17th Street

Since I let my very expensive Terrorizer subscription lapse, the only metal magazine I continue to read is Decibel. And with good reason. Not all of their writers have the best taste. Some of the reviews are filled with hyperbole or references I don't understand. Some of the stuff they go nuts for just makes me scratch my head. But those are the exceptions.

So, when I saw the prominent position of 17th Street on the magazine's top 40 of 2011 list, I decided to check out the latest from Hammers of Misfortune. This is my first exposure to the band, and I have to say that in a magazine focused on extreme metal, they stick out like Nergal in a cancer ward. But it's good enough that the divergence from their normal coverage is warranted.

They bear resemblance to fellow San Franciscans Slough Feg by harkening back to an earlier era in metal while dodging any accusations of being "retro". They differ from Slough Feg primarily by being more progressive, rather than stripped-down. You might call them a metal Queen. Many of the riffs and piano/organ parts could have been pulled from the Queen catalog, most notably on "Summer Tears". But it's heavier, Motörhead-esque rhythm parts (like on "Grey Wednesday") clearly mark it as metal. The songs' catchy choruses are driven by vibrato-rich clean vocals.

Not all of the songs are going to make quite as big an impact as the masterful "The Grain". Such a shortcoming might not detract so much from a band based on "sound" rather than "songs", but here it is a pitfall. Still, there's quite a bit of good music on here.

The Verdict: With riffs and choruses that you will find yourself humming for hours, 17th Street is a very good listen. It's also a nice change of pace from my usual, suffocating extreme metal. Even a sperm whale needs to take a breath once in a while.

originally written for http://fullmetalattorney.blogspot.com/

I first got into Hammers of Misfortune after hearing a few tracks off of “The Bastard”. Being new, at the time, to both Slough Feg and Hammers of Misfortune, I thought it was definitely strange music. Traditional, doomy, psychedelic, progressive; basically just a giant mish mash of several influences being blended together into a style all their own.

Following the band throughout the years, and albums, I’ve noticed the band, or more importantly, John Cobbett, taking twists and turns away from their previous efforts. From the fast paced, power metal of “The August Engine” to the slowed down, progressive styling of “Fields / Church of Broken Glass” the band has canvassed a large portion of all things heavy. 2011 brought the most recent effort from Cobbett and company, “17th Street”.

The first thing I noticed about this album was that the band has returned to more traditional base to the music. The guitars have Cobbett’s trademark oddly timed riffs interlaced with palm muting and some pretty interesting leads. I’ve heard some utilize the term chunky riffs or a chugging style to describe the guitars with H.O.M. and that’s close to the feeling that I get when hear the riffs. I feel rollicking or choppy would be a more apt term. Cobbett definitely shows his progressive leanings on several of the songs, but I really can’t bring myself to say this is a progressive album. As I already stated, this album leans more towards a traditional stance than a progressive one.

The bass on this album is pretty much what one would expect, nothing groundbreaking, but adding a nice depth to the music. The drums aren’t anything spectacular either and serve as the backbone for the rest of the band to take off, reminding me at times of early nineties groove metal and at other times of heavier classic rock bands of the seventies. The keyboards are definitely interesting on this release. Don’t think of straight up wankery like Warmen, rather think of classic rock like Bob Seger, Meatloaf or even Don McClean, with the keys being played as another backing instrument, not just a guitar imitation. The keys aren’t over the top, but instead add nice flourishes to the traditional base.

A lot of people have been saying 70’s prog, 70’s prog. I have to say, yes and no. I think people get this idea because of the keyboards. I said that the keyboard is not just used for wankery. It’s an instrument just like the guitars or the drums. Some people must believe that because a band decided to use keys throughout the entire album, instead of just touches here and there, that the album must be a seventies prog styled release. This album is straight up metal.

Joe Hutton’s vocal performance is pretty decent on this album. His vocals really remind me of Scalzi’s (from Slough Feg), but more mumbly. His delivery would be excellent if he could make his words a little more clear. Hopefully with a little more work, Hutton can clear up his lines. For the uninitiated, Hutton’s vocals are midrange, and have this strange quality of tailing off into a higher pitch at the end of his lines. No screaming, no wailing, just a straight up delivery. There are also female vocals mixed in that are pretty standard as far as female vocals go.

Now don’t go thinking that all of the songs on this album are traditional styled metal with slight progressive tendencies. There are two songs in particular that are ballad-esque, complete with piano intros and all, but they do break into rollicking sections and keep gaining momentum. “Summer Tears” reminds me of a Pink Floyd cover band, even the leads on that song scream 70’s prog rock, but it still sounds decidedly metal. Compared with the previous “Fields” release, “17th Street” packs a much heavier punch. Some moments are straight up traditional metal, some are doomy and crunchy and some are prog-ish rockers.

The production on this album is stellar. Everything seems to be in the perfect spot for the mix. Nothing sounds muddy or fuzzy. As I stated earlier, the only qualm I have is the mumbling quality of Hutton’s vocals. If it’s a production flaw, then it’s throughout the entire album, so I doubt that it is, especially because the female vocals are so clear.

All in all, this is a really good release from a really good band. There are some areas that could use some work, mostly the vocal delivery. Props go to Cobbett for finding someone who sounds so close to Scalzi. Standout tracks are “The Grain” and “The Day the City Died”. Recommended to fans of Slough Feg and Manilla Road. I also recommend this album to people looking for a different approach to traditional metal. I highly doubt you will find a release like this, aside from other H.O.M. albums.

Regrettably this my first experience with bizarre progressive metal maestros Hammers of Misfortune, although one that has piqued my curiosity for the band and their past work. One thing I have noticed regarding the band's fifth full-length 17th Street is that a lot of their previously established fan base has found the album to be somewhat of a disappointment. Since I'm a newcomer I can't comment on how this compares to their previous output, what I can say is that I feel there is nothing disappointing here for the uninitiated, and I believe 17th Street could serve as an excellent introduction to Hammers of Misfortune.

My initial impressions upon hearing the band was something along the lines of: "Wow, so this is what Slough Feg would have sounded like had they decided to play 70's prog." Obviously it didn't come as a surprise to find out John Cobbett was involved, who for my money did the best Slough Feg albums. One thing that really surprised me was just how accessible some of the tracks were, take a look at the likes of "The Grain" and "The Day the City Died", both massive, ridiculously catchy numbers, the latter of which sounds like Yes and Meat Loaf jamming out with Maiden.

The album is certainly fruity, but when you're being billed as a progressive metal act what can you really expect? There is a lot to like on 17th Street and I think progressive metal fans would do well to check them out. Hammers of Misfortune offer up an interesting, eclectic blend of music, which whilst being far out never loses itself to pretention, and always remains accessible and catchy. I look forward to digging backwards into their catalogue.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com