Hammerfall's fourth record has a very raw and hard edge to it.
A Heavy riff starts
Riders Of The Storm, and a powerful rhythm section follows. The song is classical
Hammerfall, based on a very huge and bombastic chorus. An element that continues through the record. All in all a good song.
Hearts On Fire begins in a great way with an energized intro and some powerful vocals. The chorus is for my taste a bit stretched out to the limit, it is very dominant. But there is a special powerful character to the up-tempo melody, and the positive feeling of the song.
The guys are playing straight ahead melodic Power Metal, but on this release there are some elements that take more space. For example in
Dreams Come True, which is an acoustic/keyboard and vocal oriented song. The song has a changing atmosphere from dark to a more positive style in the chorus. It works pretty well and is an interesting song.
Musically the band clearly has a lot to offer. Sharp raw riffs, melodic solo's, powerful and intense drums, a hard and pumping bass that gives a lot of depth to the songs, and the best
Hammerfall vocal performance yet, very melodic.
Trailblazers is my favourite song on the record. A fantastic beginning with a great change in pace. The track is very fast and has some great vocal parts. A cool lead guitar runs through the song giving it a melodic character.
The titletrack is in my opinion not that well written. A simple and slow chorus fills too much, and the melody is not very catchy. It's not really bad, but I just don't feel that it works that well.
In Memorian is an instrumental song, where a guitar lead creates a dark melody. A powerful song with a sensitive atmosphere.
About the production there are only good things to be said. It is filled with energy, power and a cool raw fitting edge.
The lyrics are classic
Hammerfall; pride, honour, love, fantasy tales, standing for what you believe and making the good side of life win. The lyrics are pretty good, but not sensational.
On The Edge Of Honour is a fast straight-ahead song again a huge chorus and very based on the guitar riff. The song has a pretty cool melody and pretty well sums up a great part of the album.
Overall the songs and melodies work, although there aren't many really great songs, the impression I'm left with is of a high standard Power Metal record.
Written by
Tommy Sunday, December 15, 2002
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