- High class Digipak incl. bonus live DVD [!]
Two years have passed since Israeli thrash metal act Hammercult released their album Steelcrusher. Two years during which not only the whole world but also the international metal scene have changed. Hammercult have stayed abreast of those changes: more than ever before, the band impress with their broad stylistic range, increasingly allowing – along with their unmistakable strengths – influences from the punk, hardcore and traditional heavy metal genres. The result is entitled Built For War, a true, intoxicating thrash metal manifesto with an inescapable knock-on effect. Hammercult’s latest release will be out on Steamhammer/SPV on 28 August 2015 (US: 4 September 2015), so you’d better mark the date in your diary.
Because one thing is certain: anybody who liked Steelcrusher is bound to be absolutely bowled over by Built For War. And all those who haven’t got Hammercult on their metal menu yet will celebrate the group’s latest offering as the discovery of the year. “Every song on the album is the kind of pumping anthem which Hammercult are known for – but this time we’ve taken the songs to different places, with a more melodic and more original approach which really stands out,” vocalist Yakir Von Hammer explains. “The vocals on Built For War are very unique and range from screams to growls, hardcore shouts to clean vocals – which I honestly believe has never been done before by a single performer. If I had to summarize Built For War in a single sentence it would be ‘Destruction meets Manowar in an explosive mix of extreme music and true metal.’”
The album comes complete with first-rate bonus material. The DigiPak version includes a live DVD recorded in Tel Aviv two days before the work on Built For War commenced. “The best way to listen to Hammercult is live,” Von Hammer says, “on stage is where we really shine, and we wanted to prove that and capture the live energy on stage and bring it to the masses.” In addition, the album’s vinyl version features a cover of the Slayer classic ‘Evil Has No Boundaries’. “During our tour with Sepultura in 2013, the metal community had the news that Jeff Hanneman had passed away. On that day I promised to myself that we would cover Slayer.”
So it’s done: Built For War will definitely shake up the thrash metal scene and arouse anticipation for Hammercult’s upcoming European tour scheduled for autumn 2015. As Von Hammer puts it so aptly: “I’m really looking forward to getting this album on stage and to the audience. I live for this shit!”
TRACKLIST CD:
1 From Parts Unknown (Intro) 01:37
2 Rise Of The Hammer 04:07
3 I Live For This Shit 03:52
4 Spoils Of War 02:26
5 Ready To Roll 02:41
6 Raise Some Hell 03:10
7 Blackened Blade 03:41
8 Let It Roar 03:28
9 Ode To Ares (Interlude) 01:23
10 Altar Of Pain 03:42
11 Blood And Fire 03:15
12 Saturday Night Circle Pit Fight 03:12
13 Road To Hell 03:42
DVD (live in Tel Aviv 2014):
1 Hymn To The Steel 1:32
2 Steelcrusher 03:26
3 Diabolic Overkill 03:05
4 Metal Rules Tonight 03:23
5 Into Hell 03:46
6 Black Horseman 4:00
7 We Are Hammercult 03:50
8 Let The Angels Burn 03:09
9 Stealer Of Souls 05:38
LINE-UP:
Yakir Shochat (Vocals)
Guy Ben David (Guitar)
Yuval Kramer(Guitar)
Elad Manor (Bass)
Maayan Henik (Drums)