AlphaMale

When they tone down the vocals, they are a good band.

Here's a track never on any of their albums with Ron. Same time period.

I like that one. Much better than the first single.

My Review: I went into this new HAMMERFALL album with zero expectations. I am a huge fan of the band and they are usually pretty consistent in their releases, minus the ill-fated Infected. To me, the band has never matched their debut album Glory To The Brave or the tremendous follow-up Legacy Of Kings. Their album all tend to blend together after awhile. So I heard the new single a bit back called (We Make) Sweden Rock. Ugh.... chessy. Don't really care for the theme or they silly chorus. Who picked this as the first single?? Anyway, let's get to the good stuff. The first track Never Forgive, Never Forget is a typical solid HammerFall song. But it's when track #2's riff hits the speakers, that I perked up. KIller guitar riffage very reminiscent of Aceept. The top tracks are all killer. Dominion, Scars Of A Generation, Dead By Dawn, One Against The World, Chain Of Command, and And Yet I Smile are all great. Nothing really bad on this. The more cringe-worthy tracks are Second To One, Testify (sounds like an Infected track), and the first single (We Make) Sweden Rock. Those brought down the overall score on the album but I gave it a solid 75%

I'm hoping by the end of December, I have a Top 5! LOL

As was I.... then it started to sink in for me. Pretty good stuff.

My scores: Never Forgive, Never Forget 7.5/10 Dominion 9/10 Testify 5/10 One Against The World 8/10 (We Make) Sweden Rock 6/10 Second To One 6.5/10 Scars Of A Generation 9/10 Dead By Dawn 8.5/10 Battleworn intro Bloodline 7/10 Chain Of Command 8/10 And Yet I Smile 8/10 75%

I thought this disc sucked ass. Pretty generic stuff.

Not bad.

Yeah.... I tend to agree. Some solid tracks but nothing special or liek you said spectacular. It has some nice moments though. In a crap year, this might make my Top 25.

Probably their best album since Legacy Of Kings. A sappy crap ballad in Second To One but for the most part, some tremendous riffage and better songs. A very nice step forward from Built To Last.

from various internet sources: https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/hammerfall-dominion/ Swedish rockers HAMMERFALL are back with “Dominion”, their new album out tomorrow August 16. For those who remember the resurrection that melodic metal experienced in the late ’90s in Europe, the name Hammerfall embodies the most nostalgic side of said time period, bringing a thought dead sound once purveyed by the likes of Accept and Judas Priest with enough of a power metal edge to keep company with the Helloween-oriented contingent that was dominating the European scene. But for all the rest, they are a longstanding metallic institution that lives up to their namesake by bringing the impact factor through a combination of hard-hitting riff work, and also leaving an impression with a formulaic songwriting approach that puts an emphasis on arena oriented bangers. Barring a brief interlude in 2011 into the world of the zombie apocalypse via the album Infected, they’ve stuck to a consistent message of metallic heroism underscored by the visual of a hammer-wielding knight in varying landscapes and dispositions, and their eleventh LP “Dominion” proves to be no exception. While this is an album that can be best described as playing it safe from a standpoint of stylistic evolution, the musical results offered up are anything but that. Helmed by the squeaky clean yet masterful pipes of vocalist Joacim Cans, affectionately known by those who have witnessed his handwork live as he who is small in stature (at least compared to the towering Viking and band founder/guitarist Oscar Dronjak) yet quite wide of range, this latest opus strikes the iron with a ferocity to rival the masterworks that this outfit offered up during their formative period circa 1997-2001. About the only consequential changes in the band’s lineup since time period in question was the exodus of virtuoso bassist Magnus Rosen and lead guitarist Stefan Elmgren, the latter being replaced by an arguably more technically proficient guitarist in Pontus Norgren who is the other standout player in this game of notes, often rivaling the likes of Marty Friedman and Paul Gilbert with his shred-happy guitar solo work. High octane metal anthems such as “Scars Of A Generation”, “Testify”, and “Bloodline” flirt with territory normally reserved to the likes of Primal Fear and various other German bands that have been refining the sound originally pioneered by Priest’s magnum opus Painkiller in the musical department, though tempered a fair bit by Joacim’s smoother vocal delivery. Likewise, the cruising opener “Never Forgive, Never Forget” largely punches through the speakers in a grandiose manner, though opening and concluding on a serene, atmospheric note that is ironically drenched in a melodeath vibe. Taking a cue from their magnum opus and second LP Legacy Of Kings, two ballads are offered up here in “Second To One” and “And Yet I Smile”, the former being a piano-driven turned heavy affair that listens like a shorter recap of “Glory To The Brave”, while the latter has a bit more of a vintage Iron Maiden feel and drips epic goodness from one moment to the next. A couple of down tempo crushers after the Accept mode in “(We Make) Sweden Rock” and the triumphant title anthem “Dominion” rule the roost like twin responses to Balls To The Wall, with the somewhat quicker bruiser “Dead By Dawn” nipping at their heels. Even the moderately quick paced speeder “Chain Of Command” makes itself distinct with a fiery, high end vocal delivery out of Cans. While this has been a band marked by a consistently good studio output since their inception over two decades ago, there has naturally been a contingent of their core fan base that has found most of what they’ve put out following Renegade as being a tad short of former glory. “Dominion” is an album that seeks to reclaim that glory and succeeds on all fronts, listening like a near perfect composite of Glory To The Brave’s raw power, Legacy Of Kings’ speedy and catchy majesty, and Renegade’s polished grandeur. Though what they’ve put out since those albums has been possessed of varying degrees of greatness, this album is the first one since the early 2000s to truly embody that unfettered energy that made the early days of the melodic power metal revival so exciting. Any self-respecting fan of this band will want to blast this baby out until their speaker are blown, and those who have been sitting on the sidelines for the past 18 years waiting for another certified classic need look no further than the horned, raven-winged, lightning-wielding knight that’s about to fell his mighty hammer upon their disbelieving craniums. While the focus of this blog are melodious sounds and classic rock oriented stuff, when material of this ilk – read classic melodic power metal / classic metal – is so well done like in the case of Hammerfall’s “Dominion”, we dig it, really dig it. Highly Recommended 01. Never Forgive, Never Forget 02. Dominion 03. Testify 04. One Against the World 05. (We Make) Sweden Rock 06. Second to One 07. Scars of a Generation 08. Dead by Dawn 09. Battleworn 10. Bloodline 11. Chain of Command 12. And Yet I Smile Joacim Cans – Vocals Pontus Norgren – Guitars Oscar Dronjak – Guitars Fredrik Larsson – Bass David Wallin – Drums PRE ORDER www.amazon.de/Dominion-Hammerfall/dp/B07RDRK7KR

Yes. Same guy. Someone made the connection on Facebook.

Another installment of bands I've never heard of. Anybody know anything about this band??

Can't believe how much they sound like Dynazty.

Thank you Dan.... the voice of reason. This is complete GARBAGE. Modern grungy mid 90's like trash. I can't believe people are actually liking this AT ALL.

I stand corrected: "After much deliberation and many sleepless nights, I've decided to step down as the singer for LILLIAN AXE. I've really struggled with this for a long time and have come to the conclusion that this is just something I need to do for myself. Call it a musical mid-life crisis or whatever you might like, but there's something inside telling me that it's time to let the past rest and to venture into new, exciting and even unknown musical, professional and life experiences. During our time away from LILLIAN, not only did I find my way into other rewarding musical projects but I also stumbled into a new career that I have great passion for. Unfortunately, it does not allow me time to make the commitment required to record, release and support a new LILLIAN AXE record with the promotion, touring and sacrifice it takes to make a record successful, and this is the direction the band has chosen to go.

Bang was damn good. But I do hope they can come up with some better material than Silver.

From what I recall, Ron didn't want to tour anymore.

Tracklists For Both: Until The End Of The World (Ron Taylor demo) The Fields Of Yesterday (Ron Taylor demo) Fear Of Time (Ron Taylor demo) I Have To Die, Goodbye (Ron Taylor demo) Quarantine (Ron Taylor demo) Restitution For The Black Sheep (Ron Taylor demo) Anna Lee (Ron Taylor demo) Deep In The Black Second Of May (Ron Taylor demo) The Last Time (Ron Taylor demo) Mercy (demo) Dyin' To Live (demo) The Last Goodbye (Ron Taylor demo) Only You (Ron Taylor demo) Deepfreeze (demo) The Second Of May (instrumental) The Fields Of Yesterday (instrumental) Show A Little Love (radio edit) True Believer (acoustic) No Matter What (acoustic) Here Is Christmas (non-LP track) Throw You Away (Japan Bonus Track) Thirst (Japan Bonus Track) Ghost Of Winter (acoustic 2000) True Believer (acoustic 2000) Sign Of The Times (demo) Voices In My Walls (demo) (Become A) Monster (instrumental) Razorface (Near Life Experience track)

Sorry not interested. Sweet is a douche. A FaceBook friend sells LPs, tapes, and CDs on Ebay. He had a listing flagged for a 20 year old bootleg cassette. A one Michael Sweet reported him and got him suspended for 7 days off eBay. This is how the guy makes his living. How necessary was that? Nothing recent..... a 20+ year old bootleg CASSETTE. Michael Sweet has nothing better to do than report people for a bootleg?? Pathetic.