this feeling continues on the next track “The Sacred Vow”. After a brief but nice acoustic section, the song speeds up for the verses, which have nice riffs going on, before slowing down for another huge chorus where Joacim delivers some huge high notes. That chorus is possibly the catchiest on the album, and that along with a calm vocal section before the solo section are easily the highlights of the track.

After a strong start, the rest of the album settles into the kind of pattern you’d expect from the band, mixing up fast and slower songs as it goes along. Out of the speedier tracks, “Dethrone and Defy” immediately impresses with its heavy riffs and super speedy verses, while “Stormbreaker” is almost the reverse of “The Sacred Vow”, with slow, heavy verses giving way to a very fast and epic chorus, while “The Star of Home” is a more melodic track, and it has some nice melodies and a huge chorus that would fit in on any classic Hammerfall album. All three of these are equally strong and show the band at their best. The one slight oddity here is “New Breed”, a faster track which has very small traces of the most modern sound found on their later albums, especially with how the riffs sound during the verses, though it too has a very addictive chorus.

Out of the slower tracks, “Hammer High” is probably my favorite, though the title track is also great. Right from its opening melody it grabs the listener, and its verses move at a slow but steady pace that keeps you hooked in until the chorus comes in with its very creative and addictive vocal melodies. It’s equal parts cheesy and fun, which makes it the perfect title track for a Hammerfall album, especially one that represents a successful return to their roots. Out of the two ballads, closing track “Second to None” is an instant winner, hooking you in with its verses and chorus, before exploding during an epic speedy section in the second half, which eventually leads to an even more awesome speedy run through the chorus. Between that and a great use of keyboards, the track makes for an excellent end to the album, Unfortunately, the other ballad “Twilight Princess” is the one weak spot on the album and it simply doesn’t fit in at all. Following a nice intro, the track turns into a full ballad with only acoustic guitars and vocals, and while it has a nice guitar solo in the middle, the vocal melodies are surprisingly bland and boring compared to anything else on the album, and the lyrics are repetitive but not in the fun way listeners would expect, instead become really boring and irritating quickly. By the end of the track, one can’t help but be equal parts annoyed by what they’ve just sat through and relieved that it’s finally over.

Outside of that one misstep, Built to Last is an excellent album that shows Hammerfall pulling off what they attempted but failed with (r)Evolution: They’ve brought back the energy and feel of their early albums. While I’ll admit to being an unlikely source of helpful news for longtime fans of the band, just going on everything I wrote in the first two paragraphs, I highly expect this to be a well-received album for the band, and I definitely think it’s one of their most consistently entertaining albums to date, featuring the expert blend of power metal and heavy metal I’ve come to expect from the band, and doing a great job of it. Highly recommended for all fans of heavy metal and power metal, and I’d say even for people who have never heard the band’s previous work, this would be a much better starting point than any of their previous few albums, maybe even since Crimson Thunder.

originally written for myglobalmind.com: http://myglobalmind.com/2016/11/02/hammerfall-built-last-review/