Subtlety and understatement have never been a priority for Hammerfall. Why choose one studded wristband when twenty will do? Well, with more zips and leather than a night at The Blue Oyster (one for the Police Academy fans there) and more chains than a medieval prison, the Swedish heavy metal legends are back with their thirteenth studio album Avenge The Fallen (Nuclear Blast Records).Continue reading
Tag Archives: Pontus Norgren
Panzer – The Fatal Command
Established in 2014, and formerly known as German Panzer until a lineup change last year, swelling their ranks from three to four, are Panzer. Hailing, as you might have guessed, from Germany they are a super-group made up of vocalist and bassist Schmier (Destruction), Stefan Schwarzmann on drums (ex-Accept), V.O Pulver on guitar (Poltergeist, GURD) and Pontus Norgren on lead guitar (Hammerfall). New record The Fatal Command is the more political follow-up to their 2014 début album Send Them All To Hell, both on Nuclear Blast, which sees them continue their heavy mixture of Thrash metal, Accept and NWOBHM. Continue reading
The Poodles – Devil In The Details
There’s a certain je ne sais quoi about The Poodles image that borders on hipster irony, and/or a touch of Steel Panther parody, though at the same time, it could just as well be a plain old “wacky” sense of humour. Either which way, the band have racked up ten Top 10 hits in their native Sweden, and swagger into album number six, Devil In The Details (Gain), on the back of a rising popularity that has continued to grow since their début Metal Will Stand Tall (Lionheart) in 2006.
While the album opens in the symphonic power rock vein of a less metal Kamelot with the dramatic ‘Before I Die’ and its bombastic chorus rising from a considered, dark verse, (‘Crack In The Wall’ has a similar feel), The Poodles true sound lies in a rockier, glammier sound, and sure enough ‘The Greatest’ is a hit single with a Bon Jovi meets 30 Seconds To Mars stamp all over it.
The Poodles are a Hard Rock band who are at home in the Power Metal market (indeed guitarist Pontus Norgren left to join Hammerfall), and, as such, aren’t afraid to incorporate a more epic bent to their music – ‘Need To Believe’ nods to Tony Martin era Black Sabbath – as well as some versatility ‘(What The Hell) Baby’ funks along (and actually has a chorus that it’s not unimaginable could have been written for Britney Spears). However, consistency is a bit of an issue, as is stamina as things dip towards the end, with final four ‘Stop’, ‘Creator and Breaker’ and ‘Borderline’ being bone fide plodders, while a ‘Life Without You’ is saved only by a great chorus that demands a fist up and a grin on the face all tacked onto a tepid toil.
While not the strongest release of the bands’ canon, there is no need to be negative, as there is plenty to appeal to their existing fans, plus those of acts like Europe and Stratovarius.
6.0/10
STEVE TOVEY