HammerFall
Infected

Change: Alteration, transformation, variation. Radical alteration of situation, attitude.

I want to start this review with this phrase, because if there is one word that can summarize a band like Hammerfall over almost 15 years of activity, it is consistency, and if you will, also stubbornness. It's certainly difficult to propose the same type of music without almost ever renewing oneself, especially after a debut that gave high hopes to all fans of classic metal. But in the subsequent albums, those that prove to be a crucial piece of a band's early career, where the latter must show what they can truly do, what do we find? A few good songs mixed with some terrible and boring ones (Legacy Of Kings/Crimson Thunder), others that seem to fully embrace the band's original style (Renegade/Chapter V), and other albums that might be enjoyable to listen to, but lack inspiration and tenacity (Threshold/No Sacrifice, No Victory).

What Hammerfall needed by 2009 was a change. The Swedish band needed to shed the attitude of a group simply performing a routine task, which is most often insufficient, and to show they still had some ammo left to fire. What emerged, two years later, is "Infected", an album that already sparked discussion upon its announcement. Why? Simple, just take a look at the artwork on the cover and the tracklist. The former represents a hand resting on glass shattered by a bullet, a sign that the body to which the hand belongs was shot, all set against a dark background mixed with blood. What stands out immediately, even to those who listen to Hammerfall sporadically, is the absence of the band's mascot, Hector, wielding his hammer in any pose. I also mentioned the tracklist, and indeed there are neither songs with epic titles like "Templars Of Steel", "The Dragon Lies Bleeding", or "On The Edge Of Honour", nor songs with references to hammers, a distinctive and somewhat flashy feature of the band, like "Bring The Hammer Down", "Hammerfall", and "Hammer Of Justice".

Going into specifics, the first thing that is perceivable is a hardening of the sound, which almost completely abandons the power style and starts to approach the heavy genre. This is evident in the rock-solid mid-tempo "One More Time" (in which the group does not exclude choruses between verses) and in the opener "Patient Zero", well-paced with a nice acceleration at the end. The only song that can be traced back to the old Hammerfall is "Bang Your Head", which would have made an impact on an album like "Renegade", but still proves to be good. Much more direct and energetic instead are "Dia De Los Muertos", where Cans delivers a truly fantastic performance behind the microphone, along with a fantastic chorus, and "I Refuse", which features excellent work on the rhythm section. But Hammerfall obviously do not forget their roots, and the classic ballad is not missing, although this time it's a cover of the Hungarian band Pokolgép's "Send Me A Sign", in which Cans seems more comfortable, hitting high notes that prove to be really touching. A special mention, finally, goes to "Redemption", where extensive use of keyboards contributes to creating a mystical and surreal atmosphere, supported by a drum that alternates between outbursts and more calm and quiet moments.

It is certainly difficult to express a rating on this "Infected", an album that will surprise the band's detractors but clearly separate the group's fans. It must be acknowledged that Hammerfall had the desire to change, and even if this album works halfway, alternating excellent songs with others that are not quite so, the result is more than sufficient. What is regrettable, speaking subjectively, is the fact that an album of this type was released too late. If it had come out five years earlier, for example, the band would have gained more credibility and not ended up being considered "just another recycled power metal band". Therefore, I wouldn't mind if in the future Hammerfall tried to recreate albums of this kind. Praise to the band for proving that a power metal band can innovate and not remain stuck in the past, as many criticize, but above all for having the courage to put it into practice, publishing an album that perhaps cannot be understood now but that, upon re-listening in the future, may be a pleasant surprise.