Fields / Church of Broken Glass

With their latest offering, the Hammers of Misfortune have achieved perfection in the fusion of folk, blues, progressive rock and old school heavy metal. This is technically a double-LP, but the playtime is equivalent to just a really long, single album. Regardless, it's monumentally good, surpassing The August Engine as their best work to date, and far eclipsing their previous offering The Locust Years.

The lyrics are psychedelic explorations of both history and the world we live in, and they are excellent (some of the best I've heard this year). You need not listen beyond the "Agriculture" trilogy of tunes opening up the album to find examples.

'Motorcade, motorcade, easy to mark
Send in the snipers to swim with the sharks
Red light is burning, the head count's a joke
Soon they'll be feasting on mirrors and smoke'

Who can forget lines like this? I know I can't. And throughout the album the vocal delivery of John Cobbett and crew are excellent, in particular the vocals of Jesse Quattro which easily represent one of the best female vocal performances of 2008. For examples of what I mean, listen to the superb "Rats Assembly" and "Butchertown". The rhythm section of Ron Nichols and Chewy Marzolo really keep the pace here, giving the album all the vibe of the best 60s and 70s progressive rock. The album is at times busy, serene and longing.

You will not hear another thing that sounds like it this year. And before you think they've lost that metal edge, listen no further than "Aways Looking Down", or the Ozzy-like, fun stylings of "Train". And you're getting 70 minutes of quality here, ladies and gentleman, one of the best long playing albums of the year (I know it's the best double-album I've heard).

This is essential listening for any person of musical taste, whether it be 70s prog fanatics, folk rockers or avant-garde metal worshipers. You owe it to yourself to track down and immerse yourself in this American masterpiece. Fuck yes you do. This may just be the best US answer to Pink Floyd yet (one of the few bands I could compare it to with a straight face).

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

The hammer struck down again and brought another feast of first-class astonishing music. With a rather striking changes in the line-up Hammers Of Misfortune did not lose any of it's magic despite changing the style drastically.

Sure we will all miss Mike Scalzi and his original powerful vocals but considering the change of style, a new choice - Patric Goodwin is probably even a better match to the band. The other important change is the departure of sad-voiced Jamie Myers and introduction of a new face - incredible warm-voiced Jesse Quattro. Both of this changes influenced the Fields / Church Of The Broken Glass significantly.

Let's get to the music. Well... it is getting harder and harder to define the genre that Hammers are representing. With this new albums a "metal" part is for sure a little bit hidden. Both CD's offer us a trip back to the times of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Deep Purple, Faithful Breath but you can hear much more in the music John Cobbett has prepared for us this time. Magical, progressive, hypnotic, moving, hard-rock should satisfy even the most demanding listeners. Of course Hammers Of Misfortune doesn't sound like anyone's copy.... the unique mood, and originality is still on the same, unreachable level as before. Hovewer it is John and his guitar who was in control of everything on the previous albums. Today, extremely talented Sigrig Sheie and her masterpiece hammonds and pianos are dominating, making the band's music even more rich and intriguing. This fact led to the decrease of the importance of heavy vocals and that's why hard-rocking Patric Goodwin is a perfect choice for the job of vocalist. Also Hammer's music sounds much more bright and happy in a way, so Jesse Quattro fits the whole band like a sweet cherry on the top of the delicious cake. Of course the sound of darkness and the gloomy doom can still be heard, this band is as far as possible from playing a happy-metal music.

If I would have to point out the drawbacks I couldn't find one. If I would have to number the outshining tracks I simply couldn't as well. Technically, emotionally and in the means of uniqueness this is the perfect album. Beautiful music and a must-have release.

I'll admit two things before I start this review, I prefer "The Locust Years" and losing the majesty of Scalzi was always going to be a problem. However, this album by all means stands on it's own feet and it's score is based on that alone. This album is an obvious progression from "The Locust Years" carrying on the logical progression that has been occurring since HoMs unmissable demo.

One point I have to stress before we hit the music is the quality of the lyrics - somehow fading into a murky quagmire of faux nihilistic cliches, there are few bands in the scene who can write lyrics like Hammers of Misfortune - nothing short of true extrospective poetry and I'll leave it at that. On another random note the cover art is beautiful, a reflection quality of HoM as a band.

Right, onto the music. The standout track of the whole album seems to be Church Of Broken Glass, which is worth the price of the album itself highlighting John Cobbett's progressive neoclassical songwriting ability. While the songs are more straight forward than "The August Engine" (probably on par with "The Locust Years"), they are consistently full of gloomy folk infused prog rock/metal. "Train" is a great example of the incredible songwriting HoM are capable of - Twin leads melt into acoustic paths and back into melancholic choruses with a perfect seamlessness. The shear amount of content here is also a bonus, which basically means you can get two full lengths for the price of one.

Vocally the female vocals are some of the best in metal, non-invasively feminine but carrying the true quality of doom hinted through in HoM material. New vocalist Patrick Goodwin had massive boots to fill and the good news is he's perfectly adequate for the job. While not possible to step out of the shadow of Scalzi, he walks the safe hard-rock road while being emotive enough to fill in the aura of misfortune.

In short, this is a different album from previous material but ultimately another awesome release from the unstoppable writing machine that is John Cobbett and Co. For what it is (a musical progression from "The Locust Years", surprise!) it's a worth a purchase as long as you don't expect Slough Feg metal antics any more. If you dug "The Locust Years" half as much as me then check this out.

Let's get some things straight from the beginning. There is NO standard way to play interesting progressive metal. There are NO standard tricks and techniques to be progressive, you just need inspiration and insight to be innovative and interesting in ways no one did before. For example, Psychotic Waltz reinvented the steel in 1990, merging metal with Jethro Tull. Dream Theater's music was also a breakthrough in the early 90's, with their complex musical structures that, later, everybody (even themselves) started copying. Having said this, 2001's "The August Engine" was SO progressive. "Fields/Church Of Broken Glass", sadly, fails. I am largely disappointed by this album and have no intention to try and hide it and say, "OK, let's look at the bright side of life". Because this album is so boring I couldn't believe it. I listened through and through trying to find that one song that would change my mind even for 4 or 5 minutes, and there is none in here. When you have released an album like "The August Engine", expectations are righteously great. Now, to the point.

Now if I ever get my hands on that keyboard guy, I'm gonna make him suffer in ways yet unknown to mankind, I swear to all hells. He doesn't stop pressing these damn things for a millisecond in this album, it's like listening to the album inside a church, with the organ getting on your nerves. In fact, in most of the album, the guitars back the keyboards up, instead of the other way round. Read my lips now: NO RIFFS AT ALL. Sure, this wasn't supposed to be catchy stuff, but, for funk's sake, give us some riffs, it's supposed to be metal all in all. Wait, I think there actually is one, in "Train". But it's so childish...damn. Is this Cobbett? Because I had noted him down as an inspired composer, yet I listen to these songs and I find absolutely nothing interesting. Complex structures, folk influences, acoustic guitars, female vocals, OK, what am I gonna need all this without nice melodies and riffs? Scalzi is gone and the new vocalist is way off that standard but this clearly isn't the problem. The problem is the lack of inspiration, and a "writer's block" is ok and totally understandable. But when an artist has a writer's block, he should take some time off and try later, he shouldn't fill an album (a double one, too, now what sort of double album contains only 12 tracks...?) with keys and flutes and acoustic guitars and "trilogies". I wouldn't like to go track by track, 'cause I didn't note any highlights at all, I maybe blinked an eye when "Butchertown" began, but only to find out that the song goes on exactly like it starts for 10 and a half minutes.

Wrapping things up: it's supposed to be progressive, but it's the same old song and dance. It's supposed to be progressive and diverse, but it misses the point of making good music in the first place. It's supposed to be the new album of a band that we hoped of making excellent music ever since "The August Engine", but it's so freaking boring that got me amazed. Advice: Get Scalzi and Jamie back, throw a bucket of cold waterfall water to mr. Cobbet's head, sentence the keyboard player to exile for 700 years in the mountains of Peru and we'll be here to see what you'll come up with. For all of you that have never listened to these guys before, stay off this one.