North Hammer – ‘Stormcaller’ (2018)
Rating: 9/10
Release: 16 March 2018
Label: Independent / Bandcamp
With few seconds after start listening to this work, North Hammer gives you enough energy to survive this metal storm, a storm that you didn’t expect to arrive from Canada. The beginning is wonderful, a melody to headbang, good riffs and great quality throughout the album that reminds great Folk-Metal European bands and helps to make a thunderous entering to the metal music scene for the band. The composing and musical structure by Andrew Sutherland -who plays all the instruments except the drums- are diverse and denote the experience and talent of this duo with Doug Helcaraxë Nunez, where everything even the choirs is very well used, complementing each other in an appropriate way. Also, they make the musical changes inside the songs to stand out, those changes are very well implemented and give great variety to the sound; So, when you think that the song is going to continue in one way, you get a surprise which makes each song unique. Some songs may start slowly, but do not confuse this with the calm after the storm, because each song will show you that this band can call music gales and tempests. ‘*Black forest rain*’ acts as the eye of the storm, giving the necessary peace to analyze what you are doing. Without being a quiet calm, the sound of this rain keeps you focused to finish your pass through the storm. Hence, turning ‘*Spellbinder*’ into that second wind with invigorating air. ‘*North hammer*’ and ‘*Lion’s winter*’ are the climax of this album, and even in the first one you can feel the energy that could be created in a live concert -even I can see myself chanting at the audience. It takes very little to make North Hammer a remarkable band over others with the same great quality. They already have the riffs with great remembrance potential from the audience and a lot of quality, so we just have to wait for that bonus that they could give later, maybe live -once they find a concert musicians- or continue listening to what this hammer from the North of America’s continent will bring in the future.
Tracklist
- Avatar 4:46
- Wanderer 3:4
- Written In The Stars 3:27
- Magic Mead 4:11
- Tip of The Spear 3:4
- A Soldier’s Song 4:34
- Black Forest Rain 2:10
- Spellbinder 3:36
- North Hammer 3:26
- Lion’s Winter 3:34