Hammerfall is still going strong.
After celebrating their thirtieth anniversary last year, the band led by Oscar Dronjak (guitar, Ceremonial Oath, ex-Crystal Age) and completed by Fredrik Larsson (bass, Death Destruction, ex-Crystal Age), Joacim Cans (vocals, ex-Warlord), Pontus Norgren (guitar, Pänzer) and David Wallin (drums, live for Pain) unveils their thirteenth album, Avenge the Fallen, on Nuclear Blast.
The album kicks off with Avenge The Fallen, the eponymous composition that immediately proves to be very unifying, combining Heavy and Power Metal influences with Joacim‘s voice remaining in his comfort zone, before the band accelerates on The End Justifies. The vocalist also pushes a little harder, making the track intense with its epic tones, but the break tempers the musicians’ ardor before they move on to Freedom, where choirs and melodies take a more prominent place in the rhythm, still offering some martial parts. Hail To The King allows us a brief moment’s respite with its introduction, but the composition remains fairly calm overall, even on the imposing, saturated choruses, although the sound becomes livelier again on Hero To All, which still retains a certain catchy simplicity. The chorus is relatively easy to sing along to the band, before returning to a gentler mood on Hope Springs Eternal and its keyboards, which bring the composition a touch of Symphonic Metal, as does the long central solo. Rage returns with the energetic Burn It Down, energized by omnipresent drums and jerky riffs on which the vocalist lets loose. A touch of mystery returns with the opening moments of Capture the Dream, followed by the band’s usual liveliness, which continues on Rise Of Evil, where certain moments are also embellished by majestic notes, as on the final chorus. The mood becomes heavier with Time Immemorial, but the heavy roots are not far away, allowing the band to combine a solid base with heady harmonics that accompany the vocal line perfectly, closing the album with a certain harmony.
With Avenge the Fallen, Hammerfall’s musicians show us that they still know how to exploit their own recipe, sometimes dipping into more melodic roots to diversify their riffs.
75/100