Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL will release their twelfth studio album, “Hammer Of Dawn”, on February 25, 2022 via Napalm Records. The official music video for the LP’s first single and title track, “Hammer Of Dawn”, filmed at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg with director Patric Ullaeus, can be seen below.
HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak comments: “The song itself was initially conceived in Germany during the ‘World Dominion’ tour, with the rest of the work being done at home. I immediately knew this had the potential to be something important, and when Joacim [Cans] added his vocal melodies, we both felt it would be the perfect single. One with substance and power but also one you can’t stop singing when the music fades out.”
Cans adds: “We already had the idea to shoot a video at legendary amusement park Liseberg 20 years ago. But like any good bottle of champagne, this idea needed to rest and mature before taken into action. And FUCK I am happy we waited! Together with director Patric Ullaeus we have created something unique and astonishing that totally blows me away every time I watch it. You can really tell that we haven’t played together for almost two long and never-ending years. We are as energetic as a pack of hungry wolves in the video ready to shred and deliver the heavy metal gospel!”
As one of the main forces in heavy metal, HAMMERFALL have dominated not only the Swedish album charts, but album charts across Europe throughout their extensive career, while earning gold status thrice. Faced with the daunting task of following up the band’s last studio album, “Dominion”, an album that fans and critics hailed as one of the band’s strongest releases, HAMMERFALL collectively met the challenge head on and have delivered what many early listeners are predicting as the best metal album of 2022 and a high point of the band’s catalog.
Cans states about the new album: “It’s hard to describe in words how extremely happy and proud I am about the outcome of ‘Hammer Of Dawn’. It was a struggle, for sure, but in the end we pulled it off and delivered a solid, vital and positive new album. Everyone is on top of his game and together we have created yet another milestone in HAMMERFALL history. Can’t wait to sing these songs live together with my sisters and brothers, The Templars of Steel!”
Dronjak adds: “We spent a long time creating the songs for this album, mainly due to the coronavirus but also because we began working on the material very early. That’s definitely evident in the result, the attention to detail is very big. Another thing that is quite palpable is the energy level, and that can be contributed to the extreme and forced downtime we all had to endure during the pandemic. The atmosphere in the studio was relaxed and laid back and the lack of stress created the perfect working environment for turning up the heat when the red light came on. It was easy to peak when you had to since there was no outside distractions or immediate deadlines. This album is a product of the pandemic in some ways, but more importantly it’s a strong statement that we are experiencing the high point in our creativity at the moment. I’ve said it before: HAMMERFALL has never sounded better than we do right now.”
“Hammer Of Dawn” track listing:
01. Brotherhood
02. Hammer Of Dawn
03. No Son Of Odin
04. Venerate Me
05. Reveries
06. Too Old To Die Young
07. Not Today
08. Live Free Or Die
09. State Of The W.I.L.D.
10. No Mercy
“Hammer Of Dawn” starts off with remarkable opener “Brotherhood”, a hymn echoing the deep connection of bandleaders Cans and Dronjak with their loyal Templars of Steel worldwide. Other tracks on the album present one smasher after another, with songs like “Reveries”, “No Son Of Odin” and “Venerate Me” — the latter featuring an appearance by none other than King Diamond — making sure it will go down as another milestone in the career of the Swedes.
“Hammer Of Dawn” was produced by long time collaborator Fredrik Nordström (IN FLAMES, OPETH), who handled mixing, mastering, drum recording, and shared the duty of recording guitars and bass with Pontus Norgren and Oscar Dronjak. Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT), produced the lead vocals.
In 2022, HAMMERFALL will team up with HELLOWEEN for an extensive co-headlining tour through Europe.
Photo credit: Tallee Savage
