In 2023 HAMMERFALL are celebrating the success of Crimson Thunder achieving Platinum status in Sweden. Continuing their retrospective series, the band will be releasing their very own 20-Year Anniversary edition via Nuclear Blast on April, 28th.
Their fourth studio album has been remixed and remastered by Fredrik Nordstrom, and this definitive version will include previously unreleased pre-production tracks, a brand-new medley and live acoustic songs.
Today, the band presents a brand new lyric video for their old classic ‘Riders Of The Storm’, in remixed and remastered version.
Frontman Joacim Cans comments on the song: “This mid tempo, riff based song instantly became a live hit for both the band and the fans. I just love it when the crowd starts to jump in the beginning when the beat kicks in! Even though the lyrical theme is a bit on the dystopian side there is a positive vibe and energy, with a feeling of hope, within the music. A feeling of hope that eventually also can be found in the lyrics.”
The lyric video is created using the illustrations from the Crimson Thunder comic book which comes included with the vinyl formats.
Check out the tour dates here! Europe: 24.03.23 SE Örebro – Frimis Salonger 25.03.23 SE Karlstad – Nöjesfabriken 31.03.23 SE Skövde – Skövde Kulturhus 01.04.23 SE Huskvarna – Folkets Park 14.04.23 SE Sundsvall – Club Deströyer 15.04.23 SE Umeå – Nolia 20.04.23 SE Malmö – Kulturbolaget 21.04.23 SE Kalmar – Kalmar Salen 22.04.23 SE Sälen – Högfjällshotellet 27.04.23 SE Stockholm – Cirkus 05.05.23 DE Bochum – RuhrCongress *with Helloween 06.05.23 DE Hamburg – Sporthalle *with Helloween
US Tour 12.05.23 US Houston, TX – Wharehouse Live 13.05.23 US Dallas, TX – The Factory 15.05.23 US Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade 16.05.23 US St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live 18.0523 US Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 19.05.23 US Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts 20.05.23 US New York City, NY – Terminal 5 21.05.23 US Worcester, MA – Palladium 22.05.23 CAN Montreal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount 23.05.23 CAN Toronto, ON – History 24.05.23 US Royal Oak, MI – Music Theatre 25.05.23 US Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs 26.05.23 US Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre 27.05.23 US Minneapolis, MN – Fillmore 28.05.23 US Lawrence, KS – The Granada 30.05.23 US Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre 31.05.23 US Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall 01.06.23 US Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl 02.06.23 US Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater 03.06.23 US San Francisco, CA – The Warfield 04.06.23 US Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
Festivals: 24.06.23 NO Oslo – Tons Of Rock 15.07.23 AU Leoben – Area 53 Festival 12.08.23 ES Villena – Leyendas Del Rock 16.-19.08.23 DE Dinkelsbuehl – SummerBreeze 17.-19.08.23 CZ -Moravsky Krumlov-Castle Garden – Rock Castle
Swedish Power Metal legends HAMMERFALL recently announced their return to Nuclear Blast and celebrated a career milestone when it was announced that their albums Renegade, Crimson Thunder, No Sacrifice, No Victory and Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken had all achieved gold status in Sweden. And stoking the flames even higher – it was revealed that Crimson Thunder had surpassed 60,000 sales and hit platinum status.
Today, the band are proud to announce a special 20-year anniversary edition of Crimson Thunder, which will be released on April 28th via Nuclear Blast Records, continuing their retrospective series.
Their fourth studio album has been remixed and remastered by Fredrik Nordström and this definitive version will include previously unreleased pre-production tracks, a brand-new medley and live acoustic songs.
To give their fans a taster, here is a remixed and remastered version of their most popular song ´Hearts On Fire´.
Guitarist Oscar Dronjak comments: ”There is a lot to look forward to with this release even if you’re a die hard Templar with everything already in your collection: brand new album remix by Fredrik Nordström, never-before heard preproduction bonus tracks, exclusive acoustic live versions, this anniversary edition is packed with unique stuff that sees the light of day for the first time. This is our biggest anniversary edition yet!”
Crimson Thunder 20-Year-Anniversary Edition comes in following formats:
Digital Album
3CD Digi Box
Platinum Edition – 2LP Trifold Silver Vinyl
Crimson Edition – 2LP Trifold Marbled Red /Black Vinyl
Europe: 24.03.23 SE Örebro – Frimis Salonger 25.03.23 SE Karlstad – Nöjesfabriken 31.03.23 SE Skövde – Skövde Kulturhus 01.04.23 SE Huskvarna – Folkets Park 14.04.23 SE Sundsvall – Club Deströyer 15.04.23 SE Umeå – Nolia 20.04.23 SE Malmö – Kulturbolaget 21.04.23 SE Kalmar – Kalmar Salen 22.04.23 SE Sälen – Högfjällshotellet 27.04.23 SE Stockholm – Cirkus 05.05.23 DE Bochum – RuhrCongress *with Helloween 06.05.23 DE Hamburg – Sporthalle *with Helloween
US Tour
12.05.23 US Houston, TX – Wharehouse Live 13.05.23 US Dallas, TX – The Factory 15.05.23 US Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade 16.05.23 US St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live 18.0523 US Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 19.05.23 US Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts 20.05.23 US New York City, NY – Terminal 5 21.05.23 US Worcester, MA – Palladium 22.05.23 CAN Montreal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount 23.05.23 CAN Toronto, ON – History 24.05.23 US Royal Oak, MI – Music Theatre 25.05.23 US Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs 26.05.23 US Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre 27.05.23 US Minneapolis, MN – Fillmore 28.05.23 US Lawrence, KS – The Granada 30.05.23 US Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre 31.05.23 US Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall 01.06.23 US Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl 02.06.23 US Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater 03.06.23 US San Francisco, CA – The Warfield 04.06.23 US Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
Festivals:
24.06.23 NO Oslo – Tons Of Rock 15.07.23 AU Leoben – Area 53 Festival 12.08.23 ES Villena – Leyendas Del Rock 16.-19.08.23 DE Dinkelsbuehl – SummerBreeze 17.-19.08.23 CZ -Moravsky Krumlov-Castle Garden – Rock Castle
Line-up: Joacim Cans – vocals Oscar Dronjak – guitar Fredrik Larsson – bass Pontus Norgen – guitar David Wallin – drums
Nuclear Blast are proud to welcome back the Swedish powerhouse HammerFall who started their career in 1997 on the label with their debut album Glory to the Brave.
Their entire Nuclear Blast catalogue from Glory to the Brave to the 2014 album (r)Evolution was recently certified with a Diamond Award for over 1,5 million worldwide sales.
And there´s been even more to celebrate: following on from Renegade (2000), Crimson Thunder (2002) and No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009),their fifth studio album Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken from 2005 is now their fourth album that has gone Gold in Sweden, whilst Crimson Thunder even went Platinum, celebrating over 60,000 sales in their home country.
The band comments on the signing:”We were part of building the label back in the day, starting with our first album. For a long time, we were along for the ride as Nuclear Blast evolved into the immense powerhouse it is today. Although we did leave for three studio albums, and we are pleased with those albums and thank everyone who worked with us on them, we are very excited to be back where we belong: with Nuclear Blast. It truly feels like we’ve come home.”
Marcus Hammer, Managing Director at Nuclear Blast comments: “In the darkest days of the 90s of death and black metal HammerFall spearheaded a glorious revival of classic melodic metal and they are now bigger than ever before. It’s an impressive career of creative power and we are more than happy to welcome them back at the label where they started. Over the past few years, we always stayed in good contact working on their massive back catalogue and it’s a pleasure to continue the relationship for new albums in the near future. Thanks to HammerFall, their management and amazing crew!”
Photo credit: Dirk Behlau
In 2023 HammerFall will release a special Platinum Edition of Crimson Thunder with tons of bonus material and will continue their worldwide live crusade.
Europe:
31.01.23 FR Strasbourg – La Laiterie 01.02.23 FR Paris – Le Trabendo 02.02.23 FR Lyon – Ninkasi Kao 03.02.23 ES Barcelona – Palau Sant Jordi *with Helloween 04.02.23 ES Madrid – WiZink Center *with Helloween 24.03.23 SE Örebro – Frimis Salonger 25.03.23 SE Karlstad – Nöjesfabriken 31.03.23 SE Skövde – Skövde Kulturhus 01.04.23 SE Huskvarna – Folkets Park 14.04.23 SE Sundsvall – Club Deströyer 15.04.23 SE Umeå – Nolia 20.04.23 SE Malmö – Kulturbolaget 21.04.23 SE Kalmar – Kalmar Salen 22.04.23 SE Sälen – Högfjällshotellet 27.04.23 SE Stockholm – Cirkus 05.05.23 DE Bochum – RuhrCongress *with Helloween 06.05.23 DE Hamburg – Sporthalle *with Helloween
US Tour
12.05.23 US Houston, TX – Wharehouse Live 13.05.23 US Dallas, TX – The Factory 15.05.23 US Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade 16.05.23 US St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live 18.0523 US Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 19.05.23 US Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts 20.05.23 US New York City, NY – Terminal 5 21.05.23 US Worcester, MA – Palladium 22.05.23 CAN Montreal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount 23.05.23 CAN Toronto, ON – History 24.05.23 US Royal Oak, MI – Music Theatre 25.05.23 US Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs 26.05.23 US Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre 27.05.23 US Minneapolis, MN – Fillmore 28.05.23 US Lawrence, KS – The Granada 30.05.23 US Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre 31.05.23 US Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall 01.06.23 US Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl 02.06.23 US Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater 03.06.23 US San Francisco, CA – The Warfield 04.06.23 US Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
Festivals:
24.06.23 NO Oslo – Tons Of Rock 15.07.23 AU Leoben – Area 53 Festival 12.08.23 ES Villena – Leyendas Del Rock 16.-19.08.23 DE Dinkelsbuehl – SummerBreeze 17.-19.08.23 CZ -Moravsky Krumlov-Castle Garden – Rock Castle
Line-up: Joacim Cans – vocals Oscar Dronjak – guitar Fredrik Larsson – bass Pontus Norgen – guitar David Wallin – drums
Swedish Heavy Metal frontrunners HAMMERFALL have released their latest single, “Brotherhood” – the third single from their forthcoming, much anticipated studio album, Hammer Of Dawn. “Brotherhood” is a musical salute to their most loyal fans, The Templars Of Steel, who have stuck by the band through thick and thin. It’s also a heartfelt internal nod to each other, recognizing the very close bond the band members have with each other, especially between guitarist Oscar Dronjak and singer Joacim Cans, whose brotherhood began way back in 1996.
Again, enlisting the help of seasoned video vanguard Patric Ullaeus to help them capture the essence of the song to film, together they have created a video that perfectly echoes the sentiment of the song itself and a video that will without a doubt thrill the very people that inspired the song itself, The Templars Of Steel. With the help of the band members children, who steal the spotlight with their cameos in the video, it’s obvious that that bond of brotherhood isn’t just with the band members themselves – it’s also with their kids and their fans.
Singer Joacim Cans on “Brotherhood”: “A fantastic musical piece and album opener in honor of the greatest fans in the whole world: The Templars of Steel! We wouldn’t be here without you! The video for the song includes both ”The Metal Dads” and the ”HF Teens” and really shows how much fun we are having together both on and off the stage.”
Guitarist Oscar Dronjak adds: “The singles released so far have been a good measuring stick but “Brotherhood” encompasses everything that has made us into what we are today. Fast and furious, melodic and riveting, 100% classic HAMMERFALL Heavy Metal!“
As one of the main forces in heavy metal, HAMMERFALL have dominated not only the Swedish album charts, but album charts across Europe throughout their extensive career, while earning gold status thrice. HAMMERFALL’s previous album, Dominion, charted at #4 in Germany, #2 in Switzerland as well as #2 in Sweden. Faced with the daunting task of following up to Dominion, an album that fans and critics hailed as one of the band’s strongest releases, HAMMERFALL collectively met the challenge head-on and have delivered what many early listeners are predicting as the best metal album of 2022 and a high point of the band’s catalogue.
Due to still prevailing external conditions, HAMMERFALL had to split their co-headlining tour with German heavy metal legends Helloween into several parts. The new dates are as follows:
UNITED FORCES TOUR 2022 04.05.22 UK – Manchester / Manchester Academy 05.05.22 UK – London / Brixton Academy
NEW Dates: 28.06.22 HU – Budapest / Papp Laszlo Sportarena 29.06.22 AT – Vienna / Gasometer 30.06.22 CZ – Prague / O2 02.07.22 SK – Zvolenska Slatina / OLYMPIC Fields
08.09.22 DE – Berlin / Verti Music Hall 09.09.22 DE – Regensburg / Donau Arena 10.09.22 DE – Bamberg / Brose Arena 13.09.22 NL – Tilburg / 013 14.09.22 LU – Luxemburg / Rockhal 16.09.22 DE – Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle 18.09.22 PL – Katowice / MCK
04.10.22 CL – Santiago / Movistar Arena 08.10.22 BR – Sao Paulo / Espaco das Amercias 09.10.22 BR – Sao Paulo / Espaco das Amercias
13.10.22 BG – Sofia / Arena Armeec 09.12.22 DE – Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle 11.12.22 DE – Kempten / Big Box 13.12.22 CH – Zurich / Samsung Hall
03.02.23 ES – Barcelona / St. Jordi Club 04.02.23 ES – Madrid / Wizink Center
28.04.23 NO – Oslo / Sentrum Scene 29.04.23 SE – Gothenburg / Partille Arena 01.05.23 FI – Helsinki / Black Box 02.05.23 EE – Tallinn / Noblessneri Valukoda 05.05.23 DE – Bochum / Ruhrcongress 06.05.23 DE – Hamburg / Sporthalle
Today, Swedish Saviours of Heavy Metal HAMMERFALL have released a second single, “Venerate Me”, featuring a special guest appearance by none other than the legendary King Diamond, alongside a new visualizer! The track is cut from their twelfth studio album, Hammer of Dawn, set for release on February 25, 2022 via Napalm Records.
“Venerate Me” continues to clearly show that HAMMERFALL is in top shape by delivering what Rock It! Magazine calls, “their strongest songs in years”. Expectedly, singer Joacim Cans doesn’t fail to leave a mark with his gripping vibrato and ever-powerful vocal projection that – in combination with strong guitar work and on-point drumming – make “Venerate Me” an outstanding yet trademark HAMMERFALL hymn!
Founding member and guitarist Oscar Dronjak on “Venerate Me”: “The second single is here, and I’m very, very proud of it! The music was written during the darkest, most uninspiring days of the pandemic and still came out as one of the strongest on the whole album. Joacim’s fantastic lyric idea makes this track really stand out, and the special guest appearance towards the end really pushes it over the edge!”
Singer Joacim Cans adds: “The song is over loaded with enchanting melodies and a very catchy chorus. Lyrically one of my greatest efforts dealing with the fact that we die twice! First when we take our last breath and second when someone says your name for the last time. Say my name and I will never die!”
“Venerate Me” marks a special anniversary – Oscar Dronjak’s 50th birthday! HAMMERFALL’s guitarist has dedicated most of his 50 years to the metal scene, starting as a teenage guitarist in death metal bands and emerging as one of the most known guitarists in the world of heavy metal today with his trademark sound and legendary hammer guitar. After the title track, “Hammer of Dawn”, “Venerate Me” is the second single taken from the new album.
As one of the main forces in heavy metal, HAMMERFALL have dominated not only the Swedish album charts, but album charts across Europe throughout their extensive career, while earning gold status thrice. HAMMERFALL’s previous album, Dominion, charted at #4 in Germany, #2 in Switzerland as well as #2 in Sweden. Faced with the daunting task of following up to Dominion, an album that fans and critics hailed as one of the bands strongest releases, HAMMERFALL collectively met the challenge head-on and have delivered what many early listeners are predicting as the best metal album of 2022 and a high point of the band’s catalogue.
Fans can already look forward to seeing Hammer of Dawn live, as in 2022, HAMMERFALL will go on an extensive co-headlining tour through Europe, together with German metal stars Helloween.
UNITED FORCES TOUR 2022 25.03.22 NO – Oslo / Sentrum Scene 26.03.22 SE – Gothenburg / Partille Arena 28.03.22 FI – Helsinki / Black Box 29.03.22 EE – Talinn / Noblessneri Valukoda 01.04.22 DE – Bamberg / Brose Arena 02.04.22 DE – Hamburg / Sporthalle 03.04.22 DE – Berlin / Verti Music Hall 04.04.22 DE – Regensburg / Donau Arena 08.04.22 ES – Madrid / Wizink Center 09.04.22 ES – Barcelona / St. Jordi Club 11.04.22 IT – Milan / Lorenzini District 12.04.22 DE – Kempten / Black Box 13.04.22 CH – Zürich / Samsung Hall 15.04.22 LU – Luxemburg / Rockhal 16.04.22 NL – Tilburg / 013 18.04.22 PL – Katovice / MCK 20.04.22 BG – Sofia / Arena Armeec 22.04.22 AT – Vienna / Gasometer 23.04.22 CZ – Prague / O2 24.04.22 SK – Zvolen / Ice Stadium 26.04.22 HU – Budapest / Papp Laszlo Sportarena 29.04.22 DE – Bochum / Ruhrcongress 30.04.22 DE – Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle 01.05.22 DE – Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle 04.05.22 UK – Manchester / Manchester Academy 05.05.22 UK – London / Brixton Academy
Swedish saviors of heavy metal HAMMERFALL let the hammer strike again with their twelfth studio album, Hammer of Dawn, set to be released on February 25, 2022 via Napalm Records! The album’s release is preceded by the arrival of the first single and title track, “Hammer of Dawn,” accompanied by a music video filmed at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, and by famed director Patric Ullaeus.
Oscar Dronjak on the single: “The song itself was initially conceived in Germany during the World Dominion tour, with the rest of the work being done at home. I immediately knew this had the potential to be something important, and when Joacim added his vocal melodies we both felt it would be the perfect single. One with substance and power but also one you can’t stop singing when the music fades out.”
Joacim Cans adds on the video: “We already had the idea to shoot a video at legendary amusement park Liseberg 20 years ago. But like any good bottle of Champagne this idea needed to rest and mature before taken into action. And FUCK I am happy we waited! Together with director Patric Ullaeus we have created something unique and astonishing that totally blows me away every time I watch it. You can really tell that we haven’t played together for almost two long and never-ending years. We are as energetic as a pack of hungry wolves in the video ready to shred and deliver the heavy metal gospel!”
As one of the main forces in heavy metal, HAMMERFALL have dominated not only the Swedish album charts, but album charts across Europe throughout their extensive career, while earning gold status thrice. Faced with the daunting task of following up the band’s last studio album, Dominion, an album that fans and critics hailed as one of the band’s strongest releases, HAMMERFALL collectively met the challenge head on and have delivered what many early listeners are predicting as the best metal album of 2022 and a high point of the band’s catalogue.
Joacim Cans on the new album: “It’s hard to describe in words how extremely happy and proud I am about the outcome of Hammer Of Dawn. It was a struggle, for sure, but in the end we pulled it off and delivered a solid, vital and positive new album. Everyone is on top of his game and together we have created yet another milestone in HAMMERFALL history. Can’t wait to sing these songs live together with my sisters and brothers, The Templars of Steel!”
Oscar Dronjak adds: “We spent a long time creating the songs for this album, mainly due to the Coronavirus but also because we began working on the material very early. That’s definitely evident in the result, the attention to detail is very big. Another thing that is quite palpable is the energy level, and that can be contributed to the extreme and forced downtime we all had to endure during the pandemic. The atmosphere in the studio was relaxed and laid back and the lack of stress created the perfect working environment for turning up the heat when the red light came on. It was easy to peak when you had to since there was no outside distractions or immediate deadlines. This album is a product of the pandemic in some ways, but more importantly it’s a strong statement that we are experiencing the high point in our creativity at the moment. I’ve said it before: HAMMERFALL has never sounded better than we do right now!”
Hammer of Dawn tracklist: 1. Brotherhood 2. Hammer of Dawn 3. No Son of Odin 4. Venerate Me 5. Reveries 6. Too Old to Die Young 7. Not Today 8. Live Free or Die 9. State of the W.I.L.D. 10. No Mercy
Hammer of Dawn starts off with remarkable opener “Brotherhood”, a hymn echoing the deep connection of bandleaders Joacim Cans and Oscar Dronjak with their loyal Templars of Steel worldwide. Other tracks on the album present one smasher after another, with songs like “Reveries”, “No Son Of Odin” and “Venerate Me” – the latter featuring an appearance by none other than King Diamond – making sure it will go down as another milestone in the career of the Swedes.
Hammer of Dawn was produced by long time collaborator Fredrik Nordström (In Flames, Opeth etc), who handled mixing, mastering, drum recording, and shared the duty of recording guitars and bass with Pontus Norgren and Oscar Dronjak. Jacob Hansen (Volbeat etc), produced the lead vocals.
When HAMMERFALL released their debut album, Glory To The Brave, in 1997, it signaled the second coming of heavy metal… Since that very day, HAMMERFALL has proudly flown the heavy metal flag high and while doing so have influenced a generation of musicians. They have also left a twenty five year long trail of classic timeless music, sold out shows and an army of loyal fans, aka the Templars Of Steel, in their wake. Rest assured everyone, that legacy continues and in fact strengthens with the arrival ofHammer of Dawn.
HAMMERFALL live Fans can already look forward to seeing Hammer of Dawn live, as in 2022, HAMMERFALL will go on an extensive co-headlining tour through Europe, together with German metal stars Helloween.
UNITED FORCES TOUR 2022 25.03.22 NO – Oslo / Sentrum Scene 26.03.22 SE – Göteborg / Partille Arena 28.03.22 FI – Helsinki / Black Box 29.03.22 EE – Talinn / Noblessneri Valukoda 01.04.22 DE – Bamberg / Brose Arena 02.04.22 DE – Hamburg / Sporthalle 03.04.22 DE – Berlin / Verti Music Hall 04.04.22 DE – Regensburg / Donau Arena 08.04.22 ES – Madrid / Wizink Center 09.04.22 ES – Barcelona / St. Jordi Club 11.04.22 IT – Milan / Lorenzini District 12.04.22 DE – Kempten / Black Box 13.04.22 CH – Zürich / Samsung Hall 15.04.22 LU – Luxemburg / Rockhal 16.04.22 NL – Tilburg / 013 18.04.22 PL – Katovice / MCK 20.04.22 BG – Sofia / Arena Armeec 22.04.22 AT – Vienna / Gasometer 23.04.22 CZ – Prague / O2 24.04.22 SK – Zvolen / Ice Stadium 26.04.22 HU – Budapest / Papp Laszlo Sportarena 29.04.22 DE – Bochum / Ruhrcongress 30.04.22 DE – Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle 01.05.22 DE – Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle 04.05.22 UK – Manchester / Manchester Academy 05.05.22 UK – London / Brixton Academy
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 