Title: Renegade
Artiste: HammerFall
Genre: Power Metal
Familiarity: Zero
1. Templars of steel: Good powerful start, very warrioresque, reminds me a little of Manowar crossed with Stratovrius. Slower, grindier than I had initially expected. Plenty of Maiden there too, as if I needed to say.
2. Keep the flame burning: Faster, very power metal with a great solo of course.
3. Renegade: Another great rocker with powerful riffing and a great vocal. Like the backing vox too.
4. Living in victory: Fastest one yet, with a great melody
5. Always will be: Gorgeous riff to open this, seems to be a ballad. Metal bands write the best ballads, and of those, I think power metal bands have the edge there.
6. The way of the warrior: Very neoclassical guitar, really romps along.
7. Destined for glory: Very dramatic start with orchestral style keyboards then a big soaraway guitar.
8. The champion: I find this a little meh, to be honest. Kind of hard to think of anything to write about it.
9. Raise the hammer: Powerful little instrumental
10. A legend reborn: Good strong dramatic closer.
End result: This is the first I've heard from HammerFall, and while I did like it, I kind of don't see too much difference between this and any other power metal album I've heard, which is always a problem with this subgenre. Still, pretty bitchin' for sure.
So, Love or Hate? Think this has to be a
Love (okay Batty, you can put the baseball bat down now...)