Year: 2019
Total Time: 50:29
Label: Napalm Records
HAMMERFALL … let me be clear, I started listening to their latest work cautiously. I was particularly cautious to be more honest. And due to the fact that I had to do a review about it, a bigger concern was added to the caution. In case you ask why, the reason is that there will always be emotions and memories involved, as these gentlemen from Sweden offered me records such as “Glory To The Brave” and “Legacy Of Kings” in my adolescence, which, in my heart, will always have a very special place.
The last works of the Swedes, however, were characterized as rather mediocre, repetitions of the glorious past. But let’s leave the emotions aside and talk about “Dominion”, their latest effort…
The album has twelve songs, one of which is the forty-second intro, one is a slower / softer song and one is a ballad. The production, as in all their works, is flawless – especially the sound of the drums is fantastic! The drums enthusiasts will really enjoy it!
As for the rest of the songs, most of them are from mid to up-tempo. There are some pieces where the guitar parts of Oscar Dronjak and Pontus Norgren show the absolute chemistry and bonding that exists between them. Joacim Cans continues to perform very well on his vocals, showing that he can still catch and hold high notes, without having any problems. As for David Wallin’ s drums, we’ ve already mentioned his excellent performance. Lyrically, the band is consistent with the themes they used to in the rest of their discography.
Individually, HAMMERFALL have composed some top quality ballads. Unfortunately, “Second To One” is not one of them. “Dead By Dawn” is a piece that will be enjoyed by a fan of the Metal scene, regardless of the genre definition, and when you are about to say: “okay, this more or less is one of the same”, comes the surprise. “And Yet I Smile” is the track that closes the album and is perfect for doing so. It gives the listener a last taste of sweet and at the same time bitter.
“Sweet” taste because as its title suggests, “And Yet I Smile”. Yes, they can still make you shudder, make you remember why you loved them. “Bitter”, because they show that they can lead. You feel they can. So, where the hell do they lose it????
I close hoping that the track that ends the album will be a new beginning for HAMMERFALL’s next album. They deserve it…
Rating: 6,5/10
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: HAMMERFALL – Official Page
