Time Signature Not so disas-tour-ous...

Genre: thrash metal

Enter Hammer Fight, a metal band from New Jersey who refer to their own style of music as thrash 'n' roll. Having released an EP last year, they are now ready to released their first full-length upon an unexpecting world.

So, what does the "thrash 'n' roll" tag cover? Well, essentially the listener is treated to a surprisingly varied journey through the aesthetics of thrash metal, ranging from pretty simple aggression-driven riffage over speed metal-styled figures and more melodic thrash metal to crossover elements. This is combined with the occasional hard rocking groove – as in 'I Didn't Feel Like Drinking (Until I Started Drinking)' – or NwoBHM-styled twin guitars – as in 'Made in Rock'. But, overall, the album is leaning towards thrash with very little actual rock 'n' roll – perhaps the most rock-oriented elements are the lead guitars, some f which are even kind of bluesy. However, the lyrics deal with rock 'n' roll topics such as boozing, tours gone awry and all that stuff. There is even what seems to be an anti-deathcore song in the form of 'Queer Eye for the Scene Guy', complete with burpy pig vocals and a metalcore breakdown that easily rivals those of actual deathcore bands. Actually, this track is, with its fast pace and melodeath aesthetics, pretty good.

The production is perhaps a bit on the raw side, which does suit the stype of music quite well. Still, it may require a couple of listens for your ears to get attuned to this kind of production – especially if you are more used to the pristine and polished production of much modern metal. So, do not be put of if the otherwise crushingly fierce opening riffs of 'Ruben's Ride' sound a bit tinny at first.

In any case, if you like varied thrash metal with a good dose of humor and do not mind a semi-dirty production, then you should definitely check out Hammer Fight's debut album.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)