Hammers Of Misfortune have always been a little bit of an enigma. I mean – it takes balls to wait five years between albums – especially coming off one as triumphant as 17th Street. It feels like the band has put the time to good use, and even though the face of metal has shifted in 2016, they still find a way to fit right in there and represent a side of progressive music that is far too rarely seen these days. With exciting and powerful Queensryche-esque riffs and a fusion of old and new that is quite frankly, to die for, Hammers Of Misfortune build on past triumphs. and have come into something that could almost be described as a proggier version of Ghost. It's hard not to love Dead Revolution, it's bombastic and full of barely contained demonic energy. There is something wonderfully evil about this record that lurks just below the surface and encourages us to dive in, fall in love and once again discover the power of progressive music.
I've often complained on this site about how most modern progressive music is boring to me because it gets so caught up in the more masturbatory parts of the genre and rarely takes time for the nuance that makes prog so great in the first place. Hammers Of Misfortune have always excelled at both, with weird chords and crazed keyboards complimenting an impressive vocal performance, yet doing it all within a songwriting style that remains relatable and exciting. It doesn't get lost up its own ass. Hammers Of Misfortune are the sort of band who can't help but to leave you scraping your jaw off the floor. Just listen to the creepy harmonies on a song like "Sea of Heroes". It shows us a band who want you to understand the horror of existence but are doing it in such a way that you have to also acknowledge their musical brilliance. I mean yeah it does occasionally feel contrived, and that takes away from the immersive magic of the record – but at the same time, isn't some of the best prog a little silly?
Dead Revolution is an album that I could come back to time and time again and still find new things to admire. It's an album that requires time to properly pick apart, and an album that makes me want to go back into this band's epic discography. Its rare to find a group whose work stands up so well over so long and remains relevant, but Hammers Of Misfortune have done it, and the deeper we delve into their unique mindset the harder it becomes to extract yourself from what they are doing. If you love the modern wave of creepy occult rock bands but want more mind melting noodling, then the eerie sounds of Hammers Of Misfortune are for you. They have capitalized on all that has made them great over the years with this latest offering and proved once and for all that they could very well be progs answer to the rise of heavy metal witchery.
Score: 8/10
