HAMMERHEART - DREAMWORKS
RIDE PRODUCTION
METAL TO
INFINITY
Hammerheart is without doubt the best Slovakian band that I have
heard in years ! These guys know
how the good old times of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal ruled the world, and
add their vision anno 2006/2007 to their music. Don't become entangled with the name of
the band, because there are several groups that exist on that moniker.
''Dreamworks'' was made by four enthusiastic metal fans, and it took 12 years
since the formation to release "Dreamworks".
I know that Slovakia isn't
the origin of metal, but these guys know how to rock, and make a song solid,
convincing and to please with great riffing! The band played already live gigs as a
support of Alice Cooper and they attend the bigger festivals in their region.
Besides playing live for hungry metal fans, they signed a deal with Ride
Production Company and are trying to make as much as possible promotion through
several channels. Since the release of "Dreamworks", the band succeeded in an
agreement with Titan Music (previously Valhalla Records), so the next album will
be completed and released at the end of 2007.
Back to the first album : ''Dreamworks'' was released in
memory of Quorthon, the Swedish cult star and father of both Black Metal and
Viking Metal who formed his own band Bathory at the age of 18. On June
7th; 2004 Quorthon was found dead in his apartment, apparently from
heart failure. Only 38 years old,
but one of the biggest influences for the whole metal movement and especially
the Scandinavian community.
Together with his father (aka 'The Boss' and producer of Bathory)
he owned Black Mark Productions, an independent record label (Edge Of Sanity,
Morgana Lefay, Cemetary, Nightingale, Fleshcrawl...a.o.) which is specialized in
extreme metal music. Although the
music of Hammerheart has nothing to do with Quorthon, Bathory or relevant bands
that roam around in that particular scene, the only common they have is the name
of the band, which is also the title of a Bathory album (1989).
It's perhaps a little shame that
the band took the Bathory title, adapt it a little bit, and use it now as their
logo... Not really authentic, I presume,
but that's the only, less positive comment I can give on ''Dreamworks'' !
Musical wise, Hammerheart have a lot of NWOBHM influences, and can't deny that
they are into Iron Maiden. Opener
''Back From Serenity'' is a good example, and will appeal to traditional Hard
Rock and Heavy Metal adepts!
Fans of Speed Metal should take time to
explore ''Strange Feeling'', cause this track has a very nice chorus line, which
force up the quality of the song.
Those who muse the NWOBHM style better skip to track 4 (''The Last
Twilight'') and 5 (''The Revival'') to get their portion of nostalgia ! All in all, we have to admit that this
band has a great sound and overall quality from beginning to end!
For the next output, I suggest to work a little more on
original ideas. There are still plenty of metalfans that will dig this kind of
metal, so prove for yourself and the rest of the world that great Heavy Metal is
possible in Slovakia as well! http://www.hammerheart.sk/ My rating: 84/100
Patrick de Sloover on behalf of Metal To Infinity Webzine