Hammer King

Hammer King

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Genre: Power Metal.
Released: 11/06/2021
Via Napalm Records

Album Review: Hammer King – Hammer King

German Power metal-lers Hammer King are back with their brand new self titled album. This marks the band’s fourth studio album and it promises to take fans on a voyage of epic proportions. The excitement around the release has been on full display with fans already getting single ‘Atlantis (Epilogue)’ to over 7000 streams on Spotify alone. Here is my review of Hammer King’s self-titled album.

The album is full of old school power metal quirks and the band have done a great job of mastering their craft over the years. Songs like ‘Baptized By The Hammer’ are a shining example of this as it feels like it has come straight from the forge of power metals heyday. Similarly, ‘Ashes To Ashes’ has a tonne of licks and squeals that have become synonymous with the genre. 

I believe the real highlight of the album has to be the tracks ‘Hammerschlag’ and ‘King of Kings’. These songs perfectly encapsulate the style of music Hammer King are going for and I believe the storytelling featured in these tracks, ‘King of Kings’ especially, are unrivalled. The origins of the Hammer King are in solid hands.

Unfortunately, the album isn’t perfect and I found there to be a lot of repetition used throughout the record. On top of that, some of the songs came across as a little too safe. ‘We Are The Kingdom’ could have been so much if the band took a bit more risk with a bit more melody. Without this, the song lacks personality and feels a little bland. Even the opening track of the album, ‘Awaken The Thunder’ comes across as a little cliché. 

Hammer King has released a decent album that certainly has added some more power to their arsenal. There is certainly room for improvement with a few tracks being unmemorable or just not up to the standards fans have come to expect from the German band. If you’re a fan of old school power metal then I would recommend checking this release out as I’m sure there is something here that you’ll enjoy.