(CD/LP, Nuclear Blast, 2024)
HAMMERFALL belong to the select group of bands whose music gets better when played live. Whether you're familiar with their music or not, by the end of any concert featuring these fine Swedes onstage, you'll find yourself singing along with a raised fist. The riffs, vocal melodies, and lyrics are designed to have this effect, speaking directly to your Metal heart. I will never forget seeing HAMMERFALL live during the “Glory To The Brave” touring cycle, an album that was rightfully described as the rebirth of True, traditional Metal. Fast forward three decades, and we have “Avenge The Fallen”, their thirteenth studio album.
The short intro of the title track, with the horns sounding the charge and the band singing “avenge, avenge”, works like a call-to-arms. Joacim Cans sings “What is the worst, be the one who died or be the one who survived” and immediately, you feel at home. This is the HAMMERFALL trademark; the ability to make you puff your chest with pride, feeling invincible. The mid-tempo headbanging rhythm section, fueled by chanting-along and the Teutonic Metal guitars, preps the listener for what’s coming. The fast drumming and the ACCEPT-esque guitars of “The End Justifies” kick the door down, setting a faster pace for the album. The sequence of the songs feels like a concert setlist, alternating between fast and melodic moments. Hearing opening lyrics, “Here, we go again Chapter 13 has been penned” qualifies this song as a powerful show-opener. The band wrote many songs while on tour with HELLOWEEN, which nurtured the in-your-face and taking-no-prisoners attitude, found in tracks like this one.
“Freedom” shines with a trademark HAMMERFALL intro - a guitar chord followed by Joacim’s catchy vocal melodies, enhanced by “oooohs”, “heys”, and an infectious riff before the solo. “Hail To The King” and “Hero To All” fuel my nostalgia, reminding me how young Power Metal can make you feel, especially with chorus lines that beckon you to sing along. HAMMERFALL’s ability to write great choruses is another one of their strengths, and this album is no exception. The lyrics roll off the tongue effortlessly, as in “Hero To All” with lines like “charge for the swords and charge for the guns”, guaranteed to give you goosebumps.
I am not a die-hard fan of power ballads, but again, HAMMERFALL know how to support and deliver songs like “Hope Springs Eternal” in a concert setting. With this, I am sure they will have the audience singing-along in no time, lifting the spirit of every metalhead inside the venue. Even for a non die-hard power-ballad fan, I found myself lip-singing: “learn from yesterday, hope for tomorrow, let your spirit fly free with no sorrow” with the orchestration paving the way for the climaxing ending. After a power ballad, a faster song is needed, and “Burn It Down” meets this unofficial requirement, with riffs that harken back to early HAMMERFALL. Tracks like “Capture The Dream” and the faster “Rise Of Evil” also evoke this sweet nostalgia, thanks to the rhythm guitars during the pre-chorus verses of the former and the pounding drums and riffs of the latter. I particularly love the lyric line “I dial the number 666, but no reply”.
The album closes with “Time Immemorial”, the longest song of the tracklist. It starts with catchy melody delivered by the keyboards, followed by the guitar, marking this as an epic track. The verse “once I stood on a mountain” gives me strong WARLORD vibes, but I cannot pinpoint exactly why. The collection of riffs during the guitar break leading to the solo showcases Oscar Dronjak, who has been manning HAMMERFALL’s guitars for three decades, having written some killer melodies.
“Avenge The Fallen” carries everything you love in HAMMERFALL without sounding repetitive. The Swedes have crafted an album that is meant to be played live inside a packed venue. I wish the band ‘good luck’ in picking songs to perform, because after thirteen albums (and with this one being so strong), it will be tough to cherry-pick the best ones.
“Time is standing still for no one, constant is its chime
Since the birth of dawn we tried to pause the march of time.”
9/10
Links:
www.Hammerfall.Net
www.FaceBook.Com/Hammerfall
www.Instagram.Com/Hammerfall_Official
Tracklist:
01. Avenge The Fallen
02. Burn It Down
03. Capture The Dream
04. Hail To The King
05. Hero To All
06. Hope Springs Eternal
07. Rise Of Evil
08. The End Justifies
09. Time Immemorial
Lineup:
Oscar Dronjak - Guitars
Fredrik Larsson - Bass
Joacim Cans - Vocals
Pontus Norgren - Guitars
David Wallin - Drums