HammerFall - Crimson Thunder (Full Length) (320)

Lineup:

Oscar Dronjak - lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Joacim Cans - vocals
Stefan Elmgren - lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Magnus Rosιn - bass
Anders Johansson - drums

Also released as a limited edition Comicbook containing one additional bonus
track "Rising Force" (Yngwie Malmsteen cover) (4:31).

There has also been a numbered (1000 have been made) limited edition 3CD
longform leather digibook, that contains two 3" MCDs with one track on it each:
Crazy Nights (Loudness cover) (3:38)
Detroit Rock City (Kiss cover) (3:53)

Re-released in 2003 as limited Gold Award edition (enhanced CD in a DVD box)
containing the bonus track "Heeding The Call" (live) (4:43).

Review :

I think the best thing about Hammerfall is the actual music, Cans is not the strongest vocalist, the lyrics are cheesy as heck, and the ballads would make Celine Dion cry. However, the music is top notch power/heavy metal.

Another cry from bashers is that these Swedes are not original. True, I will concede that point but the great thing is that they take influences from many bands and not just one. Many power metal bands want to be Helloween, Hammerfall want to be Helloween, Accept, Dokken, Manowar, DIO, etc...They take some of the great elements of these legendary bands and mix it up to create an awesome power metal stew?

Anyhoo, to the songs. This album starts with a couple of scorchers - Riders of the Storm, Hearts on Fire, and On The Edge of Honour. You may have to pause here because the headbangin' is quite fierce. Catch your breath and move on to the title track which is a mid paced cruncher and very good.

Then you have the instrumental and Trailblazers which is another speedy ass kicker. The dual lead guitars are intense and heavy. This leads me again to the point of great music. The great thing about Hammerfall is the guitar work. Its a great balance of crunch and shredding. They shred but not to the point of wankery. They just seem to realize how much of a solo you actually need. No more, no less.

Next up is the typical Hammerfall ballad - Dreams Come True. All I can say is that if you hate their ballads, this won't change your mind.

The five remaining tracks are prolly the best set of 5 songs that Hammerfall ever put on record. You have 2 amazing covers in Chastain's Angel of Mercy (this could be one of the great covers of all time) and Yngwie's Rising Force. Both are respectfully done and given a little extra kick.

In Memoriam is an instrumental but this is not an intro/outro. This is classic metal. Great song. Definately don't skip this one.

The other 2 tracks are some of the best original Hammerfall songs of all time, IMO. They are The Unforgiving Blade and Hero's Return. This is metal that is energetic, fun, and still kick ass. The choruses are grand but catchy and the guitars sizzle throughout.

Well, what can I say, Hammerfall have recorded a monster of an album...AGAIN. These guys deliver the goods time and time again. Some respect is deserved.

1.	Riders of The Storm	04:34	[view lyrics]
2.	Hearts On Fire	03:51	[view lyrics]
3.	On The Edge Of Honour	04:50	[view lyrics]
4.	Crimson Thunder	05:05	[view lyrics]
5.	Lore Of The Arcane	01:27
6.	Trailblazers	04:39	[view lyrics]
7.	Dreams Come True	04:03	[view lyrics]
8.	Angel Of Mercy (Chastain cover)	05:38	[view lyrics]
9.	The Unforgiving Blade	03:40	[view lyrics]
10.	In Memoriam	04:22
11.	Hero's Return	05:23	[view lyrics]
Total playing time		47:32

Download Link

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