1319. HammerFall / Renegade. 2000. 3.5/5

Having come into the European power metal scene that had been blazed by bands such Blind Guardian and Stratovarius in the later half of the 1990’s decade, HammerFall had created a stir almost immediately with the release of their debut album “Glory to the Brave”, drawing in a new fanbase from the start while battling some criticism from the critics. The success of the album and the tour meant they went into the writing and recording process for the follow up with momentum and positive vibes. Jesper Strömblad, who had been the band’s initial drummer (though he did not play on that debut album) before he returned to his band In Flames, had co-written most of that first album with both Oscar Dronjak and Joacim Cans. In order to keep a symmetry between the debut album and its follow up, Stromblad was drafted in to be a part of the writing process again for the album that became “Legacy of Kings”. With the further success of that album, Stromblad returned for a third round of writing for the band’s third studio album. He contributed to writing on five of the tracks on the new album, once again looking to form a connection to the band’s first two albums while slowly drawing in a direction where the band would find autonomy away from their former band member.
The band had parted ways with another drummer in Patrik Räfling, and in his place had recruited the excellently credentialled Anders Johanssen, at that time best known for having played with his brother Jens in Yngwie Malmsteen’s band Rising Force during their halcyon days of the 1980’s. Andres brought with him a professionalism and talent that would help drive the band over the next 15 years.
On top of this, the band brought in a new producer, having utilised Fredrik Nordström for their first two albums. Despite some criticism in changing the deck chairs while the boat was in smooth sailing, the change to Michael Wagener was a savvy one. Wagener was well known for having been at the helm of the great albums of bands such as Dokken and Skid Row, as well as being the mixer on dozens of other classic albums. His expertise was something that the band was hoping would help them to produce an album that gave them a bigger profile and exposure. Dronjak stated on metalrules.com on the eve of the album being released that the band was looking for a more commercial sound to attract a broader fanbase, and that he also envisioned this would not be the path the band would go for future albums. Only time would tell, as the band released their third full length album, “Renegade”.

The album opens with the slow tempo anthemic tones of “Templars of Steel”, a reversal from what they had done on their first two albums. It is very much a statement track, based around the steady slow beat of the drums, the ease of the guitar riff throughout and the vocals is a powerful drive throughout, a deliberate and focused stating of the lyrics. For the band it isn’t a style that they haven’t produced before, but utilising it as the opening salvo on the album is an interesting strategy, and not one that isn’t without its charms. Following it though comes the far pacier entry of “Keep the Flame Burning” which is far more reminiscent of openings of HammerFall albums past, and does restore some semblance of the natural order of things. The opening riff holds similar ideals to many Hammerfall songs, and once Joacim enters with his vocals all seems right with the world again. The double time tempo and Joacim’s harmony vocals make this the great singalong track of the best the band can deliver. And then the title track “Renegade” follows the same path musically and with Johanssen’s precisions perect double kick throughout, leading the charge of the guitars that riff along to mirror the motorcycle revs that accompany the song along the way. The backing vocals in the chorus give it that singalong quality as well that provides the best aspects of Hammerfall’s work. Then bursting past this is “Living in Victory”, another ripping song with that faster tempo that makes power metal songs so much fun to listen to. Though, it must also be stated, these are not over fast, and not over reliant on the blazing double kick or use of keyboard. They are faster tracks yes but not to excess. The obvious fact here is that the songs on which Jesper Stromblad was involved in writing, which include the three tracks here that follow the opening track are the faster songs, the more active vocally and musically, and the more similar to the best songs on the previous two albums. This was the connection the band was looking for by bringing Stromblad back for his third stint of songwriting, to keep the essence of the band’s musical in tune with what the fans were looking for.
“Always Will Be” is the power metal ballad fans are obviously asking for, because we continue to get them on every album. Written solely by Oscar Dronjak, this channels every mood point that the power ballad can travel, the soaring vocals, the acoustic guitar arrangement, the touching lyrics... look, you guys know the drill. If you love these kinds of songs, that’s great, here it is for you. But listen to the songs before this, and the way the song after this starts. This is a mood killer, it’s a blockage, one halting the flow of the album. Skip it and be better off for it.
Speaking of which, “The Way of the Warrior” DOES start with a great guitar flurry into the hard hitting rhythm from Johanssen and Magnus Rosen on bass that drives the song again. Joacim’s vocals give the hint of the chant again, and the guitar solo slot sounds great. And yes, Stromblad is involved in the writing of this track as well, it is immediately apparent when you listen to it. “Destined for Glory” breaks into the guitar solo from the start, another statement beginning from the band, before falling into the solid and enjoyable rhythm riff that scoots along, allowing Joacim to sing freely over the top before duelling on the chorus. “The Champion” jumps along again on the base of Johanssen’s double kick, incorporating the backing ‘whoahs’ and dual guitar solos through the middle of the track. “Raise the Hammer” is an instrumental track, composed by the guitarist duo of Dronjak and Stefan Elmgren. It is interesting because it sounds like it is a song that is composed for lyrics, not the atypical instrumental track that warbles in and out and through hoops which would make it difficult to find a place to get some vocals in there. This one almost sounds as though it was SUPPOSED TO have lyrics, but for whatever reason doesn’t. Interesting. And the album then reaches its conclusion with “A Legend Reborn”, that in some ways tries to mirror the opening track. Also written by the pairing of Dronjak and Cans, it has similar tendencies to the opener, though in a stronger mid-tempo than “Templars of Steel”, and rounds out the album with the bookends in place.

At the beginning of the 2000’s decade, I had found myself diverging into power metal in a much bigger way than I had expected. Helloween had been one of my favourite bands for years, and on top of that had come Gamma Ray and eventually Blind Guardian. And finding myself not overly enamoured by the nu-metal or much of the industrial metal occurring I found myself wondering just what the European metal scene was offering. And what I found was a whole assortment of bands and albums to discover, among them Stratovarius, Edguy, Sonata Arctica and HammerFall.
I procured the first three HammerFall albums pretty much at the same time, meaning, not for the first time in my life, I was discovering a band's music in one big clump, and finding a way to get into it, the key to the hook, was the first big problem. That was solved through the debut album which grabbed a hold on me very early on, and an enjoyment of their style of music came from that. Once this was achieved, I moved onto the other two albums, and while initially I was less enamoured with their output compared to the debut, I still found them good albums. Indeed, it was “Renegade” that drew me in the most next, and there isn’t much doubt that it was because of the similar stylings of some of the songs here to the debut album, and once you look at the writing combinations of those tracks that I was attracted to you could see why – Dronjak, Cans and Stromblad.
I haven’t been as attracted to HammerFall’s albums after the release of this one, and thus they have fallen out of my rotation a bit. There’s always a danger of that. Which meant that although I have always enjoyed the album for what it is, I haven’t listened to it very often over the years since. I finally got around to buying a CD copy of this album just recently, knowing this episode was fast approaching, and the physical aspect of the album does make it feel more real. And having had that CD on my stereo at home in the Metal Cavern in the weeks since has been a real joy. Because there is still no better way to enjoy music than having it fill your room. And it brings a different perspective to hearing on my mp3 copy or through streaming. It brings a depth to the music and songs that isn’t always obvious on those other formats. And as such I have totally enjoyed listening to this album once again. It brought back some great memories of the first house my wife and bought together, where I first listened to this album. I most definitely enjoyed the songs written by the original writing trio the best here, they are the ones that engender the true spirit of HammerFall. And perhaps this explains my less-than-love for the albums after this, as Stromblad does not appear beyond this album in any capacity.
For those that enjoy power metal, there is plenty here to enjoy. It is an album worth listening to. If you are not a big fan, then perhaps what you have heard on this episode will be enough for you.

761. HammerFall / (r)Evolution. 2014. 2.5/5

Over the years the evolving nature of HammerFall's music has slowly taken shape, from the speed driven power metal of their early albums to the more mid-range tempo selection of writing almost in deference to contemporary heavy metal in recent times. One may even suggest that their music has "matured" over the years, from the brash young speed based band that began during the 1990's to the better produced, planned and involved writing and recording that is prominent throughout (r)Evolution. Indeed, the music has evolved light years since those first albums to what has been presented here. Whether it also involved a revolution is of course open to interpretation.
I admit that I have had some problems with HammerFall's recent albums. Well, let's face it, after Renegade I could pretty much have given every album a miss. But I keep coming back, as I do with other bands of this ilk, in the hope that they will surprise and produce another album that will sit comfortably up there with their best. You know, Glory to the Brave on speed with modern production. Surely that's not too much to ask, is it? But you aren't going to get that, because they have moved into this aforementioned mid-tempo music, which can work at its best here, but isn't what lured me into HammerFall in the first place.

There are some good tunes here. I have been putting this album on and letting it play through about a dozen times now, and it hasn't annoyed me to the point that I have to stop it or skip along songs. However, nor have I found anything on here so outstanding that I replay a song three or four times because it is so enjoyable. I enjoy the opening track "Hector's Hymn", and parts of "Live Life Loud". "Ex Inferis" is just so slow, a plodding track that just isn't heavy or imposing enough to carry the way it is played. The tempo feels so wrong when it still wants to sound like a power metal song. Two styles that don't mix, without a hook to make it impressive. "Winter is Coming" wants to be a ballad and therefore stabs at my heart with a dagger. On the plus side are the faster paced "We Won't Back Down" and "Origins" which come closer to their older work than most songs on this album do.

The musicianship is polished, clean and continues to improve as it morphs into this same-but-different direction. Joacim Cans vocals continue to impress. He is still the shining light of this band, and no matter what the song may be like, his vocals improve it. Unfortunately, the writing partnership between himself and guitarist Oscar Dronjak has again failed to find enough hooks and catches to make this album stand out significantly from their past five albums. The positive I guess is that this is more listenable than those recent albums, but after 15 years of waiting for their next big effort, I do believe that it is time to accept that this is the best we can expect from the modern HammerFall, and to either accept that fact or move on.

Rating:  We're haunted by fire, our spirit is now set to burn  2.5/5

694. HammerFall / Legacy of Kings. 1998. 3/5

On the back of their generally heralded debut album “Glory to the Brave”, Hammerfall had toured Europe as support act for many of the continent’s best power metal acts. During this process they had been exposed to many more fans and been spoken of in high terms by those that attended these tours. The story of how the band came together as a side project for musicians from several bands for a music competition and then grew can be found on the episode in Season 3 of this podcast. As the majority of those musicians returned to their full time gigs, Hammerfall led by guitarist Oscar Dronjak and lead vocalist Joacim Cans moved forward with Hammerfall as their number one gig. The success of the album and the tour meant they went into the writing and recording process for the follow up with momentum and positive vibes. Jesper Strömblad, who had been the band’s drummer before he returned to his band In Flames, had co-written most of that first album with both Oscar and Joacim. When it came time to start the follow-up, he returned to do the same job as co-writer for what eventually became “Legacy of Kings”. The thought process behind this was to keep a symmetry between the songs of the two albums, to encourage the fans that they would be following a similar path musically with their sophomore album.
When it came to the band’s debut album, there had been some background criticism of the professionalism of the music as it was played and recorded. Some critics felt it was not played clean enough, that it could have been rehearsed and played better. Others believed that there was not enough diversity in the tracks as written. Whatever the critiquing that had occurred, the band went into their second album with a determination to give the fans what they wanted rather than try and appease the band’s critics in the world music media.

This album tends to cop a lot of flak online both from music listeners and critics alike. Actually, I guess the band itself tends to receive a brunt of criticism. One of the strangest things to me has always been the pile on over the vocals of Joacim Cans, with so many people describing them as weak, and one dimensional, and that he doesn’t have the range required to make the songs varied enough from each other. This has always surprised me, because I’ve always felt that it is Cans’s vocals that have been the leading light of the band, that his singing is what gives HammerFall the power and energy to drive through. Rather than being weak, I feel it is the strength of what he is able to hold in his voice that is the signature of the band’s music. Not everyone can sing with a range in the power metal genre like Michael Kiske or Hansi Kursch. So I am on the other side of the fence from those critics.
This will usually get followed up by the fact that his vocals are unable to differentiate the songs because all the songs have the same beat, the same tempo, the same rhythm, and are drawn from a similar template. Again, that is not so obviously true here on “Legacy of Kings” as perhaps could be argued happens elsewhere. You can hear the band’s influence from the late 1980’s power metal in their songs here, mostly in the solos from Elmgren and Dronjak. But given that I like how they sound that really isn’t a problem for me.
The opening gallop of “Heeding the Call” starts the album off with a bang in the best power metal fashion, followed by “Legacy of Kings” which increases the power of the track with great guitars and terrific vocals. “Let the Hammer Fall” is the chugging, chanting singalong song that power metal has a habit of highlighting and is joined in this respect with “At the End of the Rainbow”, where the slower tempo of the song also draws the choral voices for the chorus. At the other end of the spectrum is the light and airy “Dreamland” that does the same in a brighter and faster tempo. The cover version of the Pretty Maids song “Back to Back” showcases the band’s love of their music, and is followed by the return of the power in tracks such as “Stronger Than All” and “Warriors of Faith”
The power ballads are, as always, where my major problems lie in a euro metal album such as this. “Remember Yesterday” at least tries to retain a little of the power in the song and I am able to forgive it for the most part, but the piano base of “The Fallen One”, which concludes the album, makes it ever so much more difficult. Power ballads are terrible creatures at the best of times, but as the final song on the album, when it should be finding the perfect hard way to conclude so as to draw the listener back in for another listen is, for me, unforgivable.
If you want to be a critic, you can take this album apart song by song and find those parts that you don’t like. Yes, there is a similarity in the template of each track. Sure, Joacim’s vocals, if compared to some of the greats of the genre, don't have the same range or definition. And yes, power metal can be a drag if it isn’t done well. Here on “Legacy of Kings” though, I don’t believe any of those things are accurate. To me, the album is very much on the high side of the line when it comes to albums of this genre.

I was drawn into power metal at about the time that HammerFall started their recording career, and they were one of the bands that started my real journey into this medium of the late 1990’s. Their debut album resonated with me hard – still does actually – and this album followed that same path, which as you have discovered is somewhat how the band wanted it to go. I got all three of their initial albums at around the same time, and it feels as this one may have gotten lost for me amongst the other albums I was discovering at that time. In essence, I had “Glory to the Brave”, and that was my dominant HammerFall listening, along with a bootleg live album from 2001. I enjoyed the album, but I certainly didn’t overplay it.
Come the past month or so where I have pulled it out again for this podcast, and “Legacy of Kings” has been the album that really drew my attention on my playlist of albums I have been listening to in that time. And it’s easy to hear why, because it is perky and upbeat and bright and breezy and fun! It is a quintessential power metal album, maybe not one that is laden with over-the-top vocals or massively fast and intricate guitar solos and amazing drumming time changes, but instead just a really fun and uplifting album to listen to. And we all need music like that, don’t we? Have I been surprised how much I have enjoyed t again? Absolutely. And it again makes me wonder about those that have tried to bring it down. I don’t have a problem with those that don’t enjoy HammerFall or this album because they aren’t fond of the power metal genre, that’s fair enough. But trying to suggest it is poor musicianship or average vocals? Please. Perhaps try again.
It’s interesting how enjoyable I think this album is, and the backlash that it has received in some quarters, considering that I feel as though some of the band’s work in recent years doesn’t reach this same standard. Do people not enjoy this album because they don’t enjoy modern day power metal? Or am I just completely out of whack, and on a different plane from everyone else? There is little doubt that I could well be on the wrong side of the argument. In the long run, who cares as long as you enjoy it. And as for HammerFall’s “Legacy of Kings”, I do certainly still enjoy it.

441. HammerFall / Glory to the Brave. 1997. 4.5/5

HammerFall went through an interesting stage of development in its early years, quite apart from way most bands come together. From its inception on the idea of guitarist Oscar Dronjak, all five original members of the band were using it as their side-project, a band they were in that was separate from their main band. They had only a few originals and generally played cover songs, and most of their gigs were in a local music contest. One of the band’s biggest breaks was when they made the semi-finals of this contest in 1996 and their lead vocalist, Mikael Stanne who was from Dark Tranquility, couldn’t perform on that night. The band found Joacim cans who filled in for the gig. The judges disqualified the band despite the success of the night, but HammerFall had found their permanent lead singer, something that continues to be their crowning glory.
A record contract was soon signed, which meant the commitment of the members had to be to Hammerfall, resulting in changes once again as drummer Jesper Strömblad and guitarist Glenn Ljungström were still committed to In Flames. Stefan Elmgren came in on lead guitar and Patrik Räfling on drums and Magnus Rosén on bass. Alongside Dronjak and Cans, Hammerfall had their line-up to push forward with their debut album. Despite leaving the band, Stromblad co-wrote the majority of the songs that appeared on the album with Dronjak and Cans, and though he is credited on the album as having played the drums (which he did despite being a guitarist in In Flames), it was actually Rafling who played on the album itself. Ljungstrom played guitars on the album before relinquishing his position to Elmgren for the tour that followed to promote the album.

The hallmark of this album is the way most of the songs have the hook coming very early, the ones that drag you in from the start and keep you going throughout. And although Hammerfall does not have the melodic ‘happy guitars’ that made Helloween so famous, it is the upbeat tempo of the guitars that actually bring about a similar type o feeling within their music. “The Dragon Lies Bleeding” does this from the start, a great opening riff that is parlayed throughout the song, and gives you the first taste of Joacim Cans vocal abilities, soaring throughout the ceiling. This moves into the equally enjoyable “The Metal Age” and then the eponymous “HammerFall”, both which show a great continuation of easy listening and infectious riffing of the opening track.
“Child of the Damned” is a cover of an old Warlord song from their 1983 EP “Deliver Us”. Cans was a long time admirer of the band and it was he who pushed including the song on the album. He later went on to be the lead singer of that band during a short-lived reunion in the early 2000’s such was his love for their music.
“Steel Meets Steel” was composed by Oscar prior to Hammerfall even coming into existence, and yet it survived to the point that it warranted inclusion here on their debut album. This is followed by the equally upbeat “Stone Cold” and “Unchained”. All of these songs utilise a speed and tempo that would not be regarded as speed metal but does head more in that direction than other bands at the time were necessarily integrating into their music. It is the tempo of the majority of the songs on this album that produces the most pleasing endorphins in the body.
There are two power ballads on the album, as is the way with every power metal album ever released. Now those of you who have listened to any of my episodes in the past will understand that I am no fan of the power ballad. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any that I like, but in general, because they tend to be so generic in their output I just cannot get on board with them. So it probably won’t surprise you that the two power ballads here, “I Believe” and the title track and closing track to the album “Glory to the Brave” are not my favourite songs on the album. I don’t think they are poor tracks but for me they just drag the album back slightly. “Glory to the Brave” is also the attempt at the grandiose epic track to finish off the album, and while it may do that, I am still of the opinion that a different style of song would have done that better.

At different stages in my life, I have come to a stage where I go out and buy half a dozen albums from bands I have never heard, just to see what they are like. Many of them ended up being duds, that now collect dust on my shelves. On one of these trips about two decades ago I happened to pick up this album – and I never looked back. From the very beginning, it was exactly what I was looking for at the time. I had grown up with Helloween and Gamma Ray, and I was looking for more bands that played music like that. Blind Guardian had been the first step, and then came HammerFall, which eventually led to others such as Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica and Edguy.
It was the faster and brighter guitars I was looking for rather than the grunting and grunging that was happening elsewhere. Not that I didn’t like that kind of metal, but there was something about power metal that I wanted at that time of my life. And “Glory to the Brave” provided that in spades. There have been the usual naysayers both at the time and over the years about HammerFall - ‘the songs here tend to have repeatable, and repeating, choruses’, ‘the guitars aren’t precision like Metallica’, ‘why are the lyrics so cheesy, they should be writing harder core stuff’. And as individual likes and dislikes that’s fine, I don’t have a problem with those opinions. But sometimes I don’t want to put on an album that is full of political takes, or hard core lyrics about mass murderers or world disasters or things like that. I just want to put on an album that makes me feel less depressed or aggressive. I just want to listen to an album that lifts my mood, through fast guitar riffs and great melodic vocals through the songs that makes it a pleasure to listen to. And that happens every single time I put this album on. I found it at the right time of my life, and it is the medicine I need whenever it hits my stereo.
And this is the crux of the matter. Power metal is not for everyone, just like death metal isn’t for everyone, or doom or thrash metal isn’t for everyone. And don’t get me wrong, because I don’t love all power metal, nor do I love every HammerFall album. But this one is an album that I have loved from the moment I first heard it, and if you have anything in you that leans a little towards this genre of metal, then I think you’ll enjoy it too.

192. Hammerfall / Crimson Thunder. 2002. 2.5/5

Maybe they've run their course as a band. Perhaps their style has just worn thin. I don't really know for sure. But one thing I do know is that this doesn't work they way previous albums do.

Note this however. It is not that their style has changed. Crimson Thunder is unashamedly a Hammerfall album. You could barely mistake it for anything else. And no doubt the band's biggest followers will enjoy this album too.
The thing about that is that I considered myself to be a big fan of the band, and this really didn't tickle anything in me. That has certainly been the case with other bands though, so maybe this is just their one aberration. Maybe...

One thing I must also make clear – Joacim Cans still holds his own as a vocalist. He lets no one down here once again.

Rating : Not quite up to the standard I would expect. 2.5/5