Built to Last

In times when finest steel was no longer considered the crowning of our beloved genre, HammerFall came to the rescue and blew everyone away with melodic finesse and sincerity: longplayers such as Glory to the brave (1997) and Renegade (2000) quickly established the Swedes as pioneers of a modern version of classic 80s metal – and they sure haven`t slowed down any since! Built to last – the tenth album in a career spanning nearly twenty years – definitely boasts a programmatic title and brilliantly displays the strengths of the band. Highly melodic and swift anthems, aggressive lead guitars, choruses you`d kill your mother for and Joacim Cans` inimitable, steel-melting voice (recorded once more with James Michael / SIXX AM in L.A.) turn this oeuvre into one of the most consistent, exciting and passionate HammerFall ever recorded! © NAPALM RECORDS

Following the band's 2015 "Maximum Metal"award bestowed by Metal Hammer (RIP Team Rock publications, hello again Future Publishing),power metal holdout HAMMERFALL returns with its tenth slab, "Built to Last". If MANOWAR's "The Lord of Steel"was gloriously predictable, so too is this one. Like MANOW...

A review of Built to Last by Hammerfall, available November 4th worldwide via Napalm Records.