Let the Hammer Fall!

Quote :

In just two weeks, Sweden's most successful Heavy Metal band HAMMERFALL will enter the studio to record the follow up to their gold album "No Sacrifice, No Victory". The songwriting is almost finished, and guitarist Oscar Dronjak reveals: "The new material contains a lot of fresh ways to look at the musical ide...as, we're trying to preserve the essence of what HammerFall is while at the same time updating the execution and approach. Definitely heavier and less straight forward than the previous albums, yet remaining true to what we believe heavy metal is all about."

Expect the unexpected! The quintet also decided to work with a new producer, which is significant since the last four albums have been produced by Charlie Bauerfeind. The choice fell on James Michael, who recently worked with MÖTLEY CRÜE, SCORPIONS, MEAT LOAF and others. James Michael comments: “We are about to make a fantastic album. The band is firing on all cylinders and I am excited to be part of this project."

Oscar Dronjak explains: "Working with James Michael is going to be very, very exciting. The two Mötley Crüe album James has been involved in (songwriter on "New Tattoo" and songwriter/producer on "Saints Of Los Angeles") are great, and easily stack up against the classic albums of the 80's. That, and the fact that HammerFall have used the same producer (Charlie Bauerfeind) since 2002 has me very psyched about this collaboration, it will automatically bring a freshness to the proceedings! A lot of what HF was got refined when we started working with Charlie, and I'm sure we'll get a similar kind of reaction here. Sort of like a kick in the ass, to get going in the right direction.”

Vocalist Joacim Cans adds another important aspect: "I see James Michael as one of my favorite singers of today and his work with SIXX:AM is simply fantastic. Not only is the album one of the best ever made production-wise, but James also delivers a vocal performance that most singers today are not capable of. James will be the perfect co-producer for us and I really think he will be able to get me up a notch in the vocal department"

The yet untitled record will be released in Europe on May 20th.

Love Hammerfall and anytime they release an album, I'm there no matter who is producing.

I thought NS NV was a great album, going back to their early sound. I wonder about going to James Michael, not the kind of producer i'd expect for their more traditional sound. We'll see.

Ill give it a listen.

Loved the debut (sans the ballads) but none of the subsequent releases.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Loved the debut (sans the ballads) but none of the subsequent releases.

I think Legacy of Kings is their best - and one of the best power metal albums ever.

exact33 wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Loved the debut (sans the ballads) but none of the subsequent releases.

I think Legacy of Kings is their best - and one of the best power metal albums ever.

I was excited to hear that one but after I bought it didn't enjoy a single song on it.

Do you like this album more than, say, RIOT's "Thundersteel", WARLORD's "Best Of", or METAL CHURCH's debut?

exact33 wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Loved the debut (sans the ballads) but none of the subsequent releases.

I think Legacy of Kings is their best - and one of the best power metal albums ever.

I like the debut a lot. It was the album that got me into them, and more specifically the song The Dragon Lies Bleeding. Someone sent me a compilation CD with that song on it and I thought it was outstanding, so I went out and bought the CD. However, I think Legacy of Kings was even better. It's probably still my favorite from their catalog.

I'm sure no matter what this will sound exactly like all their other albums. I really like this band but I'm hoping I'm wrong and they try something different and not too extreme.

When I was first told about this band I was told they were like old Helloween. So with a comparison like that of course I had to check them out. It took me a long time to get used to Jocaim's vocals because I think they sound a little weak and whiney compared to the music. I still feel that way sometimes. I do like them though and I'll be waiting for this new album just please do something interesting.

ultmetal wrote:

exact33 wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Loved the debut (sans the ballads) but none of the subsequent releases.

I think Legacy of Kings is their best - and one of the best power metal albums ever.

I like the debut a lot. It was the album that got me into them, and more specifically the song The Dragon Lies Bleeding. Someone sent me a compilation CD with that song on it and I thought it was outstanding, so I went out and bought the CD. However, I think Legacy of Kings was even better. It's probably still my favorite from their catalog.

I agree with you guys on Leagcy Of Kings being their best.

Hope it's as good as their landmark Legacy of kings

For me, Hammerfall have been very hit and miss since Legacy of Kings.

Much like Scott, I also got into Hammerfall after hearing their first album. At the time they were just releasing Legacy of King and I was totally blown away by their style of metal. I was still new to power metal at the time, and their style to me felt very fresh and somewhat unique. I love how they took so many of my favorite 80s metal bands: Accept, Priest, Helloween, Pretty Maids etc. adding a heavier layer of guitars and speedier riffs.

However, ever since Renegade this band has failed to impress me in the same way as they did with the debut and Legacy of Kings. Renegade felt very watered down and I can say almost the same about nearly all the albums that followed. I enjoyed Threshold a bit better and I liked No Sacrifice... better than most of their other albums since Legacy...

I don't really mind if a band doesn't change their style from one album to another - for example, Running Wild are one of my favorite bands yet Rolf never strayed too far from the style of Under Jolly Roger / Death or Glory; I like growth and that's something I feel Hammerfall weren't quite able to achieve without, what I personally feel is, watering down their style.

Alex Dee Rokket wrote:

For me, Hammerfall have been very hit and miss since Legacy of Kings.

Much like Scott, I also got into Hammerfall after hearing their first album. At the time they were just releasing Legacy of King and I was totally blown away by their style of metal. I was still new to power metal at the time, and their style to me felt very fresh and somewhat unique. I love how they took so many of my favorite 80s metal bands: Accept, Priest, Helloween, Pretty Maids etc. adding a heavier layer of guitars and speedier riffs.

However, ever since Renegade this band has failed to impress me in the same way as they did with the debut and Legacy of Kings. Renegade felt very watered down and I can say almost the same about nearly all the albums that followed. I enjoyed Threshold a bit better and I liked No Sacrifice... better than most of their other albums since Legacy...

I don't really mind if a band doesn't change their style from one album to another - for example, Running Wild are one of my favorite bands yet Rolf never strayed too far from the style of Under Jolly Roger / Death or Glory; I like growth and that's something I feel Hammerfall weren't quite able to achieve without, what I personally feel is, watering down their style.

I am with you on them being hit or miss since Renegade. They used to be a blind buy for me but now I have to listen first...

Count me in as one who thinks LEGACY OF KINGS was their best record, they still haven't topped it.

Truthfully I think the band has been more or less spinning its wheels ever since.

I'm new to Hammerfall. They're a band I've wanted to test out for a while but James Michael coming on definitely intrigues me and I'll certainly give that a try. I like most of what Michael has been involved with in the last few years either as a singer/writer/producer.

Oh, HELL yes!


Man, I absolutely love these guys. Even at their worst, their music is still enjoyable. I will admit that they did kinda get watered down over time, but their last album showed that they still had it in them.

One other thing I love about these guys: The artist for their covers is Samwise, the art director for Blizzard Entertainment.

That reminds me, i still need to buy RENEGADE.