HAMMERFALL CRIMSON THUNDER
Nuclear Blast - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandon
Since the release of the surprisingly good debut album Glory to the Brave, HammerFall went downhill with their sophomore release Legacy of Kings which just sounded to similar to their first release and finally reaching rock bottom with the atrocious Renegade. All my interest into this band went away after listening to that travesty and I frankly had no high hopes or any desire to listen to Crimson Thunder. To my surpise the first listen of the album was not as bad as I thought it would be and I soon began to truly enjoy this album and it wasnt long that you could see me riding through the streets of Los Angeles singing along to this album.
The simple fact of the matter on why this album is so much better than the last two albums is that the songwriting is excellent and the energy and passion of the band is extremely high. It truly shows that this band truly enjoyed playing and recording these songs. Another big difference is that the sound is heavier and the tempo has been slowed down compared to their earlier albums. Still present in the songs are the huge melodic sing-a-long choruses and you will soon find yourself singing along to many of them.
The excellent opening track Riders on the Storm exemplifies all of these points. Crimson Thunder slows it down even more and the powerful singing by Joacim really carries this song as well as the powerful drumming by Anders. Finally, I dare anyone not to sing along with the chorus of this song. The Unforgiving Blade is another song with the slower tempo. The first verse is cool with just one distorted guitar and Joacim singing but then the rest of the band joins in for the rest of the song. Dreams Come True just might be the best ballad that HammerFall has ever done. Carried by acoustic guitars, violins, background chanting, occasional orchestral percussions and Joacims emotional singing, this song is just extremely beautiful. The instrumental In Memoriam draws similar emotions with its excellent melodic guitars acting as the voice of the song.
The above mentioned songs are the ones that exemplify the maturity of the songwriting by HammerFall and the differences from earlier albums. There are still plenty of the fast and up-tempo songs that fans have come to expect of this band but not to the level of quality that songs like Trailblazers (my absolute favorite of the album), Hearts On Fire (despite its repetitive chorus) and On the Edge of Honour (another awesome chorus).
The promise that the band showed with Glory to the Brave is finally being fulfilled three albums later. Undoubtedly, Crimson Thunder is their best effort, perfect for fans of the band and of the power metal genre.
Nuclear Blast Website
HammerFall Official Website
Nuclear Blast - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandon
Since the release of the surprisingly good debut album Glory to the Brave, HammerFall went downhill with their sophomore release Legacy of Kings which just sounded to similar to their first release and finally reaching rock bottom with the atrocious Renegade. All my interest into this band went away after listening to that travesty and I frankly had no high hopes or any desire to listen to Crimson Thunder. To my surpise the first listen of the album was not as bad as I thought it would be and I soon began to truly enjoy this album and it wasnt long that you could see me riding through the streets of Los Angeles singing along to this album.
The simple fact of the matter on why this album is so much better than the last two albums is that the songwriting is excellent and the energy and passion of the band is extremely high. It truly shows that this band truly enjoyed playing and recording these songs. Another big difference is that the sound is heavier and the tempo has been slowed down compared to their earlier albums. Still present in the songs are the huge melodic sing-a-long choruses and you will soon find yourself singing along to many of them.
The excellent opening track Riders on the Storm exemplifies all of these points. Crimson Thunder slows it down even more and the powerful singing by Joacim really carries this song as well as the powerful drumming by Anders. Finally, I dare anyone not to sing along with the chorus of this song. The Unforgiving Blade is another song with the slower tempo. The first verse is cool with just one distorted guitar and Joacim singing but then the rest of the band joins in for the rest of the song. Dreams Come True just might be the best ballad that HammerFall has ever done. Carried by acoustic guitars, violins, background chanting, occasional orchestral percussions and Joacims emotional singing, this song is just extremely beautiful. The instrumental In Memoriam draws similar emotions with its excellent melodic guitars acting as the voice of the song.
The above mentioned songs are the ones that exemplify the maturity of the songwriting by HammerFall and the differences from earlier albums. There are still plenty of the fast and up-tempo songs that fans have come to expect of this band but not to the level of quality that songs like Trailblazers (my absolute favorite of the album), Hearts On Fire (despite its repetitive chorus) and On the Edge of Honour (another awesome chorus).
The promise that the band showed with Glory to the Brave is finally being fulfilled three albums later. Undoubtedly, Crimson Thunder is their best effort, perfect for fans of the band and of the power metal genre.
Nuclear Blast Website
HammerFall Official Website
