Customer Reviews

Legacy of Kings

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After having seen our favourite musical style bashed down by thrashers who should test their skills wielding chainsaws and/or
other loud implement of destruction...after having 'heard' (??)
abominable crossovers with hip-hop and other sorts of filthy sources of noise, after having our ears maimed by death metal
vocalists (?) sounding like grizzly bears with troath carcinomas
FINALLY
The Gods smiled upon us bereaved followers of melodic power and brought us these fine viking raiders from sweden that singlehandedly resurrected good old melodic metal, re-created a 'scene' WITHOUT any kind of buck-greedy major behind them
and kickstarted Europe toward a bright new future of musical greatness unheard of since the days of Mozart and Beethoven!
Too enthusiastic you say?
OK!
Just imagine how I felt in the late 90s when the 'greatest'
musical novelty were ice-t and body count when I grabbed the FIRST HammerFall CD after having witnessed a metal festival in
Italy attended by (o joy! o joy!!) some 5,000 people...

THESE GUYS SOUNDED LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN NURSED AT THE SAME TEAT THAT NOURISHED JOEY DiMAIO (of immortal ManOwaR fame!!!!!).

I ADORE HammerFall and I admit it, call me unfair.

THEY RESURRECTED THE MUSIC I LOVE
I OWE THEM MUCH MORE THAN I COULD EVER RETURN TO THEM!
So this is my paycheck to them...apart from having BOUGHT (not downloaded...no no) EVERY SINGLE ALBUM they released.

This one came forth in late 1998 and I had bought it in Nov. even before Xmas as I could not wait for my presents to come in.

In July 1999 they went to Italy and I rushed to Milan to see them!

Their rendition of 'At the end of the Rainbow' sent nearly 10,000 people to the sky!

The Templars will survive, ALWAYS!

Do your ears a favour and buy it!

The guys need support from TRUE believers!!!!!!!

Paolo, Genoa.

Whoever wrote the online review for this record with the subject "typical pop-weak metal" obviously isn't true to metal and should be burned by a thousand raging dragons.

Hammerfall, coming off a strong debut album "Glory to the Brave," released "Legacy of Kings" to conquer metal fans' hearts. This newest album is a valuable addition to the true metal scene. Heaps of heavy riffs written and compiled well together, accompanied by mesmerizing vocals, this record is even stronger than "Glory to the Brave". If you want to make a present to a metal fan, believe me. You cannot go wrong with this title.

HammerFall is obviously influenced by Helloween and Iron Maiden (and they sound a little bit like Riot too). If you told me this album was released in 1988 as opposed to 1998, I'd beleive you. This is powermetal at its best - definitely some of the most impressive, well-written stuff I've heard in a long time. HammerFall's style is a diamond in the rough of today's industrial/grundgy/modern rock scene of sheer garbage. If you think heavy metal died around 1991, HammerFall just brought it back to life in Legacy Of Kings - stuff like this is a lost art nowadays.

First thoughts: HUGE power drumming, great, classic riffing at nice speeds, and Helloween-like vocals (Kiske), melodies and harmonizing.

Ok, review over. Just kidding. It'd be selling Hammerfall short to just categorize them as another Helloween knockoff, though to be sure the influence is right smack dab in the middle of things. This was my first Hammerfall listen, and it's their second album. It was pretty much what I expected, which is to say, a very good example of what a modern power metal band should sound like.

The songwriting follows the K.I.S.S. school of thought. And no, I don't mean Knights in Satan's Service (ha ha). I'm talking Keep It Simple Stupid. Write some lyrics about battle and glory and be sure to throw some references to steel and metal in there. Add good speedy riffing and lightspeed soloing, stir in some chanting anthemic choruses, top off with big double-bass drumming and voila! Power metal!

"Heeding the Call" and "Legacy of Kings" are a great twofer to open things off, employing all the items above. "Let the Hammer Fall" brings Manowar to mind and the album has its finest moment with "Dreamland," giving the listener the all-important chance to sing along (just be careful, EXTREMELY silly lyrics ahead). "Remember Yesterday" is actually pretty solid for a by-the-numbers power ballad, and Hammerfall is smart enough to follow this up with two rockers in a row, "At the End of the Rainbow" and "Back to Back." Great melodies and hummable power sounds here. "Stronger Than All" is another of my favorite tracks on the disc, proving that sometimes simple IS better. In fact, the awesome drumming and killer riff in this song had my head banging and feet tapping more than any other here. I will say that "The Fallen One" as an album closer is LAME, so I prefer to pretend that "Warriors of Faith," with its great speedy guitarwork is the real closer.

All in all, a solid, if not original or spectacular, album that will please all followers of power metal. Heck, if you're not a fan, this might make you one. Get this.

Not enough can be said about this record. There's not even a song as bad as "above average," though the best in my opinion are "Dreamland" "AT the End of the Rainbow" and "Warriors of Faith." If you are at all into power metal, you probably already have this disc, but if not, you will find hours of enjoyment in "Legacy of Kings." The only thing that stops me from giving this record five stars is that the music is not extremely sophisticated. IT's not unsophisticated by any means, but the songwriting pales next to that of Blind Guardian or Rhapsody. The lyrics, also are somewhat contrived and repetetive (templars, steel, mighty, warriors, etc.) but when was the last time you bought a power metal CD because you heard it had good lyrics?

HammerFall returns with a CD even better then their debut. This album totally rocks! The new lead guitarist Stefan lends a more melodic and polished sound to a band who've already re-established the European power metal scene. The songs are stronger and more "powerful" on this record but still in the same (Maiden/Helloween) vein. Highlights include: "Let the Hammer Fall", "Dreamland" (my fave on the album), "At the End of the Rainbow" (an instant classic with a definite Maidenish feel), "Stronger Than All" and "Warriors of Faith". The ballads still are lacking just a little bit as with "Glory to the Brave" but all in all this is a GREAT CD and all fans of power metal will appreciate this.

I put this CD into my car stereo yesterday, and I can tell now, it will be months before I will take it out.

This band is definately a throw back. Touches of Manowar, Fifth Angel, Fates Warning and Helloweeen, combined with a 90's polish, make this band, the one band who could possibly revive heavy metal.

From the the opening track, Heeding The Call, this CD kicks you in the teeth. The songwriting is polished, the musicianship is first rate, and the production gives Legacy Of Kings a hard-edge feel. The drummer, Patrik Räfling, is simply amazing. His drums are clearly what drive this band.

The two ballads on this CD are solid, but I would have preferred two fast pace songs in their stead. All in all this is a GREAT CD. I could go on, but I need to go out and buy Glory To The Brave.

Well what can I say? Hammerfall 2nd release is not as great as Glory to the Brave was but it's still way above most albums I've heard in my life. The opener "Heeding the Call" starts with a lot of speed and nice choruses. The vocals are excellent all over the album! Even the ballads are impressive! I mean this CD is simply a blast! If you like Medieval influenced music, this might just please you, since their lyrics are based on Knights, Kings and Fantasies. Check out "Heeding the Call", "Legacy of Kings", "Dreamland", "At the End of The Rainbow", "Warriors of Faith" and "The Fallen One".

I think this album is a masterpiece! There are great vocals and stunning music. I just found out about this band a couple weeks ago, but I already love them. They remind me of the music by Iced Earth and Jag Panzer. If you like those bands you should by this album. Hammerfall is an excellent band that you should hear for yourself.

This cd is one of my top ten fave cds off all time. Some people complain that the lyrics are not intelligent. So what I dont always feel like listening to cerebral Rock. This is cd is a blast to listen to and sing along with. Great choruses and great heavy metal guitar riffs. The production is also excellent. I couldn't picutre my cd collection without this one. Hammerfall plays heavy metal with an old school style and should make no apologies. "the power of metal unites us." Another cd in my top ten fave cds is Edguy's "Vain Glory Opera" what a work of art.