HAMMERFALL - review added 6th March 2009
Album Review: No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009)
For fans of: power metal... and Dragonforce's big (slightly) scary brother
No Sacrifice, No Victory is Hammerfall's 7th studio album and the first to feature recent addition Pontus Norgren (former guitarist with The Poodles) on lead guitar.
The music is a robust, bright take on the typical power metal sound. The drums and guitars speed along like Roadrunner being chased by Wile E. Coyote on a fast train, but there's a sparkling nature to the sound too. The result sounds huge and scary, but kind of cute and friendly too. Think of a grizzly bear wearing a jumper with a picture of a kitten on it and you'll have the right idea.
The production is crisp and confident, and the effects and atmospheric components are excellent. Look no further than the intro to 'Legion' for proof. The song contains the best demonic voice I've ever heard on record. Generally when bands attempt these 'ooh, scary...' voices, the result is comedically cr*p. This one isn't. This one will put goose bumps on your goose bumps. Okay, the song is merely good and doesn't do the intro justice, but we like it all the same.
The cover of 'My Sharona' is good, if nothing special. It sounds very much like the original, without improving it in any way. If Hammerfall had written this track it would have been the best on the album, but as they didn't... it isn't.
The remaining songs are consistently fun without ever grabbing hold of you and sticking their tongue in your ear. You'll struggle to find anything even remotely bad, but equally there are no standout tracks or epic moments you'll want to play time and time again. It's all very, very likeable, but perhaps a trifle polite.
It's not quite lairy enough to be proper battle metal, nor pompous or fluffy enough to be 80's hair metal. No Sacrifice, No Victory is as close to 130 decibel background music as you'll ever get. Bloody good background music, but background music nonetheless.
Check out... That Satanic voice in 'Legion'. Yikes!
Track List:
1. Any Means Necessary
2. Life Is Now
3. Punish And Enslave
4. Legion
5. Between Two Worlds
6. Hallowed Be My Name
7. Something For The Ages
8. No Sacrifice, No Victory
9. Bring The Hammer Down
10. One Of A Kind
11. My Sharona
Label: Nuclear Blast
Artist's websites: Hammerfall , MySpace
