Hammers of Misfortune - Dead Revolution (Metal Blade Records)
Hammers of Misfortune, after 5 long years of silence finally return to deliver et another progressive metal/rock masterpiece. with the "Dead Revolution", a much more heavy and dark record than its predecessor. Classic metal elements are much more prevalent than the prog quality of the double "Fields / Church". Within the 46 minutes that this album lasts, it most closely approximates the sound of previous masterpieces "The Locust Years" and "The August Engine". The riffs, are heavy but at the same time witty and playful, with no need to drag to distinguish themselves. Keyboards give a distinct 70's sound and their interplay with the more dry guitar sounds creates a distinct sound rarely heard from any other band.
Despite the uniformity of vocal performances all across the record, if you compare the highly aggressive "Flying Alone" with the folk/doom/epic "Days Of '49", the range and technique are obvious. The best songs of the record are as follows: First, the uplifting title track, in which the brilliant guitars rage along with the keys to a vocal soundscape/background. Second, the "Here Comes The Sky", a very different composition of this album, with a haunting piano, the excellent vocals of guitarist Leila Abdul-Rauf, and trumpets. Hammers of Misfortune are no longer one of the bands that show us that there may be a future to the heavy metal sound, like ten years ago. They are the kings of an in-between genre, whereas they might too soft for metallers or too heavy for progsters, but they are truly beloved by those few that have come to know them as the wonderful band that they are.
92/100
Below is the promo video for the title track
Despite the uniformity of vocal performances all across the record, if you compare the highly aggressive "Flying Alone" with the folk/doom/epic "Days Of '49", the range and technique are obvious. The best songs of the record are as follows: First, the uplifting title track, in which the brilliant guitars rage along with the keys to a vocal soundscape/background. Second, the "Here Comes The Sky", a very different composition of this album, with a haunting piano, the excellent vocals of guitarist Leila Abdul-Rauf, and trumpets. Hammers of Misfortune are no longer one of the bands that show us that there may be a future to the heavy metal sound, like ten years ago. They are the kings of an in-between genre, whereas they might too soft for metallers or too heavy for progsters, but they are truly beloved by those few that have come to know them as the wonderful band that they are.
92/100
Below is the promo video for the title track
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