UNLEASHED „“Hammer Battalion””

Music: Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Web site: www.unleashed.se
Cool Songs: The Greatest of all Lies, Marching off to War, Midsummer Solstice

From the first second of “Hammer Battalion,” Sweden’s death metal forefathers, UNLEASHED make it clear there is no fucking around on this album. Johnny Hedlund leads the blitzkrieg attack with his patented scream. The merciless speed displayed on this first track, ‘The Greatest of all Lies,’ seems to be a common motif of the album. Tracks such as the title track, ‘Black Horizon,’ and ‘Home of the Brave’ will ascend upon the listener’s ears like the clash of Loki and the Ćsir at Ragnarök.

While UNLEASHED doesn’t keep the pace at full blast for the entire album, many of the tracks, including some of the tracks mentioned above, maintain a good balance. ‘Black Horizon’ begins in a similar fashion to the album opener, but features a couple of mid-paced, heroic rhythms. One of these paces, in particular, really stands out. This rhythm shows the group kicking out a couple of melodic leads, which lead into martial guitar gallops that pause for a brief moment before the group picks up where they left off at the beginning of the track. ‘Marching off to War’ features a variety of churning grooves and marches. This track shows UNLEASHED’s understanding of how to raise a songs intensity through the use of dynamics.

Other tracks do not at all push the tempo, instead the group relies on crushing, Juton-sized grooves. ‘This Day Belongs to Me,’ moves by a doom-metal-style guitar riff. Frederick Folkare and Tomas Masgard play a string-bending riff punctuated by a tri-tone that lends this rhythm the perfect diabolic vibe. While this track hovers around a middle speed, primarily, the group works on the formula of meaty grooves, melodies, and blasting death metal ferocity.

Over the years, UNLEASHED has written many songs about their country’s history and past folklore, i.e. the Vikings. This album offers up more tales of the epic exploits of their medieval countrymen and their odes to the gods of war. Some tracks appear to be thematically linked. ‘Black Horizon’ and ‘Carved in Stone’ both feature similar stories with familiar lyrics of their Norse ancestors. The first three tracks: ‘The Greatest of all Lies,’ ‘Long Before Winter’s Call,’ and ‘Your Children will Burn’ also seemed linked by concept, although this concept pertains to the group’s dislike of Christianity. ‘Midsummer Solstice’ is connected to their last album, “Midvinterblot” in its heralding of the two, Nordic seasonal festivals.

“Hammer Battalion” is much faster and aggressive then UNLEASHED’s prior outing. This album contains an approach—namely the speed—that was felt on their classic catalogue, although with a much cleaner sound. There are also thrash elements that became more obvious on albums such as “Across the Open Sea.” Hedlund doesn’t appear to have the guttural vocal attributes of his initial releases, which would be truly amazing if he did considering his near-twenty-year tenure with the group. In some ways, not singing with such a low growl is better because his lyrics are discernable, but it also loses some of the group’s edge. While UNLEASHED has lost a little of their edge, “Hammer Battalion” proves they are still one of death metal’s best.

note: 8/10

Tracklist

1. The Greatest Of All Lies
2. Long Before Winter's Call
3. Your Children Will Burn
4. Hammer Battalion
5. This Day Belongs To Me
6. Marching Off To War
7. Entering The Hall Of The Slain
8. Black Horizon
9. Carved In Stone
10. Warriors Of Midgard
11. Midsummer Solstice
12. Home Of The Brave
13. I Want You Dead
Total playing time 44:34

Line-up

Johnny Hedlund : Bass, vocals
Fredrik Folkare : Lead guitars
Tomas Mĺsgard : Rhythm guitars
Anders Schultz : Drums