Anyone expecting a diverse and dynamic album, although I am not sure why anyone would be at this point, will be disappointed in what they hear - but those expecting HammerFall to do their thing successfully will be satisfied right away, as the album's title track kicks things off in fine fashion. A bit of a drone sets the tone early on, before distant gang vocals, which later will form part of the song's chorus, join in. This creates an early hook and when the song gets going with a bass-heavy, mid-paced crunch the classic HammerFall sound is established - with an early rendition of part of the chorus expanding over the first riff. The song is a bit more varied than might be expected, though, with the song's first verse being quite a slow-burner after the crunchy opener, with Cans singing against some simple synths, but the band soon crash in the song builds towards the muscular chorus - which includes all of the big chants previously mentioned around some more traditional melodic hooks. There are certainly strong Accept vibes, then, with the song never really gaining pace - and the crunchy riffing essentially leads throughout following the slower first verse, with Fredrik Larsson's bass high in the mix. A simple guitar solo is thrown in, too, and the song is a groovy headbanger which gets things underway nicely. The End Justifies then ups the pace and the song really harks back to the band's early days in my opinion - and it channels classics like Heeding the Call somewhat. Wallin opens the song with a big drum barrage, and his double bass drumming is essentially relentless throughout, whilst the dual guitar riffing of Oscar Dronjak and Pontus Norgren is full of galloping rhythms and plenty of energy. I tend to think that HammerFall operate at their best when they speed things up - and this song feels vital and full of the tropes which made them so well-liked originally. The drumming is on-point throughout and the mix is well-balanced - with just enough bass to create a depth whilst the guitars contain that true power metal crunch. Cans sounds as good as ever, too, and he has never really lost any of his trademark higher-pitched tone. His smoothness provides a hook over the crunchy guitars - and the song's chorus does that power metal thing of slowing the pace slightly to create a more epic sound, even if the later renditions of such towards the end feel faster.
Freedom is one of those songs which opens without much of an intro. Cans starts to sing as soon as the song starts, as the band lay down a stop-start intro riff underneath his hanging vocal melodies. This works well, though, even if it does detract from the opening riff a little, but by the time the band launch into the verse proper the song becomes another pretty mid-paced cruncher - albeit with more of a galloping feel thanks to Wallin's busier drumming. It is certainly not a fast-paced track, though, despite this double bass drumming - and it is another piece which relies quite heavily on the crunch of the guitars and a muscular chorus with Accept-like gang vocals. There is a lot of chanting during the chorus, which does feel pretty anthemic, and the contrast between these shouts and Cans' more melodic vocal delivery always works well. I particularly like the vocal-led bridge after the guitar solo which features some different melodies to the rest of the song. It is a shame that more is not made of this section, but it helps to song to feel a bit more varied than it otherwise would. Hail to the King is another mid-paced track, but it is one that has strong Manowar vibes throughout. It is not all that different to the other mid-paced tracks heard up to this point, but the rhythmic nature of the piece and the dominance of the bass throughout the verses bring Manowar to mind - as does the chorus which features more gang vocals. The overall sound is sweeter than something Manowar would write though, thanks to ringing clean guitar melodies during the verses, but the overall sound nevertheless somewhat differs from the more Accept-heavy one taken previously. The lyrics are quite Manowar-esque, too, so overall the song certainly harks back to some of that band's classic albums. The song is still very much HammerFall, though, as there has always been a Manowar vibe in some of their work - with Cans' voice giving the song a smoother edge whilst a more extended and shredded guitar solo breaks up the bass dominance elsewhere. After a couple of mid-paced tracks, Hero to All speeds things up somewhat - but it does not feel as frantic as The End Justifies. There is certainly more energy here than in the previous song, which was more groove-based, but it retains the band's classic crunch. The lack of driving riffing helps the song to not feel too frantic, though. It is generally the bass and the drums which create the pace - whilst the guitars during the verses generally provide ringing chords which are changed slowly. Some parts of the song, particularly as the chorus is being approached, feature busy guitar riffing - but generally the song reins it in somewhat, with the chorus instead featuring a guitar lead to back Cans' vocals which helps to set it apart. To make up for the lack of big riffing, some of the guitar playing later in the song feels a bit busier. The aforementioned lead is one such moment, and before the guitar solo there is a bit of an instrumental section with a guitar melody back-and-forth between Dronjak and Norgren.
Hope Springs Eternal is the album's ballad so it slows things down quite considerably and goes for a more atmospheric sound overall. Clean guitar melodies and prominent keyboards create a melodic base for Cans' vocals - whilst the rhythm section conjure up a sombre beat. HammerFall have done quite a few ballads over the years and this one is not all that different from their typical template. The keyboards create a subtly symphonic backing and the song does sound quite grand - particularly during later renditions of the chorus which feature more of a choral effect vocally to harmonise with Cans. Guitar leads and a more emotional guitar solo all contribute to the song's overall slower vibe - and everything comes together to create an effective mid-album change of pace. It is a song which has grown on me quite a bit as HammerFall's ballads do not always do it for me - but this is one of their better ones for a while in my opinion, and the closing guitar solo helps to cement that view. Burn It Down picks up the pace again and the song packs a punch following the relatively lengthy ballad. It does not feel as frantic as some of the band's faster pieces, but it is still very energetic from the off - with Wallin throwing in a few interesting drum tricks and fills to shake things up a little. The mix of machine gun guitar riffing and slower chord changes is classic power metal - and the mix continues to give quite a bit of prominence to the bass which perhaps helps to give this album is heavier overall feel. There is a lot of weight to this album, which has not always been the case with HammerFall, and Larsson is a big part of that - but there is also plenty of tight guitar riffing throughout. The song is perhaps not as hooky as some of the others, though, but there is still plenty of energy throughout. Capture the Dream reins it in somewhat, going for a more mid-paced feel overall, but there is something interesting and rhythmic about the track which does help it stand out. Generally the band's mid-paced songs are very Accept or Manowar focused, but this song does not really feel like either - despite gang vocals again being used during the chorus as is common. The drum groove used has a bit more swing to it than is typical of HammerFall, which gives the song a slightly more organic feel. There are a few riffs and melodies which have something of classic rock vibe, then, but overall the song is still very much classic HammerFall despite this less mechanical and hard-driving vibe - and the chorus is as expected with the aforementioned gang vocals and some simple vocal melodies. Later parts of the song up the pace a bit, though, and the swing from earlier is essentially lost - so the song feels quite varied as it wends it way along.
Rise of Evil feels much more potent following the swing of the previous track, with the song perhaps being one of the most muscular of the album. It is a relatively fast-paced track, but there is a controlled heaviness throughout with lots of big guitar riffing and one of the hookiest choruses on the album. The riffing feels quite Judas Priest inspired, with some stop-start patterns during the verses again allowing the bass to dominate, whilst the chorus is much more old-school power metal in vibe with a hooky guitar refrain acting as a counter to Cans' anthemic vocal melodies. The gang vocals are not really used this time, with the chorus instead feeling more overtly melodic than is perhaps typical - which contrasts nicely with the overall heaviness of the piece. The mix of sounds makes the song one of my favourites here - with the riffing and the chorus being some of the album's best moments in my opinion. The album then comes to a close with Time Immemorial, which slows things down somewhat and goes for a more expanded take on the band's classic mid-paced sound. It is the longest song here at just under six minutes long, so it feels like a bit of a mini epic - with the band mixing things up a little. Whilst certainly not a ballad, the song does include some slower sections which hark back to Hope Springs Eternal somewhat - with plenty of crunch elsewhere to create a tough, mid-paced rhythm. This mix of hard-driving riffing and clean guitar-led atmospheric sections is a good one, though, and the more involved sound and the variation of styles helps the song to sound like a true album closer. It is not a song that does anything substantially different from the norm, and HammerFall have written songs like it before, but it does expand on the core sound slightly as the album comes to a close - injecting a few slight symphonic touches, as well as allowing for some extended guitar soloing. Despite the song being on the longer side, too, it does not feel overly long. HammerFall have never been a progressive band so do not need to stretch out that often - but this song justifies its length and the album closes out nicely because of it. There is certainly a lot to like here for HammerFall fans and, overall, this album does feel stronger than the previous album and some of the band's other lesser releases. It is a solid and very enjoyable album that does what it sets out to do - but it will not convert anyone who was previously sceptical. Power metal fans will find plenty to enjoy, though, and the focus on a heavier sound throughout is certainly welcome.
The album was released on 9th August 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Hail to the King.
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