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HAMMERSCHMITT
“DR. EVIL”
Album Review by Iron Mathew
9.5/10
Hammerschmitt are a heavy metal band from Germany, originally forming in 1987 under the name Pierrot, changing their name to Hammerschmitt in 1997, and releasing their self titled debut album in 2000. Three more albums followed, ‘My Heart’ (2005), ’12 – Beyond The Silence’ (2011) and ‘Still On Fire’ (2016), with their fifth studio album ‘Dr. Evil’, a 2019 release.
When you think German heavy metal, two styles come to mind – brutal thrash and power metal. Hammerschmitt sit firmly and squarely in the latter, melding the epic and anthemic nature of bands such as Manowar, Grave Digger and Saxon. Big riffing, punchy and bold, ‘Dr. Evil’ is a barn storming, bombastic barrage of epic power metal, a majestic march of mighty proportions, and an album so heavy hitting, that by the end you may just be covered in bruises. The title song ‘Dr. Evil’ launches the album in an avalanche of pounding guitar riffs and thundering rhythms. More punchy than one hundred boxers all sparring at the same time, ‘Dr. Evil’ (the song) is a bombastic blast of high energy, high octane, anthemic power metal. And what follows is fifty minutes of big riffing, punchy and beefy songs that hammer relentlessly. ‘Restart Your Fire’ is more melodic than the albums opener, and that chorus, simply wow…a sing a long able chant style that will have everyone singing along in unison.
What an opening double salvo…the pulsating energy levels not dropping for a second. The first single released from the album ‘Say My Name’, is a mid tempo melodic monster stomp. Epic and atmospheric, ‘Say My Name’ is a majestic march, a glorious stroll, a mid tempo torrent of heavy riffing that pounds very hard. How can one band deliver so much epic? So much atmosphere? So much bombast? Three questions only Hammerschmitt can answer, but however they do it, they do it very well. ‘Fly’ ups the levels of tempo and energy higher than anything heard so far, delivering a jack hammer style rhythm, ‘War’ bringing forth a moodier and darker feel. Introducing touches of the blues and Southern rock, ‘War’ is an emphatic anthem that easily stands shoulder to shoulder with similar anthems Manowar have ever released. And then suddenly, without warning, the album changes up a couple of gears and roars off at high velocity with the fast paced ‘Metalized’. Thundering along at high speed, ‘Metalized’ is a corker, a cracker, a crushing blend of power and pace, and is the only song to reach this level. The head bangers of the world are gonna love ‘Metalized’ as it hurries and scurries by at a phenomenal pace.
Returning the album to its mid tempo majestic march, ‘Saints Of Rock’ is a pulsating barrage of bombast, with one of the best chant style choruses you’re likely to hear this year. The swaggering stride of ‘Saints Of Rock’ matches anything that bands such as Grave Digger and Manowar have to offer – ‘Saints Of Rock’ is a new anthem for a new age. ‘Tonight’ is pure melodic power metal, with the added weight of heavy rock, a lighter feel, a party vibe, and a sing a long style chorus that just begs to be sung. Could it also be that ‘Tonight’ is a power ballad? Do me a favour, it’s way too heavy… The rumbling rhythm of ‘Living Dead’ is gonna vibrate you in ways you’ve only dreamt of, such is its pulsation. With more buzz than a vibrating sex toy, ‘Living Dead’ is gonna raise your excitement levels very high. ‘Unreal’ marks the return of the albums heavy rock influence, a highly energetic romp of riffage that will bang heads and stamp feet hard. And as the album heads towards a conclusion, another modern day anthem to salute – ‘Lost In Gods’. A jaw dropping mid tempo march of the most epic and cinematic nature, ‘Lost In Gods’ is mid tempo mastery straight off the top shelf. Bringing the curtain down on a great album, is the (what now seems to be) customary power ballad offering that most power metal bands tend to do these days. ‘End Of Time’ is a mellow, keyboards led, choir like offering, and a far cry from the previous eleven songs.
Overall, mid tempo thunder of the most epic nature, Hammerschmitt deliver an hour of awesome power, hammering at the senses, pounding them very hard.
TRACKLIST
Dr. Evil
Restart Your Fire
Say My Name
Fly
War
Metalized
Saints Of Rock
Tonight
Living Dead
Unreal
Lost In Gods
End Of Time
https://hammerschmitt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hammerschmitt/
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