Label : Metal Blade Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Originally released in 2006 – and re-issued in 2010 by Metal Blade – “The Locust Years” was the third album from San Francisco’s avant-garde/prog metallers Hammers of Misfortune. These series of re-issues continues to be a treat for fans that may have (sadly) missed out on these excellent releases the first time around. As with their previous two releases, Hammers of Misfortune do a great job in mixing complex and adventurous material with more straight forward metal songs. The 7-minute “The Locust Years” gets things off to a pounding metal start. “We Are the Widows” starts off with piano and the female vocals take over as the track gets heavier, but maintains a steady mid-tempo pace. “Trot out the Dead” quickly became a huge highlight for me, thanks to the tempo and mood changes to go along with the male/female vocal duo at work here. Other highlights include: “Famine’s Lamp”, “War Anthem” and “Widow’s Wall”. On their third album, Hammers of Misfortune continue with their march to excellence, and deliver a masterpiece of complex music and thoughtful, insightful lyrics.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- The Locust Years
- We Are the Widows
- Trot Out the Dead
- Famine’s Lamp
- Chastity Rides
- War Anthem
- Election Day
- Widow’s Wall
- Church of Broken Glass (Bonus Track)
Line Up
- Jamie Myers – Vocals, bass
- Mike Scalzi – Vocals, guitar
- Sigrid Sheie – Acoustic & electric piano, Hammond B3, backing vocals
- John Cobbett – Electric, lead & acoustic guitars
- Chewy Marzolo – Drums
Links