Bloody Hammers-Under Satan's Sun

Napalm Records
2014

Released back in late May of this year, "Under Satan's Sun" is the third album from Charlotte, North Carolina band Bloody Hammers. Having simply loved the band's self-titled debut album (a release which was as hit or miss with fans as it was critics) I must admit that I was slightly disappointed by it's 2013 follow-up, "Spiritual Relics", as it just felt....uninspired. So much so in fact that I couldn't bring myself to cover it. Now we have "Under Satan's Sun" and while I am in no way saying that I'm ready to write this band off completely I do have to wonder out loud how it is possible for a band with so much promise and potential to go from one great album to one (at best) decent album and then (some two years or so after first forming mind you!) follow things up with a release that I can't help but feel indifferent about? Psychedelic doom opener "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" (previously released as 7" single with "Glimpse") is alright and (fuzzed-out) heavy doom rocker "Spearfinger" offers tiny glimpses of hope that Bloody Hammers will right the ship and return to harbor, but then things start to unravel on "Death Does Us". As others have pointed out before me, "Death Does Us" is Bloody Hammers trying to be Type O Negative and while that is a crime in and of itself it gets worse. "Death Does Us" also sounds remarkably similar to "Load"/"ReLoad"-era Metallica and that is a unforgivable offense! For a band that had it all down pat on "Bloody Hammers" (a fun album that brought to mind not only classic Black Sabbath, but everyone from Alice Cooper to The Sword!) cuing up images of late-nineties Metallica simply does not cut it! Sure, "The Moon-Eyed People" is (hand's down!) an improvement when it kicks in and there is really nothing offensive about "Second Coming" (a Alice Cooper cover). Even "Dead Man's Shadow on the Wall" and "The Necromancer" are solid. So why does the group feel the need to infuse some Soundgarden into the title track? Or for that matter put to tape a number like "The Last Alarm"? At best "The Last Alarm" is more grunge for a generation which missed out on it the first time around. At it's worst though "The Last Alarm" is more grunge for those of us who lived through the scene already and heard it done a thousands times better. Once band leader/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Anders Manga abandons everything that works in Bloody Hammer's favor (doom metal, psychedelic rook, occult rock of old, seventies rock/hard rock influences, inspiration from seventies horror movies and even stoner rock) things go down hill quickly! While I'm all for a band's right to grow and further experiment with their sound there are cases where this backfires. "Under Satan's Sun" is a case study on how to over-think matters when less would have been more. Maybe album number four will be the ticket for Bloody Hammers, but for now I think I'll go back to "Bloody Hammers" when I'm in the mood for something really cool and inspirational.
 
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Bloody Hammers-Bloody Hammers

Soulseller Records
2012


Bloody Hammer's self-titled debut album was released at the tail end of last November (2012), but it's been on my mind as of late and in this weeks play-list so I thought I'd throw it out there. Consider this to be part review/part recommendation. That's getting ahead of myself though as there is plenty of ground to cover before I talk about why you should pick this one up on the fly. This 4-piece calls Charlotte, North Carolina their home town, but you almost have to wonder if they wouldn't fit in more in a place like Salem, Massachusetts or Aston, Birmingham (the birthplace of Black Sabbath). Still a young band (they were formed in 2012) this 10-track self-titled album does show a band still trying to find it's proper footing. Even so there is a lot to be said (and a lot to appreciate) about their classic goth rock /hard rock/doom metal sound. Sure, the Black Sabbath vibe is crystal clear and all, but these three guys/one gal also seem to appreciate everyone from Alice Cooper to The Sword. The grooves are heavy even if the emotion isn't all there yet. Can you have doom metal that seems a bit too relaxed? It sort of seems that way with Bloody Hammers every now and then. It's just the right thing to say as these four do seem to lack a little passion on these 10-tracks. The thing is Bloody Hammers are really enjoyable all the same as this has a musty charm all it's own. "Witch of Endor" is somewhat doom metal and somewhat stoner rock. It exists in a world between. "The Witching Hour" conjures up images of ghouls and goblins from a childhood I thought I had long ago buried. "Black Magic" meanwhile conjured up images of Pentagram and a heavier Witchfinder General. "Souls on Fire" is more appealing then it has any right to be, but shows the addictive quality that a simple hook can have on a person. A little more dread would go a long way for Bloody Hammers though. "Beyond the Door" tries hard to offer up scares, but just like a hastily-assembled carnival haunted house it's more hype then horror. The same thing goes for "Fear No Evil". It's about as creepy as a dollar store Halloween mask. It's as if Bloody Hammers knows they can write really good, dreary goth/doom rock but haven't figured out yet how to put all the pieces together. Part of this album is Dario Argento while the other part is Goosebumps the TV series. Once they are able to construct an album that is more consistent then Bloody Hammers will be a beast of nightmares proportions. Meanwhile I'd still suggest picking up this 10-track LP as it's a groove heavy slab of Alice Cooper-like horror that's perfect for your next late-night, boys and ghouls gathering. It's a easy listen and would fit in perfectly as background noise for those who like long walks by the light of a werewolf's full moon.


















http://bloodyhammers.bandcamp.com/