BOB COCK’S SPIRITED ENDORSEMENT OF HAMMERLORD FOR SCION’S NO LABEL NEEDED CONTEST

Although the editors of MetalSucks get a vote in he Scion No Label Needed Contest, the staff of MetalSucks, alas, does not. Thus, over the course of the next few days, each MetalSucks writer will post an endorsement for his favorite finalist for the contest. You can check out all the finalists, and vote for your personal favorite, here.

Sure, the requisite 80s thrash, jagged-logo-concept-thing might not sell Hammerlord’s 2008 self-titled debut alone, but their music should. And while these cats might have spent time with the likes of The Esoteric and The Blinding Light, among others, the band’s moniker comes from drummer Adam Mitchell’s handle during his time with The Esoteric. Plus, Scott Hull found it metal enough to man the knobs for the debut, so they must have been doing something right, right?

Rest assured, it’s far from the math-y, throaty hardcore that The Esoteric was playing for years and way far, far, far from The Blinding Light; this Lawrence, Kansas-based band was brought up on Metallica and Misfits. That much is undeniable. With lyrics like, “We slay with hammer in hand/We are evermore/We are Hammerlord,” you best know what to expect going in… minus the Manowar loincloths.

The hybrid sound of Hammerlord showcases the varying vials of inspiration that band’s members have poured into their collective kegger, resulting in not just a simple re-hash of 80’s thrash. Instead it’s more a culmination of what makes thrash, punk, and hardcore good in their own ways. Then mash all that together. Now we’re talking.

For the No Label Needed Contest, Hammerlord offers up “Demon Fever,” a newer track (than thosenine that made up Hammerlord’s aforementioned frantic thirty-plus minutes debut), and with welcome applause. The good news (wait, check that – the better news)? They’ve been listening to just as much Kreator as they have Bay Area thrash over the past few years! They can shred. And riff. If anyone can benefit from a solid recording for a ripping tune like “Demon Fever” (and another eight or so like it), it’s Hammerlord. With a sort of Danzig croon alongside thrash-inspired, punk-mentality music, what’s not to like?

-BC

Listen to and vote for Hammerlord here. You can also visit them on MySpace.