LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 4

by Chris A.
Staff Writer –

Sailing Back To Reality and Insanity: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 4

The shadows from the low eastern sun crossed the deck as day 4 of 70,000 Tons of Metal kicked off with Megora performing at 10 a.m. Thursday on the pool deck. The final band, which closed the cruise, was God Dethroned, whose set was schedule to wrap up at 3 a.m. the following day. Literally four hours later, the ship coasted back into its berth in Miami. Day 4 of 70,000 Tons of Metal was filled with incredible bands, a lot of relaxation and soaking in the atmosphere of an incredible experience.

Merchandise lines for the cruise and the individual bands were crushingly long as metal heads sought souvenirs from an incredible week of music and
adventure. Knowing that this was the final day of live music prompted everyone to get in as much fun, drinking and head banging as possible. The cruise soon would be over, and it would be back to the real world.

Day Four Bands Include: Megora, Atheist, Alestorm, Virgin Steele, Sapiency, Diamond Plate, Eluveitie, Tristania, Therion, Riot, Pretty Maids, Orphaned Land, Coroner, Hammerfall, In Extremo, Dark Funeral, Amorphis, Venom, Whiplash, Channel Zero, Over Kill, Edguy, Suffocation, Candlemass, God Dethroned.

70,000 Tons of Metal Day 4 Photo Gallery

Photos Appear Courtesy of Chris A.

LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 2

by Chris A.
Staff Writer –

A Sea of Blood: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 2

Steaming toward the southwest, with the coast of Cuba visible on the horizon, Day 2 of 70000 Tons of Metal resumed with abandon. For the next 18 hours, there would be a nonstop assault of metal on the ship’s three stages, with 27 bands scheduled to perform. At 10 a.m., with temperatures approaching 80 degrees on the main pool stage, the first band of the day would be old-school thrashers Whiplash with Crowbar set to close the day’s action at 4:15 a.m. the following day.

It was a day of head banging, drinking and running around the ship as the 2,000 fans went from venue to venue, navigating the narrow corridors with pits stops at the bar and casino. Catching all the bands was impossible, of course, but the atmosphere, beautiful weather and the utter variety of bands kept a smile on everyone’s face. Day 2 was nothing short of kick ass.

Day No. 2 performers included: Whiplash, Megora, God Dethroned, Diamond Plate, Exciter, Spiency, Orphaned Land, Tankard, Suffocation, Pretty Maids, Atheist, Kamelot, Stradivarius, Amorphis, In Extremo, Therion, Kataklysm, Annihilator, Children of Bodom, Virgin Steele, Venom, Riot, Hammerfall, Pestilence, My Dying Bride, Dark Funeral and Crowbar.

70,000 Tons of Metal Day 2 Photo Gallery

Photos Appear Courtesy of Chris A.

70000TONS OF METAL 2012 IS SOLD OUT!

70000TONS OF METAL 2012 IS SOLD OUT!

While altering course North-East, heading for The Channel, they heard more rumors about their American scouting party not going directly to Florida, but rather going the other way first, all the way to California. Rumors, rumors, all these rumors… are they all VICIOUS RUMORS? Read more

HammerFall : Infected

 

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Weird. To hear the opening track “Patient Zero” on HammerFall’s new release, Infected, is just plain weird. Known for being one of the most galloping and triumphant composers in all of Power Metal, this somewhat new direction will take longtime fans by surprise. And why the new logo? Not that metal fans are control freaks, but knowing you can “count” on something — like your favorite band not turning their logo from a sword into a scab — is not the same as wanting to control it. All that weirdness aside, it’s HammerFall, and Infected is still going to end up being a success … maybe even in spite of themselves.

A female voice opens the album on “Patient Zero,” with sirens wailing in the background, as she says “Contamination breach in sector 7G. Evacuation protocols for Project Legion in effect. Emergency shutdown in five seconds.” Instead of spirited riffs and soaring vocals, you get a near Candlemass dirge, a doomy, mid-tempo construction with Joacim Cans singing with his fathomless talent but at a much more metered and measured pace. While it’s a great track … it’s nearly uncomfortable as you wait for them to double or triple the speed. And they don’t, not here, not yet. Obviously, there’s a bit of a concept here, with Patient Zero being infected with Project Legion, meaning, there’s a lot more than one person/soul/being inside the body. Still …

HammerFall had little choice but to get back on track with the second song, or risk losing people. “Bang Your Head” is probably how most people expected the album to begin. Here, you’ll get tempo changes and those insane vocal melodies so germane to HammerFall’s legacy. Of course, Dronjak’s solo is as vivid and effortless as expected, and everything new is old again.

“The Outlaw” is a chaotic and cool barnburner. The riffs are complicated, and Anders Johansson’s drumming is a marvel. It’s mostly unfair how much talent this band wields in every facet. While the music is intense and interesting, the lyrics and the way the vocals are delivered don’t measure up; were they trying not to let the vocals get in the way of the musical mastery? Or is this just an uninspired lyrical and vocal moment?

Again, just when you start questioning the band, they come at you with the majestic and heartfelt “Send Me a Sign.” Maybe HammerFall is just so damn good they have finally started screwing with their fans — as in, expect the unexpected, metalheads. With deft acoustic picking, haunting and masterful vocals from Cans, “Send Me a Sign” blazes near the end and then fades to an acoustic end. Not weird.

Getting back to the Patient Zero theme, the uplifting “666 – The Enemy Within” is one of the highlights of the entire release. With a more reminiscent song structure, the tale speaks of a man awakening to a bloody trail, spouting poetry like “There’s an echo in the mirror, of a man I do not know, staring back at the scar on my neck, and the numbers are screaming … 666!” The entire song crescendos near the close, changing pace and becoming both glorious and vile all at the same time.

Whether this is a concept record or really an album with a running theme (you say potato, they say potato gun), the narrative from “Immortalized” to ”Lets Get It On” to “Redemption” is the album’s denouement. In the keyboard-crazy “Redemption,” you will experience sorrow-laden musical passages, metallic orchestration and overall, it’s a madly fitting way to close the pages of Infected.

In fairness, you can’t expect HammerFall NOT to grow as musicians, even though historically they’ve shown little interest in doing so. Wake up call — they are interested now. Infected is darker, more intense and perhaps more thematic than anything they’ve ever composed. That means little if it isn’t a good album, but it is. Whether this is a one-time “off the beaten path” journey or an indication of what lies ahead, HammerFall is still a force, albeit a weird one this time around.

Band:
Joacim Cans – Vocals
Oscar Dronjak – Guitar
Anders Johansson – Drums
Fredrik Larsson – Bass
Pontus Norgren – Guitar

Tracklist
1. Patient Zero
2. Bang Your Head
3. One More Time
4. The Outlaw
5. Send Me A Sign
6. Dia De Los Muertos
7. I Refuse
8. 666 – The Enemy Within
9. Immortalized
10. Let’s Get It On
11. Redemption

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Online: http://www.hammerfall.net/  

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.7/10

Hammerfall LIVE!

March 9, 2010 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Penn.

by Steve Trager
Staff Writer

There is only one true way to describe Hammerfall’s music and that is both “amazing” and “brilliant” as musicians, and they proved it once again playing live at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia March 9. Hard to believe that this band has been together for more than a decade, has jammed a fist full of CDs down our throats, and hasn’t actually stepped forward to dominate the soil of America until the late ‘90s. Their rip-roaring live performance showcases the finest Swedish Power Metal that one can only imagine as a music fan.

It is a rare performance for the likes of Hammerfall, who don’t actually tour North America as often as one would hope. Sure they put out records time after time, but to see them play these well written pieces of melodic metal is another story altogether for any fan who enjoys Power Metal.

Another new chapter for Hammerfall, who recently launched their third consecutive mini-tour of both America and Canada to support No Sacrifice, No Victory released last year, started their five-week tour in Virgina and slammed into Philly on the fourth night of the tour schedule at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia.

After missing this band five years ago, as a deep rooted music fan who enjoys beyond a core of music in Metal alone, this was a must see performance, to visually see five musicians come together and set the stage a blaze with a tapestry of songs that captures the music of Hammerfall in 90 minutes.

Hammerfall not only has great music but also shares something you don’t often see or hear: amazing harmonies from three other musicians as a whole during such a live performance, matching the band’s true sound on each song note for note. Is 90 minutes enough to get Hammerfalls’ music etched into your brain? By all means, no way. This band could have played more then two hours easily and pulled out some deep tracks spanning their 13-year career as a band but, we had to settle for 17 songs on the set list which is often changed up night after night.

Along with a few hundred fans who like myself long desired to see this band rip Philly a new crack in the ass, definitely got our money’s worth. Hammerfall never lost sight of working the Philly crowd with a few “Lets see what you got Philly” attitude, even a small glimpse of a nice saucy mosh pit going to some of their songs; man you have to love that. Nothing like breaking a sweat and getting your blood moving at a Power Metal show.

Of course like most bands who constantly change guitars in every single song throughout the entire show, Hammerfall does the opposite, with just a change or two still showing their true ability to rock out on stage. Nothing like well-choreographed headbanging, hair swirling moments as Hammerfall nailed Philly in 2010. If you missed this rare opportunity to see this band kick ass, then you might have to wait another five years to see them do it again. With a name like Hammerfall, they do more then just rock, they drop the “Rock Hammer” as heavy as one can only visually see from the naked eye on this amazing spectacle mini-tour.

Philadelphia Hammerfall Set List :
Punish & Enslave
Crimson Thunder
Renegade
Hallowed Be My Name
Last Man Standing
Blood Bound
Life Is Now
Heeding The Call
Rebel Inside
The Metal Age
Between Two Worlds
Any Means Necessary
Stronger Than All
Riders of The Storm

Encores:
Secrets
Let the Hammer Fall
Hearts on Fire

A well-rounded list of amazing songs that truly captured Hammerfall as a live band on this tour. One can only say, “Yeah, that show kicked more than just ass live!”

Photos provided courtesy of Steve Trager

Hammerfall No Sacrifice, No Victory

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Get out your broadswords, put on your codpieces and prepare to ride the white pony … cuz Hammerfall is back! Their new release, the title perchance MMA-influenced, is called No Sacrifice, No Victory. For a band that unjustly falls into that “love ‘em or hate ‘em” category, they surely stick to their guns again. Their uncompromising new release will make their fans roar gloriously and keep the haters frothing.

“Any Means Necessary” opens No Sacrifice, No Victory, and the word “anthem” doesn’t really do it justice. With a raging and pummeling rhythm section, menacing vocals from the underrated Joacim Cans and fevered guitar solos and leads throughout, it gets the blood boiling. The ridiculous lyrics add to the fun, with phrases like, “I am not judgemental, a sinner or a saint. Just either you’re my best friend or you ain’t,” support the fact Hammerfall doesn’t take themselves too seriously. It’s Heavy Metal, dammit! The soaring pre-chorus leads into a repetitive shout-along chorus, with bellowing group vocals.

The next few songs are almost as strong as “Any Means Necessary,” but they all pale to “Legion.” That track is like reading a dark fantasy novel, with atmospheric and eerie synth sounds, some Satanic guttural ranting … and that’s before the actual music starts. Drummer Anders Johansson is an absolute machine during the opening, and the rest of the song he keeps a pace that would make Death Metal drummers drool in awe. The quirky leads after the first chorus stand out as well, sort of along the lines Dragonforce emit, but not quite as frenzied. “My name is Legion, and we bring destruction and death,” goes the chorus, and so shall you.

A keyboard-heavy ballad is up next on “Between Two Worlds,” with cathedral organ keys leading into acoustic guitar passages. Cans can mesmerize when it suits his purposes, and his soaring vocals at least partially hypnotize the listener. Part of the draw of the song is the lyrics, because he is singing of someone literally caught between two worlds. “Just like the rainbow, between mist and sun … feeling like I’m trapped between two worlds.” Picture that, Hammerfall waxing poetic …

The quality stays high on the next song, “Hallowed Be My Name.” You can picture this song being played before thousands of fans, masses of humanity grooving and headbanging to this freakishly catchy anthem.

“Bring the Hammer Down” is probably one of the songs that critics of Hammerfall will point to. While the group unmusical vocals work on some of the earlier tracks, they sound slightly droning here. Yes, the guitar solo saves it for the most part, but this isn’t an instrumental.

Bands are picking some retarded songs to cover of late. Elvenking honestly chose Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” on their new release, and Hammerfall at least went the purposefully goofy direction with The Knack’s “My Sharona.” If anything, it’s a thumb to every critic out there, thinking they are formulaic and one-dimensional. If you can’t make fun of yourself, you will always lose. The scary thing is, Hammerfall doesn’t just do it justice, but they nail it.

Hammerfall consistently releases some of the best Heavy Metal on the planet, and No Sacrifice, No Victory is proof. No, it isn’t for everyone, but Everyone sucks, so why placate them?

Label: Nuclear Blast

Track listing:
1. Any Means Necessary
2. Life Is Now
3. Punish And Enslave
4. Legion
5. Between Two Worlds
6. Hallowed Be My Name
7. Something For The Ages
8. No Sacrifice, No Victory
9. Bring The Hammer Down
10. One Of A Kind
11. My Sharona

HRH rating: 7.8/10