HammerFall: Hope Springs Eternal
“This is a true HAMMERFALL record. It’s not a concept album, but there’s one magic word; freedom,” says Joacim Cans. “It’s all about the right to live the life you want to live and be the person you want to be. Since I was a kid, I wanted to listen to heavy metal music, wear studded clothing and black t-shirts and people judged me for it.”
He’s talking about Avenge The Fallen, his band’s thirteenth full-length and he’s full of pride. Arriving hot on the heels of 2022’s Hammer Of Dawn, it could easily be the archetypal HAMMERFALL record; it’s a rousing collection of optimistic anthems with a big catchy choruses, interspersed with a couple of wide-eyed ballads and the occasional touch of humour. If you’re familiar with the Swedes existing output, there won’t be any surprises, but it is easy to like and full of charm.
Somewhat tellingly though, he’s not just proud of his band and their latest material, but of the wider power metal scene too. At the time of writing, they were about to head out on a major tour with POWERWOLF, and they’ve recently shared stages with SABATON as well. In their earlier years, both of those bands supported HAMMERFALL but now the roles have been reversed. The young whippersnappers have surpassed the veterans, and it would be understandable if Joacim harboured some jealousy about his former support bands overtaking him, but if anything, he’s delighted by their success.
“It’s so cool! It’s like we made it possible for other bands to make a career in this genre,” he says, beaming from ear to ear. “We’re still at a very decent level and I love that we were able to inspire other bands like them.”
This is reasonable when you consider the origins of the band. When they formed in 1993, the metal landscape was very different to now. The world was still besotted with grunge and California punk, nu-metal was on the horizon and bands who played more traditional metal struggled. If you were raised on DIO or ACCEPT, there was almost nowhere to turn, and wearing a battle vest in public was unforgivable.
“I was in a band called HIGHLANDER and we played what we referred to as ‘sword metal.’ People were laughing at us and asking why we didn’t play music that fans wanted to hear? Well, we were playing the music that we wanted to hear!” He says. “When you look back on the eighties, there were only about six or seven years where traditional metal was really blooming before hair metal came along and took over. Nowadays, it feels like the second coming of this style of metal is still going. It’s built to last! It’s such a big difference now compared to when we started out.”
With this in mind, it makes sense that HAMMERFALL have comfortably eased into a role as the good-hearted big brothers of the power metal world. Plus, it’s not like they’ve been left in the dust. They’ve toured the world multiple times, played some huge stages and are embraced as heroes whenever festival season rolls around. Several of their releases are considered as genre classics, and as Joacim succinctly puts it. “We’re doing a tour of Australia, then playing 70,000 Tons Of Metal and getting a vacation on a cruise, life could be a lot worse.”
That sunshine outlook has helped them forge a lasting career, but there is a darker edge to them. Avenge The Fallen is not gloomy by any stretch of the imagination, but it starts with one of the bleakest lyrics they’ve ever had: ‘what is the worst, to be the one who died or be the one who survived?’
There’s a lot that can be read into that, from survivor’s guilt to PTSD and the mental scars left by going through a trauma, but Joacim is deliberately leaving it vague. When asked, he argues that his inspiration isn’t the important bit. “As I get older, the more I have to say. But at the same time, I don’t want to make it all about me. It’s not meant to be crystal clear. You can ask what the song was written about, but the real question is what does it mean to you?”
Despite the relatively grim nature of that first line, Avenge The Fallen is an upbeat and optimistic listen, with an energy that you wouldn’t usually associate with men in their fifties. It’s a revitalising way to spend forty minutes and even if it is a bit predictable, is another glowing addition to their burgeoning discography. And in the closing sprint, it juxtaposes that opening line with one of the sillier lyrics on here.
“’I dialled the number 666 but no reply?’” he laughs, “I was ad-libbing over the demo vocals, and it just came to me! It has to do with the inspirational side, there’s always good and evil to be found. You have to ‘find the raisins in the cake,’ that’s a Swedish proverb. It’s about looking into yourself to find the answer. The only person that can make the right choices in your life is yourself. Always look inside to find the answer.”
Then after a brief pause, he adds a little extra colour. “I’m not a fan of raisins, but in the saying the raisins are the good bit. I need to find a better saying.”
Avenge The Fallen is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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