Now call me lucky but reviewing albums is great, getting most for gratis is awesome too, but discovering a band that you may miss out on is priceless. This band comes into the priceless category. I looked at the band’s name and album title and thought “not looking forward to this” and there is a saying to never judge a book by its cover. Well never judge a band by its name or album title as I found out.
HAMMER”FUCKING”CULT from the holy land of Israel is well worth discovering. This album grabbed me from opener “Hymn to the Steel” through to closer “In the Name of the Fallen”. The website says thrash, I say crossover hardcore / thrash think - Hatebreed meets thrash and you will be there. There are riffs aplenty on this gem and I just kept turning the volume up as it just seemed to get better as it battered my ears throughout the 13 tracks on offer.
The production is crisp and clear and every aspect of the talent and songsmanship is delivered with precision and clarity. I really enjoyed the vocals on this album, since they were delivered with precision, clarity and aggression. Vocal chants too. Almost an Exodus feel in places and the riffs are great too. “Burning The Road”, “Unholy Art” and “Liar” really does grab you and pull you in delivering a satisfactory punch to the gut. I will mention that the bass guitar is awesome on this album and really does push through the guitars adding a great kick in the balls to the songs. There is a great feel of melody to this album and I don’t mean commercial, it’s delivered in a fashion that still keeps the focus on the heavy side of this band.
This album keeps up its momentum throughout and “Heading for War” and closing song “In the Name of the Fallen” make sure this band is leaving you wanting to replay it again. Do yourselves a favour and checkout HAMMERCULT.
Meathook Mike, HMS
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