With a couple of line-up changes Hammerfall are returning with their new album, 2 ½ years after their previous album “Threshold”, while their “Masterpieces” release with several covers was released in the meantime. Their new effort is titled  “No Sacrifice, No Victory”, includes 11 tracks of total duration of almost 50 minutes and, as you can see already from the title, the lyrics are all about some of the band’s favorite themes such as “war”, “battles”, “hammers”, etc.

The release of “No Sacrifice, No Victory” signals the return of the original Hammerfall bassist Fredrik Larsson, who appeared in the band’s debut “Glory To The Brave”, after the departure of bassist Magnus Rosen. Apart from that, it is also the first album to feature guitarist Pontus Norgren (ex- Talisman, The Poodles) who replaced Stefan Elmgren. Joacim Cans (vocals), Oscar Dronjak (guitar) and Anders Johansson (drums) complete the Hammerfall line-up in the year 2009.

All 10 songs (the eleventh song is a cover of The Knack’s “My Sharona”) are classic Hammerfall tracks and the fans will immediately feel the familiar sound from the very first notes. The Swedish play heavy metal in the way the have been doing it from their beginning on. The compositions are very good, although sort of hackneyed with some exceptions, and you will mostly hear easy-to-remember and catchy riffs and choruses. Songs such as “Punish And Enslave”, “Legion”, the title track and “One Of A Kind”, as well as the instrumental “Something For The Ages”, which is probably the best track in the album, should be mentioned as the highlights, although all compositions are ‘moving’ in the same levels. All the above, are surrounded by a magnificent production, just like the band has used to do, with Charlie Bauerfeind in charge of it. I also should mention that you will hear again the classic background vocals from the band, which in one occasion or two sounded a little bit ‘childish’ or ‘too much’, but it definitely did not disorient my attention from the songs themselves. As far as the performances, we all know how great musicians Hammerfall are, while Fredrik Larsson and Pontus Norgren fit the band like they have always been there.

“No Sacrifice, No Victory” is another great job from Hammerfall, although it will not fascinate you, like some of you had probably hoped, as it doesn’t overcome the band’s previous releases. The fans all over, with or without our suggestion, will definitely listen to “No Sacrifice, No Victory” and they’ll just do the right thing…