There are certain bands that either you love or hate them. That was always the case since the inception of heavy metal and Hammerfall is an exemplar case as right from the very start of their glorious path some people could not stand their music; even their magnum opus, the monumental “Glory To The Brave”. Personally, I never kept secret my absolute devotion and appreciation of Hammerfall’s recording career and overall presence on the metal circuit. The guys have managed to establish themselves on the traditional heavy metal scene and quite rightfully so. Having said that, let’s install a heavy dose of truth in our statement. First of all, since 2005 Hammerfall have never reached the quality level of their first five classic records. Definitely there are scattered songs here and there that remind of the immortal status of 1997-2005 but not a whole album; not by any stretch. Secondly, their previous effort (“Built To Last”), their first record with Napalm was really not the best kick-off with the label and it was really below par. But let’s see what “Dominion” had to offer…

For starters, “Dominion” is a better album than its predecessor. That’s for sure. Hammefall’s label and management played a clever game as the first three songs/videos that they released are by far the best cuts on the new album. “(We Make) Sweden Rock” is an anthem/tribute to the Swedish metal scene and it reminds of the classic Hammerfall moments like “Hearts On Fire”, “Bloodbound” etc.). The title track is a monstrous mid-tempo track cued right of the compositional Canon of Dronjak & Cans while “One Against The World” has a clear Manowar touch and certain guitar melodies that remind of Maiden’s “Fear of the Dark”.
As for the rest of the album, it’s definitely quite satisfactory with lots of Accept-esque references in there (after all, the German outfit is a huge influence of Dronjak and Cans) but I’d say that it is forwarded towards the hardcore fan base. I strongly believe that they can do better…after all, they did so on the recent “(r)Evolution” album…

Highlight: The question remains: will Hammerfall play again in the vein of such records as “Glory To The Brave” and “Legacy of Kings”…?