HammerFall Retrospective!

In the mid 2000s, just when I was about to start college, I didn't have much knowledge about heavy metal and its various subgenres.  I had heard of a few bands and kinda knew what was out there, but certainly hadn't taken the time learn.  I had ended up making a friend who was a big metalhead, and he decided to send me a bunch of burned CDs of the stuff to try and get me into it.  One band out of the bunch caught my attention: HammerFall.  From this friend, I had gotten copies of the first four of their albums, and with titles like Legacy of Kings and Crimson Thunder, I could tell this one wasn't going to have dark and angry lyrics or style I would have expected at the time.  And I was absolutely right.

Technically, I had a few Stratovarius songs (which I liked) before I picked up HammerFall, but it was this Swedish band that opened my heart to power metal, and I have not looked back since.  Melodic vocals, chugging riffs, pounding rhythms, fantasy lyrics, and an epic soundscape, this band filled a gap in my soul I didn't know I had, and I've been thankful ever since.

Yes, it's time for another retrospective, this time for the band that turned me into a metalhead.  It's also been fun to review all these albums in anticipation of their next album, Avenge the Fallen, which comes out next month.  Once again, I'll be going over their studio and live albums in chronological order.  Let's get this crusade started!

Anniversary Series - 1994!

This year is certainly a tough one to write about.  While there was plenty going on in rock and metal, it was mostly in genres I generally don't cover on this blog (like pop punk or death metal).  That being said, I think I've got enough to scrape a few paragraphs together to try and cover the year without resorting to a handful of reviews.

Naturally, grunge was still big.  Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden put out some reelases to their diehard fans, with Soundgarden in particular having a massive hit with "Black Hole Sun."  However, this year would also serve the biggest blow with the death of Kurt Cobain.  Almost acting like a turning point for the genre, more radio friendly bands like Bush and Our Lady Peace would move the genre into the post-grunge era.

Prog would end up having an interesting year as well.  Classic bands like Yes and ELP (among others) would put out albums, showing they still have what it takes, while Pink Floyd released Division Bell, marking the end of an era (as it was the last album for them for many years).  Progressive metal was picking up, however, with Dream Theater leading the charge with Awake, their celebrated follow-up to Images and Words.  With newcomers like Vanden Plas and Symphony X following in their wake, prog metal was clearly on the way up.

Meanwhile, power metal was starting to come together.  Stratovarius would be in a state of transition with Dreamspace, but the big story was the comeback of Helloween.  Picking up new singer Andi Deris, the band returned to their speedy, melodic roots with Master of the Rings, one of my favorite albums of theirs.  Finally getting past their experimental phase, they laid out epic tracks like "Sole Survivor" and "Where the Rain Grows," anticipating the explosion of power metal that would soon follow.

So it's not much, but it's something, and there's certainly more in the playlist below, so check that out.  If I've missed something, let me know in the comments below.  Meanwhile, I'll keep carrying on, putting out articles as often as time permits.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

New Releases - June 2024!

I'm slowly catching up on some power metal, and looking ahead, there's only going to be more!  There's just a lot of big power metal albums this year, so apologize if it feels like I've become the Power Metal Champion lately.  Still, here are the newest releases that I've been checking out!

Scanner - The Cosmic Race

Like I said when I included their lead single in a New Videos article last year, I vaguely knew of Scanner, but I hadn't listened to them before.  Unsurprisingly, they're another solid blend of heavy and power metal styles that are so typical of their homeland of Germany.  But that just means there's a lot of competition, and based on this album, they seem to fall into the crowd.

Of course, this isn't a bad album, and they do have some decent variety.  The faster stuff seems to channel bands like Gamma Ray and Primal Fear, while their mid-tempo songs feel more like Judas Priest.  Singer Efthimios Ioannidis has a solid grit to his voice that goes well with the songs, though the lyrics can be a little clunky in their delivery.  There aren't really any surprises if you've heard any other band like this, but Scanner knows their way around the style pretty well.  

Based on the songs, I wondered if this was a concept album about people leaving an environmentally ruined Earth, travelling through space until they eventually get to a new planet, promising to take care of it better than their homeworld. "Scanner's Law" is the best track on the album, finding that blend of high energy and mid-tempo epicness, "Space Battalion" was interesting bit of Painkiller inspired metal, especially with that switch to 6/8 in the bridge, and "The Earth Song" sets the tone for the album pretty well.  I don't know if this will rank well at the end of the year, especially with so many other big power metal releases, but it's a solid slab of sci-fi-inspired music.

Hammer King - König und Kaiser

After enjoying their fourth, self-titled album, and feeling that Kingdemonium was a decent, if slightly underwhelming, follow-up, Hammer King carry on their crusade to sing about hammers and kings and the clashes between the two.  In all seriousness, they remain pretty consistent, even if they dip into a bit more silliness than usual.

With pretty much the same lineup as before, they pound on through another stack of heavy/power metal songs with plenty of gusto.  Things start off well with "Hailed by the Hammer," with its stompy riffing.  Their campaign continues with "War Hammer" and "Divided We Shall Fall," providing some crunchy riffs and epic choruses.  "Future King" and "I Want Chaos" turn up the speed and "Gates of Atlantia" is an epic closer to the main album.

If there is a concern, it's that the lyrics are starting to wander into the farcical, like PowerWolf.  The reference to Back to the Future on the time-travel song feels weird, and "The Devil I Will" is based on a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  While I don't want bands to feel like they have to be locked in to a style or lyrical theme, I admit I take my power metal pretty seriously as a fun style of dramatic and/or epic storytelling, so when these sorts of tongue-in-cheek songs happen, I have a hard time with them.  Still, this is a solid album of entertaining songs, and fit well with everything Hammer King has done before.  

Firewind - Stand United

While I felt a little underwhelmed by their last album, it was by no means bad.  Herbie Langhans was a solid addition, giving the band an extra layer of melodic grit.  Now, four years later, the same lineup is back for more, and I think I'm getting into it now.

Last time, I felt they were channeling traditional metal much like Herman Frank's recent solo output.  However, because I guess I was more prepared for that, I've ended up really liking it!  Sure, there are some power metal flourishes here and there, and Gus G. is still doing what he does best: playing great, melodic, noodly solos, but this is definitely leaning more on the classic heavy metal side.  I think what's working for me here is that the song-writing feels tight, with fun, crunchy riffs and choruses that are easy to sing along with.  If there is one thing I noticed that was different was a greater use of synthesizers.  It wasn't much, just enough to add a little flavor, but it was on most of the songs, giving them a touch of old-school charm.  

Honestly a lot of this is pretty consistent, with songs just trucking along one after the other, but I can't deny I enjoyed it.  Things start off well with "Salvation Day" and the title track.  "The Power Lies Within" is a very uplifting, traditional metal styled anthem, things get a little gritty on "Land of Chaos," and I even liked their cover of "Talking In Your Sleep"!  I admit it's not an amazing album, but there is nothing wrong with keeping things straight-ahead, especially when it's done this well!