REVIEW: HAMMER KING “KÖNIG UND KAISER”

German heavy metal/power metal unit HAMMER KING are back with a brand-new bombastic full-length full of true headbanger hits! The new offering, entitled König und Kaiser, continues the storyline of the band paying homage to the mighty Hammer King, and is set for release on March 22, 2024 via Napalm Records. HAMMER KING, led by ex-Ross The Boss vocalist Titan Fox, was formed in 2015 and has captured the scene with their five previous offerings and live performances, among others at Summer Breeze Open Air following their last album, the massive 2022 release Kingdemonium. On König und Kaiser the band is joined by noteworthy guest features from the likes of The Tribune of labelmates WARKINGS, with whom HAMMER KING is heading out on a huge European tour with in spring 2024. 

Hammering, fast running double kick drums meet speed riffing on the 10 new metal hymns, crowned by memorable sing-along choruses that are meant to be sung with a fist raised in the air. On König und Kaiser, HAMMER KING continue their collaboration with Charles Greywolf (of genre giants POWERWOLF), who recorded the new album at Studio Greywolf, and produced it together with singer Titan Fox. König und Kaiser was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, infamous for his work with bands such as Amaranthe, Arch Enemy and Volbeat, to name a few. The album artwork is once again by Péter Sallai. 

With König und Kaiser, HAMMER KING presents yet another powerful album that is sure to cement the band’s standing in the scene. Join HAMMER KING in worshiping the Hammer King!

LINEUP:
Vocals/Guitar – Titan Fox V
Guitar – Gino Wilde
Bass – Günt von Schratenau
Drums – Dolph Aidan Macallan

REVIEW

HAMMER KING are a band that I’ve been a listener and a fan of since their 2021 self-titled release, so my excitement was high upon learning that their sixth full-length album would be dropping this year. They’re a model of consistency in the murky genre of heavy/power metal, and one of few modern acts to have a proper mascot. I assume his name is probably Hammer King, but I’ve decided to dub him Tim (Monty Python reference).

Speaking of which, HAMMER KING has a very defined aesthetic in their album art, even through multiple artists, and that is something that I respect and love about them. König und Kaiser continues that trend with their trademark blend of badassery and slight over-the-top art. While their logo is simplistic, it’s serviceable and perfectly legible.

We kick things off with “Hailed by the Hammer” and a thunderous drum rampage to usher us into the record. The vocal stylings of Titan Fox remain an absolute treat, perfectly coherent with an almost bardic delivery at times. HAMMER KING continues to perfectly tow the line between power metal and traditional heavy metal, in a way that makes the exact barrier between blur even further. A shredder of a solo by Wilde brought the track to its final third or so with gusto. The hailing chorus reprises to bring our opening track to a close. I really dug this one a lot!

Next up, “The Devil Will I Do”, another barn-burner of a drumming sequence begins things. It’s quite clear that this record is substantially more aggressive than HAMMER KING’s recent albums. It took me a bit for this one to connect with me, but I really began to feel it at about the 2 minute mark. The chorus is infectious and the riffs are scrumptious, couple that with another great solo from Wilde, and you’ve got a certified banger on your hands.

Our third track was the title track, “König und Kaiser”, which means ‘King and Emperor’ (my German lessons are paying off!). Ooh baby, an excellent groove to kick it off, right after a gnarly (albeit brief) drumroll. Adore the vocal delivery in this one, and the subdued keyboard/synth in the background at points. It’s subtle but it really completes the track. Another solid song to move this album into 3 for 3 territory, for now.

A much more melodic guitar tone began as “Future King” followed suit. The chorus is once again addictive, but I also must commend Macallan’s exemplary drumming thus far on the album and it really shines in this one. There’s a slick bassline at around 2:15 that I was really waiting for, I was just about to say that the bass needs some time to shine as well, and it’s great that Schratenau got his chance.

The final track on this “side” was “Kingdom of Hammers and Kings”, and it was a touch more laid back than the rest of the album thus far. Not quite ballad levels, but decidedly mid-tempo. This one didn’t quite connect with me all that much, but different strokes for different folks, as they say. More great grooving and guitarwork though.

To begin the second half of the album, we have “War Hammer”. This one starts with an air raid siren, so it’s automatically the song of the year by default (them’s the rules!). Borderline thrasher of a riff after which that bled into a mini-solo of sorts. Great solo near-ish to the 3 minute mark, all around belter. While HAMMER KING certainly have an established formula, they’ve done a remarkable job thus far into this record where each song manages not to sound formulaic.

“Divided We Shall Fall” came next with a vengeance, a glorious riff that reprised all throughout the track. Love the vocals in this one, and the theme (as evidenced by the title) is one that just works in metal songs for some bizarre reason. The bass was a huge standout for me here, but everyone brought their A-game.

“Kings of Arabia” followed suit, and up to now all of the songs have fallen somewhere between 4 and 5 minutes, but that’s not the case for these final 3, beginning with this 5 minute and 12 second long affair. A crashing symbol kicks it off, followed by some JRPG desert area synth music (if you know, you know). I’m an absolute sucker for that sort of thing, so I was all in from the get-go. It’s a bit of a slower track than much of the album, but somewhere still ahead of “Kingdom of Hammers and Kings”. Melter of a solo though, whew, great stuff. The JRPG desert music makes its return as the song fades out.

Our penultimate track, and the shortest on the album, “I Want Chaos”. In this one, HAMMER KING drops the coveted F-bomb (sinners). At points, it’s borderline thrash with how fast and aggressive it is, but that’s also HAMMER KING’s whole style on this record. I don’t know what made them angry, but I’m enjoying it. That solo at 2:25 was mouth-wateringly good.

Finally, we come to “Gates of Atlantia”, not to be confused with the Gates of Atlantis which is the next door down. At nearly 8 minutes, this was by far the longest track of the record, and begins with some exquisite sustains on the guitar. There’s a slight difference in Fox’s vocal delivery in this one, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Also, I am officially speculating that this song is a sequel to HAMMER KING’s song “Atlantis” from their 2021 self-titled. This one was definitely the standout track of the album for me, one of my favorites of the year thus far. Extraordinary string sequence at about the 4 minute mark, brief and nothing flashy, but damn if it wasn’t beautiful (and they come back as the song fades out, along with some gorgeous BLIND GUARDIAN-esque verse to end it).

CONCLUSION

Many might write HAMMER KING off as generic heavy/power metal, but they’re really much more than that. Trust me, those are my main genres, so I can definitely tell when something is just dull or boring, and HAMMER KING isn’t either one. Fox’s vocal delivery is just so damn addictive, and it makes me wonder how these guys aren’t bigger. All of the pieces for great and commercially viable heavy/power metal are there, as opposed to much of the uninspired schlock that permeates the subgenre. Definitely don’t miss this one from HAMMER KING!

TheNWOTHM SCORE: 9/10

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