Album Review: HammerFall - "(R)evolution"

I don't think it will come as any surprise when I say that metal, more than any other musical genre, is a lifestyle as much as it is a style of music. You've got your "heshers" who wear their love of metal on their sleeves. You've got your closet metal fans who look like normal folks by day but are the first to jump in the pit when the nighttime comes. Most of us fall somewhere in between. The lifestyle that stands out for me, and for which I have a deep appreciation for, is the over-the-top, bordering on cliche, metal gods.

While some bands are content to stick to the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll style of metal, there are precious few who have taken up the the sword, the shield and the hammer and take us along on their metal journey to a more primitive and, arguably, more pure time. HammerFall is one of those bands.

HammerFall has been around in various forms for around 20 years but they were on hiatus for a year and a half before making this latest release and what a release it is.

HammerFall is, as a lot of the best metal acts are, from Sweden and the title of their latest album is "(R)evolution". About the title, guitarist Oscar Dronjak explains: “The name comes from the second remake of the Planet Of The Apes movie, “Rise of…”. In Swedish, it was called “Apornas Planet: (r)Evolution.”, and the name stuck with me ever since I saw (and loved!) the movie. It seems like a fitting title for this album, since that’s how I view it: we’ve taken everything that makes HammerFall HammerFall and evolved it. So I guess the revolution is that we’ve gone back to basics a little, yet still are moving forward.”

Back to basics while still moving forward is a great way to describe this album.

When I first played this record I couldn't decide if it was cliche and hackneyed or brilliant. Fortunately for us, "(R)evolution" is somewhere in the middle, leaning more toward the brilliant side.

The style of metal HammerFall plays is distinctly European and their lyrics tend to be what many non-metal fans think of when they think of metal. No, it's not "kill your mother, kill your father" (where did that cliche even come from?). It's more along the lines of swords and heroes, demons and gods, leather and spikes and all the things that make metal great.

HammerFall is generally cast into the "power metal" genre with elements of speed metal which is fitting as the music is technically proficient and, in my opinion, they put the "power" in power chord. "(R)evolution" is filled with big guitars, big drums and the vocals of Joacim Cans which are operatic and huge. Throughout the album, Cans uses his full vocal arsenal and hits every note you want, no, need him to hit.

By way of comparison, while listening to "(R)evolution" I found myself thinking of Manowar, mostly because of the lyrical content and the anthemic quality of the songs. Also, a bit of Angel Witch. Musically, I found HammerFall to share similarities with the Scorpions and Accept, mostly in the guitar sound.

I only make these comparisons to give you, gentle reader, and idea of what to expect but, make no mistake, HammerFall are their own unique animal.

From the first note of the opening track, "Hector's Hymn", I couldn't help but smile. Hector, by the way, is HammerFall's mascot and he graces the cover of "(R)evolution", cast in stone, hammer and shield in hand. Why was I smiling? Because I could tell immediately that this was going to be a killer album.

And it is. "(R)evolution" has everything that makes a metal album great. My attraction to this record is hard to put into words. The songs are almost a stereotype, sort of Spinal Tap-ish, but it's done so well that I couldn't help but enjoy it.

From the title track to "Live Life Loud", "Tainted Metal" to "Wildfire", HammerFall delivers with catchy riffs, the aforementioned vocals of Joacim Cans, pounding drums and gang choruses. Oh, the choruses; Magnificent. And don't get me started on "Evil Incarnate". There's not a clunker in the bunch.

So, the bottom line is "(R)evolution" is a terrific album. It has clearly been created by five guys who really revel in what they do and HammerFall's passion comes through on the record. It's enjoyable for the same reasons watching professional wrestling is enjoyable. It's over the top, it's entertaining, it's loud and it's proud. It's metal, folks and it's damn good. I encourage you to give it a listen. METAL!!!