Hammerfall - Hammer Of Dawn (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]
The one problem I have with this album is Not Today. The ballad kills a lot of the momentum the Swedish power metal survivors have built up on the preceding six tracks, luckily the blistering Live Free Or Die comes next and things manage to pick back up again. Hammer Of Dawn is their twelfth studio album, coming after they have re-released their third record Renegade last year, this is an album that shows where Hammerfall are as a band in 2022. Led by Joacim Cans (vocals) and Oscar Dronjak (guitar), the elder statesmen of Swedish power metal, are lucky to still be here, weathering the storm of nu-metal, while staying true to their anthemic style.
Kicking things off is Brotherhood a tribute to their Templars fan base, getting the engine running as the pace is kept insistent with the final track No Mercy. Production is spread between Pontus Norgren, Oscar Dronjak, Fredrik Nordström and Jacob Hansen making for a huge sound, exactly what you'd want from power metal. With the exception of Not Today the rest of the album is split between double kick drums, flowing guitar solos, massive backing choirs on the title track and No Son Of Odin, the songs finished off by those so familiar Joacim Cans vocals. However here there is an additional voice on Venerate Me as King Diamond himself lends his pipes for a bit of extra creepiness.
With the one exception that puts me off as little, Hammer Of Dawn is Hammerfall maintaining their position at the head of the European power metal table. Chest beating bravado and shout along anthems abound. 8/10
This album has been a long time brewing for a debut. The band started in Germany in 2012 and got the bit between their teeth for their debut Forecast EP shortly afterwards, with some support slots with credible acts like U.D.O, Battle Beast and Bonfire helping them forge a name for themselves. So far so good, but then the scourge of bands everywhere bit and the line-up collapsed, before cementing again in 2019 … just in time for the world to go to shit! Thanks COVID! Anyway, ten years after first forming and finally a full length album is with us.
When you have such a long gestation period, the chances are the material has been well crafted and polished, even if it hasn’t had the benefit of honing down what works to a live crowd. I can’t fault the performances on here. For a self-proclaimed symphonic act, vocalist Frank Breuninger has quite a distinctive, raspy voice perhaps more normal for a straight ahead traditional metal outfit, but either way he delivers very charismatically and distinctively. Musically this feels more like power metal to be honest, but that’s just as likely to be the fact that like many German acts in the genre the line between the two is a lot more blurry when you don’t have a female front person.
The music certainly has energy and there’s a lovely well-crafted level of production going on here that gives the band a rounded feel. Where I struggle with this is that the song-writing embraces the technical complexity of the symphonic but needs some more rabble-rousing melodic backbone to take it to the front through much of its length. Great playing, charismatic performances; but no catchy anthemic hooks and riffs to hang it all from in the instrumental side of things for much of the run time. The strongest impression made is that of the vocals, which is frustrating as it feels like it could break free of this more frequently. There are moments when it absolutely does – Piece Of Heaven stands out well, with some fist-punching moments that you can tell will get a crowd going even though this is one of the longest songs on the record, but often the overall feel is a little too rambling and un-focussed on a lot of the material.
Is it bad? No, absolutely not. But its moments of promise don’t always deliver the goods as often as they could and I get the sense that being such a long time coming is a part of the problem. When that happens it’s because some songs tend to have been around for a while and adopted by the new members, when actually the best thing to do is to start writing from scratch with the new line up and forge a new path. Generally the later songs are the stronger, with a more fluid interplay and cohesive band feel to them and had the writing been consistently at the level of 2 Elements and Warrior, with its infectious keyboard riff which should have opened the record, then this would be scoring a little higher. Nonetheless, one to watch… 7/10
Spirits Of Fire - Embrace The Unknown (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Based around the idea of Judas Priest meets Savatage, Spirits Of Fire consist of Chris Caffery (Savatage/TSO) on guitars, Steve DiGiorgio (Testament) on bass, Mark Zonder (Warlord) drums and on their first 2017 they were joined by Tim 'Ripper' Owens on vocals, but now in 2022, the mic has been passed to Fabio Lione (Rhapsody) now and producer Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere/Archon Angel/Sweet Oblivion) adds his prowess to yet another heavy metal masterclass. Chris Caffery writing songs that are heavily influenced by Priest, take a track like Wildest Dreams where there's that mid-paced grunt, and a big chorus where Lione stays in his falsetto register.
Based around the idea of Judas Priest meets Savatage, Spirits Of Fire consist of Chris Caffery (Savatage/TSO) on guitars, Steve DiGiorgio (Testament) on bass, Mark Zonder (Warlord) drums and on their first 2017 they were joined by Tim 'Ripper' Owens on vocals, but now in 2022, the mic has been passed to Fabio Lione (Rhapsody) now and producer Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere/Archon Angel/Sweet Oblivion) adds his prowess to yet another heavy metal masterclass. Chris Caffery writing songs that are heavily influenced by Priest, take a track like Wildest Dreams where there's that mid-paced grunt, and a big chorus where Lione stays in his falsetto register.
The rhythm section of DiGiorgio and Zonder give those speedy runs and grooving beats, Shape Of A Fragile Mind getting lots of bass runs and powerful drums, it's possibly the most Savatage offering here, Lione relying on the snarl a bit more. While Caffery's guitar pyrotechnics are at their best here as well, playing with the verve and virtuosity he has brought to his entire career, however here it seems to be his most creative playing possibly due the record being very much his baby, Lonobile and Lione adding to the writing process. 80's shredders like the title track, My Confession and the dark Ressurection all are in the vein of The Metal Gods, while even the theatrical Sea Of Change is loaded with Priestisms and slinky lead playing.
Much like the debut, Embrace The Unknown (surely a metaphor for the last few years), is jammed with wall to wall classic metal riffs and with Lione replacing Ripper, you don't even really hear much of a difference, except perhaps Lione has a more dynamic delivery. Spirits Of Fire are a band that will still gladly defend the faith. 8/10
Serious Black - Vengeance Is Mine (AFM Records) [Simon Black]
International power metallers Serious Black return with their sixth album Vengeance Is Mine. The band was formed in 2014 by bassist Mario Lochert with guitarist Dominik Sebastian also staying the course and remaining an original member of the band. The band has earned the moniker of a supergroup due to the inclusion of members of band such as Helloween, Blind Guardian and Tad Morose in the line up over the years. Joining the band on Vengeance Is Mine is returning drummer Ramy Ali as well as fresh blood in the form of Bob Katsionis (ex-Firewind) on guitars and keyboards and Nikola Mijić (Eden’s Curse) on vocals replacing Urban Breed who departed the band in 2021.
I really wasn’t very keen on the previous album Suite 226 when I reviewed it in 2020 so I’m happy to say that Vengeance Is Mine is very much an improvement. The band have a great mix of European power metal and traditional heavy metal in their sound with big hooks and massive choruses aplenty as well as driving riffs, great guitar solos and a solid pounding rhythm section. The vocals from Nikola Mijić are fantastic and his highly melodic style sits well within the band and the songs on the album. You get solid heavy metal anthems such as Rock With Us Tonight, Tonight I’m Ready To Fight and Just For You, power metal theatricality on Soldiers Of Eternal Light, The Story and Queen Of Lies as well as the obligatory ballad on Ray Of Light. Like most power metal it is full of drama but there is a darker tone and an added grit to these songs than your usual flowery Euro power metal which is nice to hear.
The one criticism that can be levelled at Vengeance Is Mine is that at thirteen songs and a running time of over 53 minutes there are some throwaway songs to be found on the album. Most of these are found early on in the album as Vengeance Is Mine is an album with a far stronger second half. The quality never nosedives but the songs for me later on in the album struck more of a chord with me. Overall after the disappointing Suite 226, Serious Black have redeemed themselves with a vastly enjoyable and melodic album straddling the border between power metal and traditional heavy metal. 8/10
International power metallers Serious Black return with their sixth album Vengeance Is Mine. The band was formed in 2014 by bassist Mario Lochert with guitarist Dominik Sebastian also staying the course and remaining an original member of the band. The band has earned the moniker of a supergroup due to the inclusion of members of band such as Helloween, Blind Guardian and Tad Morose in the line up over the years. Joining the band on Vengeance Is Mine is returning drummer Ramy Ali as well as fresh blood in the form of Bob Katsionis (ex-Firewind) on guitars and keyboards and Nikola Mijić (Eden’s Curse) on vocals replacing Urban Breed who departed the band in 2021.
I really wasn’t very keen on the previous album Suite 226 when I reviewed it in 2020 so I’m happy to say that Vengeance Is Mine is very much an improvement. The band have a great mix of European power metal and traditional heavy metal in their sound with big hooks and massive choruses aplenty as well as driving riffs, great guitar solos and a solid pounding rhythm section. The vocals from Nikola Mijić are fantastic and his highly melodic style sits well within the band and the songs on the album. You get solid heavy metal anthems such as Rock With Us Tonight, Tonight I’m Ready To Fight and Just For You, power metal theatricality on Soldiers Of Eternal Light, The Story and Queen Of Lies as well as the obligatory ballad on Ray Of Light. Like most power metal it is full of drama but there is a darker tone and an added grit to these songs than your usual flowery Euro power metal which is nice to hear.
The one criticism that can be levelled at Vengeance Is Mine is that at thirteen songs and a running time of over 53 minutes there are some throwaway songs to be found on the album. Most of these are found early on in the album as Vengeance Is Mine is an album with a far stronger second half. The quality never nosedives but the songs for me later on in the album struck more of a chord with me. Overall after the disappointing Suite 226, Serious Black have redeemed themselves with a vastly enjoyable and melodic album straddling the border between power metal and traditional heavy metal. 8/10