Hammerfall - Masterpieces CD review

Beloved Gothenburg power/trad-metalers Hammerfall play the human jukebox; and it’s all for the right reasons – to bang your head and raise your fist in the air. Compiling tracks from various albums, compilation appearances, single B-sides, etc, Masterpieces is a celebration of the influences that helped shape the sound of one of metal’s more modern influences.

All the tracks on here are pure metal, no covers of jaded 70’s classic rock or new wave songs for that matter (there is a band out there that is guilty of covering “Manic” from Flashdance, but I won’t say who, and I’m not going to try to figure out the shtick). Hell, the lightest song covered here is “Man on the Silver Mountain,” and we know how much that one rocks – and these guys really crank it up!

Nevertheless, it’s all heavy fucking metal – some tracks we might know, such as their cover of Helloween’s “I Want Out” (Feat: Udo Dirkschneider and Kai Hansen), staples such as “Breaking the Law,” “Detroit Rock City,” and even a new recording of “Youth Gone Wild” (one of three new cuts on this comp); but the band dives into a broad range influential metallic material.

They really get into some tracks, such as melodic metal opuses from Pretty Maids (“Back to Back”), Accept (“Head Over Heals”), and Riot (“Flight of the Warrior” – another new recording), but we get in with what some might seem like obscurities with their takes on Warlord’s “Child of the Damned,” Heavy Load’s “Run With the Devil,” and Picture’s “Eternal Dark.” Now you know what you are going to want to do when you hear these versions, right? Get on iTunes and hope like hell you can delve into the original artists’ catalog – there might be some new discoveries to be made for some of you folks out there.

But not is all based on mainstay staples and deep tracks: there is homage paid to guitar gods such as Malmsteen (“Rising Force”) and David Chastain (“Angel of Mercy”), and even more hair metal opuses such as Twisted Sister’s “Were Gonna Make It,” Loudness’ “Crazy Nights,” and Europe’s “Aphasia” (the final new track, which beats the hell out of a cover of “The Final Countdown”). Eighteen tracks in all, some of which you might already have, spanning Hammerfall’s entire catalog. Masterpieces, like last year’s Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years of Glory "Best of" compilation, would make a great introductory companion to the band, or maybe fill in the gaps, etc…

With a band as influential as Hammerfall, it won’t be surprising that in ten years we see a covers compilation of their songs…maybe I shouldn’t get into that, but anyway, you listen to it, this is a tried and true compilation of metal – redone the right way. (Nuclear Blast Records) - Review by Tommy "Hashman" Hash

(Click on the CD cover to buy Masterpieces from Amazon.com)

Hammerfall - "Last Man Standing"