New Hammerfall video and album

Duke Ellington said the following: "There are two types of music, good and the other kind".

detuned wrote:

Duke Ellington said the following: "There are two types of music, good and the other kind".

Duke was a wise man.

kmorg wrote:

[Man, I will never understand why people liken Hammerfall to Sonata Arctica, Freedom Call, Helloween, Edguy and all the other Euro-power metal bands out there.

After berating me for my faux pas about Hammerfall I gave it some thought and I knwo why. Legacy Of Kings has a big Helloween feel to it and most of the songs on that album fit into the Euro-power niche. That being their most widely recognized album has caused people to pigeon hole Hammerfal into that genre. However, apart from that album you are right to be annoyed because the rest of the material is not as speedy as that one. Because that was my introduction to Hammerfall, that is why I've always (until your post) refered to them as such. I hope that explaination is adaquate.

BTW, is anyone getting tired of this whole genre confusion as I am?

To me Hammerfall is power metal based on there traditional style of metal mixed with those classic dungeon and dragons lyrics.

I dont really dont like classify bands too much and I am pretty sick of all the sub-genres out there.

DallasBlack wrote:

BTW, is anyone getting tired of this whole genre confusion as I am?

YES!!!!

detuned wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

BTW, is anyone getting tired of this whole genre confusion as I am?

YES!!!!

See, now if everyone would just adopt my system of "stuff that's good" and "stuff that sucks" there'd be way less genre nazi-ism.

I love being a genre-police! If not for anything else, to get other people riled (sp`?) up!



People seem as bent when being "corrected" as I am on "correcting" them though..... It's not that I dislike the people, nor do I think I have anymore say in what is what. I just like to let my voice be heard on the subject. Hopefully at least someone can see my point of view.

The only reason people call Hammerfall for power metal is because they debuted during a period when Stratovarius, Gamma Ray and the likes were the only metal outside of the underground. So they wrongfully got lumted into the same scene. But if you listen to Hammerfall's debut, they are clearly inspired by the metal of the 80s. Heck, tey even do covers of Accept, Warlord, Pretty Maids, Twisted Sister etc, and make the songs fit in with the rest of their material. That should tell you everything righ there!

I didn't mind being corrected, thats the only way to learn somethimes. For me it was Legacy Of Kings which was the first time I heard the term power metal. Despite the other albums being slower paced than LoK I kept calling them power metal. Even though many of the various band under the term power metal were different I never questioned why. HoM, NLTM, and Metal Metropolis has gone a long way in correcting my ignorance. Before 1999, I never payed much attention to genres (and with all the confusion I might just make up my own-as a matter fact I think I will) so I used various resouruces (magazines, internet, books) and my own ears to determine genre. Unfortunalty three different sources would call a band three different genres leading to confusion. I suspect the genre confusion was just as annoying in the 80s because in Martin Popoff's first book of reveiws, he called bands like Helloween and Gamma Ray gothic metal. So if a so called metal expert can't figure it out, what chance does a guy who didn't listen to metal til the early 90s have?

I hope you don't think I write what I do becasue of you alone, DB. It's more of a general response fro me

kmorg wrote:

I hope you don't think I write what I do becasue of you alone, DB. It's more of a general response fro me

I know, but I can't speak for the rest, only me.

Bumping this thread for Gilbert.

I really love the new Hammerfall album. I think it is the best one they've done in many years. The songs are anthemic, the music fastens quick, and there is enough power to make me wanna hear the songs live. And the ballad is maybe the best one they've done so far!

and Pontus solos are amazing

I just wanna know what the heck possessed HammerFall to cover The Knack's "My Sharona" on the new album, of all things?

Fat Freddy wrote:

I just wanna know what the heck possessed HammerFall to cover The Knack's "My Sharona" on the new album, of all things?

Maybe either Pink Cream 69's version? Or Coroner's version?

I agree though, it really sticks out like a turd in a punch bowl. It should have been on a single, and not the full album.

My copy FINALLY arrived today.

Looking forward to rockin' it at loud volumes in my Mustang!

While your at it Scott listen to Pontus he adds a new element to Hammerfall. Stefan was great but really didn't have an identity. Pontus just blows up the leads.

Coroner covered My Sharona? I know that Destruction covered that song.

I want to know if this is a solid album. After Glory To The Brave I felt they were very inconsistent.

ultmetal wrote:

Coroner covered My Sharona? I know that Destruction covered that song.

Ah, my mistake

kmorg wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

detuned wrote:

So...what sub-category does this fall into?

The sub-catagory is Euro-power metal but I guess power metal is just easier to say (it's a shame too becaue many people automatically reject this music because of the misnomer). In revernce to what power metal used to be, I use that term in my library to separate the two.

NO THIS IS NOT EURO-POWER METAL!!!! Man, I will never understand why people liken Hammerfall to Sonata Arctica, Freedom Call, Helloween, Edguy and all the other Euro-power metal bands out there. Would you call Dio, Accept, Judas Priest, Stormwitch or Pretty Maids Euro-power metal? ....... Didn't think so! Well, these are the bands Hammerfall are related to, and as such they should be labeled heavy metal..... easy as that!

Sorry if I seem cranky, but this has always annoyed the hell out of me!

I would say Hammerfall's first 2 albums are why. They were speedier there, and had a bit "tougher" sound. With "Renegade" and beyond, they slowed things down and took a more "true metal" approach (man, I hate that term). Joacim's voice does sound good, though, like he's finally grown into it & honed it. As much as I love "Renegade" and "Legacy of Kings", I always felt he had a bit of difficulty in the upper registers and just barely undersung some notes. But he sounded pretty good here. The video was lame, but the cheese factor is part of what Hammerfall is about, the whole taking themselves & their metal too seriously, ala Manowar. I might have to pick the new one up...

NSNV is the worst HF disc EVER! 5/10 Just plain, average, ho-hum so-so music. Oh how I miss the early glory days of HammerFall!

Ha, I love it: