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September 7, 2008 |
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HAMMERFALL - Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
Nuclear Blast (2005) |
9/10 |
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01. Secrets
02. Blood Bound
03. Fury Of The Wild
04. Hammer Of Justice
05. Never, Ever
06. Born To Rule
07. The Templar Flame
08. Imperial
09. Take The Black
10. Knights Of The 21st Century
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There are many, and I mean MANY power metal bands currently occupying a large chunk of territory on the metal continent, but perhaps the most popular and widely-recognized name of the bunch is HAMMERFALL. Go to any country in the world where heavy metal is the definitive word of choice and you will find loyal fans from all walks of life defending the HAMMERFALL name. It's no surprise that the Swedish quintet (Joacim Cans - vocals, Oscar Dronjak - guitars/backing vocals, Stefan Elmgren - guitars/backing vocals, Magnus Rosén - bass, Anders Johannson - drums) are true keepers of the flame; bearers of the battle flag; carriers of the metal sword so-to-speak. They possess the true characteristics of a metal band, like the leather-clad gear and just the whole overall "metal-to-the-end", "defender of the faith" attitude. Sure, most people who primarily listen to modern "mainstream" music may think that this whole "thing" is as outdated as the mullet or 8-track tapes are, and that metal died long ago.
But you know what? It doesn't really matter what others think now does it? No. What does matter is that those of us who appreciate what metal music has to offer know that it's not going anywhere. Not in this lifetime. It's 2005, metal is very much alive, and so are HAMMERFALL!
Now, I'll admit that the band lost me for a couple of years. I found it very difficult to get into 2002's "Crimson Thunder". Sure, there were some good hard-edged standouts ("Hearts On Fire" and "Riders On The Storm" come to mind), but for the most part, that album failed to raise my fist in the air. The majority of the material on "Crimson Thunder" just did not represent HAMMERFALL's full potential, and it lacked the strength and character that albums like "Glory To The Brave" and "Legacy Of The Kings" had. I don't know if the change of producer influenced the slightly altered style or what, but I knew that this Swedish clan was fully-capable of delivering a great successor.
Enter 2005 and the birth of full-length #5, "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken". Nuclear Blast should be proud, because not only is this a true return to form, but the band members themselves seem to have regrouped and are as hungry as they were when they first burst onto the scene back in 1997. Not much has changed - the cover is graced by the presence of the ever-recognizable figure, standing tall upon a cold, snow-covered mountain peak accompanied by wolves, the lyrics deal with a lot of the same subject matter, and the songs sound like traditional HAMMERFALL, but there is a hell of a lot more muscle behind the music in comparison to their last outing. Some have criticized the band for doing the same thing over and over again, but I would shy away from calling "Chapter V" a repetition of old. Yes, as I mentioned, it's unmistakably HAMMERFALL, but the difference here is the songs carry a lot more weight, which is something that I was hoping for from this album.
The guitars are heavier, the solos are faster and more technical, and the overall sound of the production is polished to a metallic shine. You'll also notice more power and sharpness in Cans' voice, not to mention those medieval-sounding, Viking hymn-style backing vocals HAMMERFALL always incorporate into their metal. Of the ten songs in total, a list of notable standouts includes the opener "Secrets" - a great blend of double-kick blasts, mighty verses, and slicing solos, "Hammer Of Justice" - a straight-forward traditional HAMMERFALL anthem carrying a steady driving rhythm all the way through; "Fury Of The Wild" and "Take The Black" with their pure pummeling metal attack, and "Blood Bound" (also the first single) - an excellent display of that vocal power by Cans I was talking about. And the guitar work? Killer! Of course, what would a HAMMERFALL album be without the mandatory ballad?
"Never, Ever" keeps the flame burning strong with excellent melodic passages, soaring vocals, and a screaming guitar solo. However, that flame weakens a bit with album closer "Knights Of The 21st Century". At over 12 minutes in length, one might expect this to be a monumental epic, right? Not entirely. It does "sound" like an epic of sorts, and the faster parts really give it the depth it needs to stay afloat, but the sluggish backbone rhythm and guitar riffs leave the ship stranded on the high seas. I'm not particularly keen on the gargoyle-ish voice (courtesy of VENOM's Conrad "Cronos" Lant) that keeps growling "Ahhhh, the prophecy!!" periodically throughout either. It sounds cool, but I think it's somewhat overdone to an extent.
With the collective efforts of the band and producer Charlie Bauerfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN) manning the console, "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" upholds the HAMMERFALL name with pride. I'm quite impressed with the effort these guys have put into this, and the end result speaks for itself. The band continue creating a style of metal that they obviously have a passion for and I like the fact that they stay true to themselves and their music, which is (or should be) the most important thing, right? I don't think you'll see HAMMERFALL trading their heavy metal badges for super duper sell-out status anytime soon. In fact, that's probably one reason why HAMMERFALL remain one of the most popular bands in the genre. They're consistent. So, I'll conclude by saying that the world now has another solid HAMMERFALL album on its hands, and fans can look forward to carrying that Templar flame once again.
I highly recommend adding this to your growing metal collection. I certainly give it a resounding two fists up!
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