Hammerfall - No Sacrifice, No Victory

May 5, 2009

Reviewer: Peter

Hammerfall needs no introduction, as they have been around for almost fifteen years and playing a style of power metal that people will either love or hate with a passion.  No matter what you feel about the band, they continue forward undeterred.  This year, with new members at guitar and bass (Stefan Elmgren and Magnus Rosen were replaced by Pontus Norgren and Fredrik Larsson at their respective spots), the band comes forward with a new album in No Sacrifice, No Victory.

On No Sacrifice, No Victory, the band follows the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Come to think of it, this has more or less been the adage that the band has followed their entire career.  That isn’t to say that Hammerfall is averse to change; in fact, on their previous album Threshold, they seemed to leave behind the outgoing nature that had permeated the other Hammerfall albums.  For at least the first two songs of No Sacrifice, No Victory, the band continues to do more of the same.  The first single, and leadoff track, “Any Means Necessary” is not a good choice for such a distinction.  It comes across as a middle ground for what the band does, ranging from anthemic sing-a-longs to overly soft ballads.  The real meat of the album doesn’t start until “Punish and Enslave,” and even that is more of a warm-up act to the next track “Legion.”  The latter begins with a rather cheesy 8-bit Nintendo soundtrack accompanied by a melodramatic voiceover that proclaims to be Legion.  Once the music to that song begins however, the Hammerfall that most have come to love (or hate) is in full force.  Of course, the track ends almost the same way it began, making it one of the best and cheesiest songs on the album.  As for a requisite ballad, look no further than “Between Two Worlds,” which is the very definition of over the top, next to “Dreams Come True” from the Crimson Thunder album.  The title track is a return to the 80’s, a thought that I was unable to shake as I was listening to the song.  The last original song on the album “One of a Kind” is the longest track and exposes the band’s weakness as a band that can’t really pull off the epic long song due to its style of power metal that they play.  At the end of that track, unless you want to subject yourself to torture, you may wish to hit the stop button before the 80’s cover “My Sharona” starts.  The overall group singing is rather inconsistent, with a lower tone and feels somewhat mailed in as far the effort goes.

Hammerfall will occasionally come out with a brilliant album.  Not as far as a true masterpiece, mind you, but in terms of the number of times that you will replay the album just out of the entertainment value.  However, No Sacrifice, No Victory isn’t going to be one of those albums, at least right now.  What amounts to Threshold, part two displays what the band can do if the effort is there and at the same time, shows that the band can be overstretched when it comes to certain things.  Had the cover of “My Sharona” not been included, I would have thought to at least give it two and a half.  As it is, it can only get one and a half, at best.  Not much in the way of originality, but Hammerfall has become the equivalent of the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone Park, in that it is predictable, yet reliable in its production.

Release Date: February 29th, 2009
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Any Means Necessary
2.  Life Is Now
3.  Punish And Enslave
4.  Legion
5.  Between Two Worlds
6.  Hallowed Be My Name
7.  Something For The Ages
8.  No Sacrifice, No Victory
9.  Bring The Hammer Down
10. One Of A Kind
11.  My Sharona

Total playing time:  49:49

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