Hammer Battalion

Just a quick, smash-mouth performance by the "Warriors." From the opening scream , through the awesome drums to the final killer riff, this is a must-have for fans of true death metal.I saw these guys live a month ago, and whether its live imitating recorded performance, or vice versa, these guys are awesome.I also recommend Midvinterblot, their previous release too.

Love this cd and it has almost all really great songs from the first song all the way to the last!!

killer

unleashed has outdone and outlasted in the viking metal world with this album songs like black horizon and hall of the slain are legendary ben

When you hear the phrase "Viking metal," what probably comes to mind are bands like Amon Amarth, Ensiferum, Destroy Destroy Destroy, and Amorphis. And while those two groups are definitely among the cream of the genre's crop, there is one band that has never gotten enough credit, but certainly deserves to be ranked right up there alongside the elite: Unleashed. And the kicker to the story is the fact that this Swedish metal band actually formed in 1989, making them quite a bit older than most Viking metal groups. Hence, they are held accountable for helping to spearhead the genre, and being one of the leading influences on groups like the ones named above.And while almost all of the songs on Unleashed's ninth full-length, 2008'S "Hammer Battalion," might follow the exact same structure (verse-chorus-verse-solo-outro), they are also chockablock full of great riffs and even greater solos. As a result, the songs capture an intensity so enormous and vibrant that any such notion of a cookie-cutter vibe is very soon forgotten about. (Heck, the solos are so darn virtuosic that they alone warrant purchasing this album.)Check out track twelve, "Home Of The Brave," an amazing collection of godly, insanely intricate, and nimble-fingered, string-busting death-thrash riffage that rivals the best stuff put out by the likes of Nile and Morbid Angel. The tune does not completely forsake melody, though, as it does feature a deliciously harmonic guitar lead section; and yes, this is one of those instances where the solos verge on near neo-classicalism. And also included, here, is another simple yet very potent and effective chorus. With that having been said, though, it is actually a song like opener "The Greatest Of All Lies" that is a better representation of the album, as a whole. It is an explosive and punishing opening blast with a galloping cadence, booming double kick-drum propulsion, and shriek-y, early Morbid Angel-esque vocals to go along with its crunching thrash riffs and wailing, trade-off melodic guitar solo section. And add another catchy and memorable chorus to the mix, and the end result is one song that actually closely evokes latter-day God Dethroned (even though, yes, this reviewer is well-aware that Unleashed predate G.D., too.)But does that mean those are the only standouts? Oh, heck no -- far from it, in fact! "Long Before Winter's Call," which boasts blistering blast beats, inventive and catchy, galloping riffs, buzzsaw-fast guitar leads, and solo flights that are equal parts epic and excellent, might be a great song for those reasons, alone, but this fact is made certain by its use of effective and well-placed fast tempo changes. And moving along, "Your Children Will Burn" is another early-album gem, as it is a slightly more restrained (and insanely catchy) chugger with crunchy, chugging guitar hooks, and equally-as-catchy and memorable, concert-ready choruses. Back on the breakneck side of the line, though, "Hammer Battalion" is an explosive and bludgeoning excursion -- an all-out blitzkrieg of pulverizing extremity played at brutal, blasting speeds.Following it comes "This Day Belongs To Me," a much more restrained and involved, mid-tempo brooder with some more epic, and highly infectious melodic solo work, doomy overtones, thudding skins, and unforgettable choruses. Hence, it is a tune that evokes "Monotheist"-era Celtic Frost. It is immediately offset, however, by "Marching Off To War," another blistering jaunt, this one home to pummeling death-grind blasts and ripping guitar leads, although it is also home to a mid-tempo breakdown with plenty of twiddly and wailing guitar melodies. And "Entering The Hall Of The Slain" continues in this same manner, with excellent, abrasively grinding riffs and strong, galloping hooks serving as the perfect compliment to stellar, unforgettably epic, and totally air-guitar-worthy melodious soloing.Then, after the buzzsaw-fast insistence of "Black Horizon," the record serves up one of its sole anomalies in the form of "Carved In Stone," which opens with a nice and peaceful acoustic guitar intro followed by a thunderous and pounding attack where ominously booming rhythms, dissonantly snarly/growly vocals, and blistering melodic soloing run the show. "Warriors Of Midgard," though, is a decapitating and uncompromising assault, a totally relentless and grindcore-worthy sprint of dexterously fast bass lines, rip-roaring guitars, smoldering rhythms, and pummeling drums.And rounding out the set are two final songs that simply must not be ignored. "Midsummer Solstice" is an especially catchy number with industrial-strength chugging. But its real highlight comes in the form of another epic, Exodus-style trade-off melodic solo section that is just plain fabulous. And, finally, "I Want You Dead" boasts another simplistic yet effective -- and, in this case, terrifically creepy and portentous --chorus (with staccato, chanted-esque vocals reciting the tune's title phrase), as well as plenty more crunchy and propulsive, chug and churn riffing, blazing melodic leads (that crop up in the background of the mix), and an ascending/descending solo run. The drumming also really stands out, here, as skinsman Anders Schultz, an all-too-often overlooked hero behind the trapkit, is granted to lay down plenty of really deft and machine gun-fast fills at various points throughout the song.Viking metal, death metal, death-thrash, blackened death metal, melodeath, death-grind -- "Hammer Battalion" is an excellent album, no matter what the genre, and one that is so full of the good stuff that it easily ranks amongst 2008's upper-tier for metal releases. And it makes the following fact very clear: Unleashed are one of the most criminally-underrated (or at least overlooked) bands in the history of extreme metal.

I am new to this band, so I am now wondering where I was when these butt-kickers passed under my radar without being detected. Anyway, it is never too late to consume some good music, and this release absolutely is one of the greatest guitar-oriented metal albums I have ever listened to. So yes, where was I?In few words, the riffs here are very thrashy, and there's also a lot of tremolo picking lines, which are very black/death-like. The playing is tight and with plenty of attitude. The solos are toneful, tasteful and melodic; and the exotic phrasing brings Marty Friedman to mind, though these guys definitively have a "rawer" touch. The opener track "The Greatest of All Lies" makes an entry statement and then the rest of the album follows with aggression and solid musicianship, without disappointing one single second. I absolutely love this thing!I equally like these guys are very good with their instruments, but avoid the self-indulgent wanking that is so typical of technical or prog death metal bands. This is as raw, old-school and thrashy as a death metal album with melodic sparks should be. And by the way, I am not very sure this even classifies as "pure" death metal, in spite of the deep growls, because the lyrics are not very typical of the genre.Anyhow, what matter most is that the songs are well-structured and even a tad "mysterious", thanks to that "charm" only a few chosen ones are able to deploy -early Annihilator comes to mind, as well as Carcass.So guys, I want to invite all true metal fans around to give a try to this album. I will absolutely be getting more Unleashed my side, and might even review a couple of more albums of theirs in the near future. As of for this one, it is a five star metal release from head to tail. Go buy it now. I am sure you will thank me later!

Since the early 90s, I've been listening to Obituary, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Death, Entombed, Grave, etc... I never really got into Unleashed, though -- their music never clicked for me.Fast forward to 2008 -- I see Unleashed in concert for the first time, opening for Obituary. I was ready for some solid Swedish death metal, but as a jaded old metalhead, I was not exactly expecting to get blown away. Well, what I saw was a band really on top of their game -- full-blast energy with quality songwriting to back it up.I eventually picked up the CD and was impressed all over again -- this is a solid album all the way through. Every song on here is memorable and brutal. My favorite is probably "Warriors of Midgard", with thrashy verses and guitar-driven bridges melting seamlessly into the dissonant chorus.I'd put this CD in the "Unexpected masterpieces from classic bands" category for this decade, along with albums like Immolation "Unholy Cult" and Celtic Frost's "Monotheist". I consider this to be "Metal album of the year" for 2008.

Thanks!

"Your order is to kill, fire and will !!!"Das schwedische Quartett UNLEASHED gehört schon seit Ewigkeiten zu einer der agilsten und gleichzeitig besten Bands der weltweiten Death Metal-Szene. Keine andere Band haut in regelmäßigen Abständen so unberechenbare Todesblei-Longplayer unters Volk, und versteht es dabei, sich von Album zu Album zu steigern. Der neueste Geniestreich aus dem Hause UNLEASHED trägt den Titel "Hammer battalion" und steht hochkarätigen Vorgängern wie "Shadows in the deep" , "Sworn allegiance" oder "Midvinterblod" in nichts nach. Auch diesmal haben Johnny Hedlund & Konsorten spielerisch um einiges zugelegt. Vor allem in Punkto Gitarrenarbeit zaubern UNLEASHED mittlerweile richtig geile anspruchsvolle Parts aus dem Handgelenk, wie sie z.B. auf dem '91er Debut "Where no life dwells" noch undenkbar gewesen wären. Checkt einfach mal brillianten Abrissbirnen wie die pfeilschnellen "Long before winters call" , "Hammer battalion" (goil!) oder den endgeilen Opener "The greatest of all lies" an, und ihr wisst was ich meine. Auch die sehr abwechslungsreich gestalteten "Carved in stone" und "Black horizon" sind eher Band-untypisch und konnte man sicher nicht von UNLEASHED erwarten. Gleiches gilt für das schleppend vertrackte "This day belongs to me", welches durchaus auch auf dem MORBID ANGEL-Klassiker "Blessed are the sick" hätte stehen können. Aber keine Sorge...das wars nämlich schon mit den musikalischen Kabinettstückchen auf "Hammer battalion". Denn ansonsten machen UNLEASHED nämlich haargenau das, was die Fans von ihnen erwarten. Hier gibt es reihenweise Elchtod-Granaten am Fließband !!! Gradlinige Songs wie "Midsummer solstice" , "Home of the brave" , "Entering the hall of slain" oder "Warriors of midgard" stehen in allerbester Stockholm-Tradition, und lassen die aktuellen (ebenfalls gutklassigen!) Scheiben von DISMEMBER und GRAVE ziemlich im Regen stehen. Jawoll ja !!!In Bezug auf die Lyrics gibt es keinerlei Neuerungen zu verzeichnen, wenn gleich eine Fortführung der "Herr der Ringe"-Thematik leider in der Schublade bleibt. Dafür growlt sich Frontmann Johnny Hedlund diesmal vornehmlich seinen Frust über die Weltreligionen - die größte aller Lügen! - von der Seele. Und er tut dies mit Bravour !!!Alles in allem ist "Hammer battalion" eine richtig geile Scheibe geworden, mit der UNLEASHED sicherlich noch einige Fans hinzugewinnen dürften. Der Weg zur Death Metal-Weltspitze führt definitiv nur über Schweden. Join the battalion !!!