HammerFall
Encyclopedia
HammerFall is a power metal
band from Gothenburg
, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath
guitarist Oscar Dronjak
.
quit Ceremonial Oath
and invited Jesper Strömblad
(from In Flames),9he was formerly a member of Ceremonial Oath) to join him as a drummer in a new musical project he had been contemplating for some time. Dronjak had already composed the song "Steel Meets Steel", which was later included on HammerFall's debut album. Dronjak and Strömblad were later joined by guitarist Niklas Sundin
, bassist Johan Larsson, and vocalist Mikael Stanne
. When Niklas Sundin and Johan Larsson left HammerFall the following year, Glenn Ljungström
(then guitarist of In Flames
) and Fredrik Larsson (bassist of the former Swedish death metal
band Dispatched
), replaced them.
All five members played in other bands at the time. Dronjak and Larsson played in Crystal Age; Strömblad and Ljungström played in In Flames
and Stanne sang for Dark Tranquillity
. Both of these bands influenced Swedish melodic death metal
. HammerFall was relegated to being a side project of them all for several years. Their concerts were limited mostly to a local music contest named Rockslaget. The band had few songs of their own and played mostly covers from bands such as Pretty Maids
, Judas Priest
and Alice Cooper
.
In 1996, HammerFall reached the semi-finals of Rockslaget. When Mikael Stanne could not perform with the band in the semi-finals, they found Joacim Cans
, who agreed to play with them for the night. The concert was a success although the judges disqualified HammerFall for the finals. By the end of that day, Joacim had already been made an official member of the band.
label, Vic Records.http://www.vicrecords.com/ The musicians soon received a deal and spent the whole of the following year writing the album Glory to the Brave
. The album was initially released in the Netherlands and obtained positive feedback; it is also worthy of notice that the band's mascot
, the paladin
Hector, first appeared on the cover of this album.
As HammerFall grew in popularity, the time available for members of the band to dedicate to other projects became limited. Dronjak and Cans wanted to pursue the path of Hammerfall (Dronjak's Crystal Age had ceased to exist some time ago), but Strömblad and Ljungström were committed to In Flames and Larsson was committed to the thrash metal
band None. Thus, HammerFall's line-up soon underwent changes. Stefan Elmgren
assumed the lead guitar and Patrik Räfling assumed the drums (they joined the band in the end of 1997 after the release of Glory to the Brave album) and Larsson decided to remain in the band until a suitable replacement for him was found. This happened in May 1997, when bassist Magnus Rosén
joined the band. Stefan Elmgren played some of the guitars on the Glory to the Brave album (such as the acoustic guitars on "I Believe") and Patrik Räfling actually played the drums on all songs in place of Jesper. However, at the time they were considered as guest performers, not members of the band.
In early 1997, German label Nuclear Blast
approached HammerFall with a contract for a European release deal, which included four albums. The deal was accepted and the band proceeded to record their first two music video
s — "HammerFall" and "Glory to the Brave". After the release of a promotional single, Glory to the Brave was released throughout Europe. The results were quite unexpected, even after the intense marketing campaign made by Nuclear Blast. The album reached position number 38 on the German Music Chart on the week of its release, something which had never before been achieved by a debut heavy metal music
album.
Siding with bands Gamma Ray
, Jag Panzer
, Lake of Tears
and Raven
, several tours through the European continent ensued. The concert on Wacken Open Air
was performed to a crowd of over ten thousand people.
Towards the end of 1997, Glory to the Brave was released in Japan and the United States. Sales of the album reached one hundred thousand copies. HammerFall was also nominated for the Swedish Grammy award in the Best Hard Rock act category.
In February 1998, the recording of Legacy of Kings
began. This album was once more written by Joacim, Oscar, and Jesper, who despite having quit the band still took part in the process in order to keep the same general mood of their first release. The album was produced by Fredrik Nordström
(from Dream Evil
) and Oscar, with the help of Joacim. The band spent a total of one and a half months in the studio recording this album.
HammerFall made some expressive concerts before the release of Legacy of Kings, playing in festivals together with bands such as Alice Cooper
, Rammstein
, Deep Purple
, Dream Theater
, Saxon
and Stratovarius
.
Their first world tour took place in October 1998. During the shows in Sweden, Joacim Cans caught a serious throat infection which made it impossible for him to sing. Shortly afterwards, Magnus Rosén was afflicted with the same disease, and after him the whole of HammerFall's support crew became sick. The members of the band played for as long as possible and then were forced to postpone or cancel a few dates. During their passage through South America, HammerFall took a short break to visit the Brazil
ian beaches, but they soon resumed their tour.
By the end of that tour, drummer Patrik Räfling left the band, and Anders Johansson
, a friend of Magnus Rosén, joined as a touring musician. In the beginning of 1999 he was made a permanent member of the band. Anders had previously worked with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen
on Rising Force
in the 80-ties and 90-ties and on a number of other projects; he is the brother of Jens Johansson
from Stratovarius
. He has been praised for his technical and polyrythmical talent, in metal as well as other genres.
Anders father was a famous Swedish jazzmusician who is mostly known for writing the music for Pippi Longstocking and the record "Jazz på svenska" which is the best selling Swedish jazz record of all times. Anders is running a record company, Heptagon Records.
, Alice Cooper
and Ozzy Osbourne
. The recording took eight weeks, and the album was entitled Renegade
. The switch from producer Fredrik Nordström to Wagener was met with skepticism from the media in general. However, after the release, critics were mostly positive, even though there was a consensus that the band's sound was remarkably different. A music video by director Roger Johansson was created for the song "Renegade" and reached the top of the Swedish parade; the same soon happened with the album itself, which reached gold status with over forty thousand copies sold.
Oscar stated on www.metalrules.com just prior to the release of 'Renegade' that they were going for a more "commercial" sound in order to attract a broader audience that otherwise would have been lost to them and that future albums wouldn't follow in this mold.
The band's second world tour began in January 2001. Concerts from this tour counted with a replica version of the album's cover on stage. It was set up as a castle
in ruins from which the musicians entered the stage. In total, the tour included almost sixty shows.
The band then released a DVD
entitled The Templar Renegade Crusades
, which included video footage from recording sessions, live concerts, tour backstages, and encounters with fans. The footage ranged from the recording sessions of Legacy of Kings to the gold album party which took place in November 2001.
HammerFall then proceeded to record their fourth album — Crimson Thunder
. Arrangements were made for recording sessions to take place in both JM Studios: from Charlie Bauerfeind
, in Wisseloord Studios
— in the Netherlands, and studio Blind Guardian — in Germany, for the bass.
By the end of the recording sessions in 2002, a listening session for the press was held. Overall, the reactions were quite positive, and most seemed to perceive the album as a change for the better from Renegade. A single for the song "Hearts on Fire" was released six weeks prior to the album's launch and remained for weeks on the number one spot on the parades of some European countries. The song also attracted a number of new fans to the band due to its chorus
-driven melody and simple riffs coupled with fast guitar solos.
The shooting of the music video "Hearts on Fire" by director Roger Johansson was scheduled for August of that year. The band's plans, however, had to be held back for a week due to an incident that occurred one night. While Joacim was drinking with his girlfriend in a rock club he had been frequenting for over a decade, he was attacked by an unidentified person who hit him in the head with a beer glass and hastily escaped. Joacim instantly lost consciousness and had to be taken to a hospital, in which he underwent plastic surgery
and rested for a couple of days. As soon as it became medically possible, he joined the band to record the music video.
In order to promote the release of the band's album in North America, they toured with Dio
during November and December 2002. Subsequently, the manager of the band disappeared, taking the entirety of the tour's revenue with him. Despite this the tour was very successful, and proceeded to Europe. Changes were made to the band's stage setting, and many investments were made on fireworks
and on the presence of the mascot Hector on stage. The scenery on the cover of the single Hearts on Fire was also reproduced and added to the performances. The tour progressed to Japan and then to South America. HammerFall was present on festivals in Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, playing with bands such as Iron Maiden
, Slayer
, Twisted Sister
, U.D.O.
and Stratovarius
.
HammerFall's tour was brought to a sudden end when Oscar Dronjak suffered a motorcycle
accident, breaking his left arm and sustaining several minor injuries.
They were then left with no choice but to take a break. Stefan dedicated himself to getting a pilot
license, Magnus and Anders continued working on their side projects and Joacim began work on his solo album and had his first child. Oscar simply focused on recovering. Together with a group of specialists, he was able to recover to his full capacities. He then joined Anders, Joacim, Stefan again, with bands Helloween
, Gamma Ray
and Pretty Maids
, amongst others, and played in the celebration of the 20 years of the German rock club Rockfabrik.
, which was followed by a European and South American tour. A video for the song "Bloodbound" was made by director Roger Johansson.
On October 16 it was reported that HammerFall (along with the band Europe
) would be part of the Eurovision song contest. This rumor was refuted by lead singer Joacim Cans only a couple weeks later. Joacim was quoted as saying "So there were no talks whatsoever to be part of this."
Their 6th album, titled Threshold
, was released on October 20, 2006 and it went directly to a number 1 position on the Swedish charts.
On March 6, 2007, a statement was posted online at HammerFall's official website (and his own official website), that bassist Magnus Rosén would not be involved with the band anymore. The reason for his departure stated that he was unhappy in the band and wants to focus on other projects. On his own website (and therefore with his own official statement) it was announced that Magnus was tired of the simple bassplaying he was forced to play in HammerFall, and that he was unable to bring his own material to the band. He now wants to "be more creative in his career". On April 10 it was announced on the official Hammerfall homepage that the replacement for Magnus is former member Fredrik Larsson, who played bass on the Glory to the Brave album.
Three new songs were recorded for the band's first compilation album. These are "Last Man Standing", "Restless Soul", and "The Abyss". They also rerecorded the Glory To The Brave track "HammerFall". "Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years of Glory
" was released on 12 October 2007.
On April 2, 2008 Stefan Elmgren
announced his decision to leave HammerFall in order to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His replacement is Pontus Norgren
from The Poodles
. On June 27, 2008, the band released the compilation album "Masterpieces
". The album has on it a collection of every song the band has covered, plus three new cover songs previously unreleased. This was Stefan Elmgren
's last release with the band.
was released in the UK on 23 February 2009. Songs on this album include "Any Means Necessary", "Life is Now", "Punish and Enslave", "Bring the Hammer Down", and a My Sharona
cover. The Album peaked at #38 on the Billboard heatseakers charts.
There is also a music video for the song "Any Means Necessary". To kick off their new album HammerFall toured all over the world in support of their new album No Sacrifice, No Victory
. The tour had supporting acts, Powerglove and Echoes of Eternity
.. In the summer 2010 the band played a couple of high profile festivals throughout europe including Sonisphere Festival
, High Voltage Festival
, Metalcamp
, Graspop Metal Meeting
and many more. The summer tour was named "Any Festival Necessary".
Hammerfalls 8th album was released on 20 May 2011, under the name Infected
. After several months of recordings in Göteborg, Sweden and Nashville, TN, the new studio album was finally finished on February 19. It was released on May 20 charted well all over Europe. In support of the album the band preformed at many festival's throughout the summer and later announced an European tour. Infected is also the first Hammerfall album not to feature the former mascot, the paladin Hector, on the cover.
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band from Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath was a Swedish extreme metal band who formed in 1988 under the name "Desecrator", changed their name to Ceremonial Oath in 1990 and disbanded in 1995. During their short career they released three demos, one EP and two full-length albums...
guitarist Oscar Dronjak
Oscar Dronjak
Oscar Fredrick Dronjak is the rhythm and lead guitarist and founder of the Heavy Metal band HammerFall. Prior to the success of HammerFall, he also played and released albums with the death metal acts Ceremonial Oath and Crystal Age....
.
Early days (1993–1996)
HammerFall was formed when guitarist Oscar DronjakOscar Dronjak
Oscar Fredrick Dronjak is the rhythm and lead guitarist and founder of the Heavy Metal band HammerFall. Prior to the success of HammerFall, he also played and released albums with the death metal acts Ceremonial Oath and Crystal Age....
quit Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath
Ceremonial Oath was a Swedish extreme metal band who formed in 1988 under the name "Desecrator", changed their name to Ceremonial Oath in 1990 and disbanded in 1995. During their short career they released three demos, one EP and two full-length albums...
and invited Jesper Strömblad
Jesper Strömblad
Clas Håkan Jesper Strömblad is a Swedish musician who is currently the guitarist for the bands Dimension Zero & The Resistance...
(from In Flames),9he was formerly a member of Ceremonial Oath) to join him as a drummer in a new musical project he had been contemplating for some time. Dronjak had already composed the song "Steel Meets Steel", which was later included on HammerFall's debut album. Dronjak and Strömblad were later joined by guitarist Niklas Sundin
Niklas Sundin
Niklas Sundin , is a musician best known as the guitarist of bands Dark Tranquillity and Laethora. He also wrote some of the lyrics for the first three and recent two Dark Tranquillity albums and In Flames' album The Jester Race, and...
, bassist Johan Larsson, and vocalist Mikael Stanne
Mikael Stanne
Bengt Mikael Stanne is the vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity and the ex-vocalist for Swedish power metal band HammerFall.-Dark Tranquillity:...
. When Niklas Sundin and Johan Larsson left HammerFall the following year, Glenn Ljungström
Glenn Ljungström
Glenn Ljungström was the original guitarist of the Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames along with the band's founder, Jesper Strömblad. He was a member of In Flames from 1993 until 1997, after which he quit In Flames to support his family with a more stable job. He was fired from multiple...
(then guitarist of In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
) and Fredrik Larsson (bassist of the former Swedish death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Dispatched
Dispatched
Dispatched was a Swedish melodic death metal band from Södertälje formed in 1992.-Biography:Dispatched was formed just before New Year's Eve, 1991 by Daniel Lundberg and Krister Andersson. Jonas Kimbrell and Emanuel Astrom joined the band later that same year...
), replaced them.
All five members played in other bands at the time. Dronjak and Larsson played in Crystal Age; Strömblad and Ljungström played in In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
and Stanne sang for Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene, and are one of the most integral pioneers of the melodic death metal genre of music....
. Both of these bands influenced Swedish melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
. HammerFall was relegated to being a side project of them all for several years. Their concerts were limited mostly to a local music contest named Rockslaget. The band had few songs of their own and played mostly covers from bands such as Pretty Maids
Pretty Maids
Pretty Maids are a Danish heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark. Formed in 1981 by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer. Their sound and music can be described as classic guitar-laden heavy rock with a strong emphasis on melodic elements like vocals and keyboards....
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
and Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
.
In 1996, HammerFall reached the semi-finals of Rockslaget. When Mikael Stanne could not perform with the band in the semi-finals, they found Joacim Cans
Joacim Cans
Joacim Cans is the lead singer of HammerFall, a Swedish power metal band. He is the only member aside from founder and guitarist Oscar Dronjak to appear on all of the band's albums....
, who agreed to play with them for the night. The concert was a success although the judges disqualified HammerFall for the finals. By the end of that day, Joacim had already been made an official member of the band.
Glory to the Brave and Legacy of Kings (1997-1999)
To give more exposure to their work and try for a professional recording deal, a short live performance was recorded and sent to the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
label, Vic Records.http://www.vicrecords.com/ The musicians soon received a deal and spent the whole of the following year writing the album Glory to the Brave
Glory to the Brave
Glory to the Brave is the debut studio album released by the Swedish power metal band HammerFall in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just...
. The album was initially released in the Netherlands and obtained positive feedback; it is also worthy of notice that the band's mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
, the paladin
Paladin (character class)
The Paladin is a character class in Dungeons & Dragons and many later computer and pen and paper role-playing games - many of which were influenced by D&D...
Hector, first appeared on the cover of this album.
As HammerFall grew in popularity, the time available for members of the band to dedicate to other projects became limited. Dronjak and Cans wanted to pursue the path of Hammerfall (Dronjak's Crystal Age had ceased to exist some time ago), but Strömblad and Ljungström were committed to In Flames and Larsson was committed to the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band None. Thus, HammerFall's line-up soon underwent changes. Stefan Elmgren
Stefan Elmgren
Stefan Elmgren was the guitarist of the Swedish power metal band HammerFall from 1997 to 2008.- History :Before becoming a member of HammerFall, he was the guitarist in the band Highlander. Elmgren has also worked with his solo project Full Strike and released one album called "We Will Rise" which...
assumed the lead guitar and Patrik Räfling assumed the drums (they joined the band in the end of 1997 after the release of Glory to the Brave album) and Larsson decided to remain in the band until a suitable replacement for him was found. This happened in May 1997, when bassist Magnus Rosén
Magnus Rosén
Klas Magnus Rosén is a Swedish musician, born 1963 in Gothenburg, and is best known for being the bassist of the Swedish band HammerFall during the years 1997-2007....
joined the band. Stefan Elmgren played some of the guitars on the Glory to the Brave album (such as the acoustic guitars on "I Believe") and Patrik Räfling actually played the drums on all songs in place of Jesper. However, at the time they were considered as guest performers, not members of the band.
In early 1997, German label Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
approached HammerFall with a contract for a European release deal, which included four albums. The deal was accepted and the band proceeded to record their first two music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s — "HammerFall" and "Glory to the Brave". After the release of a promotional single, Glory to the Brave was released throughout Europe. The results were quite unexpected, even after the intense marketing campaign made by Nuclear Blast. The album reached position number 38 on the German Music Chart on the week of its release, something which had never before been achieved by a debut heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
album.
Siding with bands Gamma Ray
Gamma Ray (band)
Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
, Jag Panzer
Jag Panzer
Jag Panzer were an American power metal band from Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Biography:Jag Panzer came together in late 1981, being inspired by the onslaught of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
, Lake of Tears
Lake of Tears
Lake of Tears is a Swedish band, generally considered to play gothic metal and doom metal. However, their sound has evolved considerably over the course of their career, expanding to include psychedelic rock, progressive metal, and, most recently, death metal....
and Raven
Raven (band)
Raven are an English heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".-Formation:...
, several tours through the European continent ensued. The concert on Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
was performed to a crowd of over ten thousand people.
Towards the end of 1997, Glory to the Brave was released in Japan and the United States. Sales of the album reached one hundred thousand copies. HammerFall was also nominated for the Swedish Grammy award in the Best Hard Rock act category.
In February 1998, the recording of Legacy of Kings
Legacy of Kings
Legacy of Kings is the second album from Swedish metal band HammerFall.It was released September 28, 1998 on Nuclear Blast Records.The enhanced CD release included the music video for the track "Let the Hammer Fall", a photo gallery, lyrics for the songs, PC wallpapers & a screensaver, and a...
began. This album was once more written by Joacim, Oscar, and Jesper, who despite having quit the band still took part in the process in order to keep the same general mood of their first release. The album was produced by Fredrik Nordström
Fredrik Nordström
Björn Tom Fredrik Nordström, born on 5 January 1967, is a Swedish record producer and guitar player for the heavy metal band Dream Evil. Nordström is one of the leading melodic death metal producers in Sweden, and he has worked with some of the genre's top acts, including At the Gates, Arch Enemy,...
(from Dream Evil
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a heavy metal band from Sweden, assembled and integrated by renowned musical producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.-Biography:Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone with musical ideals...
) and Oscar, with the help of Joacim. The band spent a total of one and a half months in the studio recording this album.
HammerFall made some expressive concerts before the release of Legacy of Kings, playing in festivals together with bands such as Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
and Stratovarius
Stratovarius
Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
.
Their first world tour took place in October 1998. During the shows in Sweden, Joacim Cans caught a serious throat infection which made it impossible for him to sing. Shortly afterwards, Magnus Rosén was afflicted with the same disease, and after him the whole of HammerFall's support crew became sick. The members of the band played for as long as possible and then were forced to postpone or cancel a few dates. During their passage through South America, HammerFall took a short break to visit the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian beaches, but they soon resumed their tour.
By the end of that tour, drummer Patrik Räfling left the band, and Anders Johansson
Anders Johansson
Anders Johansson is a Swedish musician. He is the son of Jan Johansson, famous jazz pianist and brother of keyboardist Jens Johansson.-Biography:...
, a friend of Magnus Rosén, joined as a touring musician. In the beginning of 1999 he was made a permanent member of the band. Anders had previously worked with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie J. Malmsteen
Yngwie Johann Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Malmsteen became known for his neo-classical playing approach in heavy metal music which became a new musical style in the early 1980s.- Early life :...
on Rising Force
Rising Force
Rising Force is the first studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released in 1984 through Polydor Records. An article in Guitar World magazine ranked the album as first in the all-time top ten list of shred albums.-Track listing:-Personnel:...
in the 80-ties and 90-ties and on a number of other projects; he is the brother of Jens Johansson
Jens Johansson
Jens Ola Johansson is a Swedish power metal keyboardist and pianist. He is notable for his high-speed neoclassical and fusion style.-Biography:...
from Stratovarius
Stratovarius
Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
. He has been praised for his technical and polyrythmical talent, in metal as well as other genres.
Anders father was a famous Swedish jazzmusician who is mostly known for writing the music for Pippi Longstocking and the record "Jazz på svenska" which is the best selling Swedish jazz record of all times. Anders is running a record company, Heptagon Records.
Renegade and Crimson Thunder (2000-2003)
After a long series of concerts, the band returned to Sweden in order to spend time with their families and begin writing songs for their next album. HammerFall made arrangements for this album to be recorded by Michael Wagener, who had previously produced bands such as AcceptAccept
Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
. The recording took eight weeks, and the album was entitled Renegade
Renegade (HammerFall album)
Renegade is HammerFall's third album, the first with drummer Anders Johansson. It was released on October 9, 2000 on the label Nuclear Blast Records. As shown in the tracklist, the founding guitarist of In Flames and former founding member of HammerFall, Jesper Strömblad, was co-writer of several...
. The switch from producer Fredrik Nordström to Wagener was met with skepticism from the media in general. However, after the release, critics were mostly positive, even though there was a consensus that the band's sound was remarkably different. A music video by director Roger Johansson was created for the song "Renegade" and reached the top of the Swedish parade; the same soon happened with the album itself, which reached gold status with over forty thousand copies sold.
Oscar stated on www.metalrules.com just prior to the release of 'Renegade' that they were going for a more "commercial" sound in order to attract a broader audience that otherwise would have been lost to them and that future albums wouldn't follow in this mold.
The band's second world tour began in January 2001. Concerts from this tour counted with a replica version of the album's cover on stage. It was set up as a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in ruins from which the musicians entered the stage. In total, the tour included almost sixty shows.
The band then released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
entitled The Templar Renegade Crusades
The Templar Renegade Crusades
The Templar Renegade Crusades is a combination of live performances, video clips, interviews, etc., by Swedish Power metal band HammerFall. It was released by Nuclear Blast, first on VHS followed by a DVD release . It includes video footage from recording sessions, live concerts, tour backstages...
, which included video footage from recording sessions, live concerts, tour backstages, and encounters with fans. The footage ranged from the recording sessions of Legacy of Kings to the gold album party which took place in November 2001.
HammerFall then proceeded to record their fourth album — Crimson Thunder
Crimson Thunder
-Personnel:* Joacim Cans - Lead & backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Lead & Rhythm guitars, Backing vocals* Stefan Elmgren - Lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars, Backing vocals...
. Arrangements were made for recording sessions to take place in both JM Studios: from Charlie Bauerfeind
Charlie Bauerfeind
Charlie Bauerfeind is a German sound engineer and producer who has worked mostly with power metal bands such as Angra, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Primal Fear, Rage, HammerFall and Saxon....
, in Wisseloord Studios
Wisseloord Studios
The Wisseloord Studio is a recording studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. It was officially opened on 19 January 1978 by Prince Claus.The studios were founded by electronics company Philips, to enable their PolyGram artists to record in a professional environment. Initially there were three studios,...
— in the Netherlands, and studio Blind Guardian — in Germany, for the bass.
By the end of the recording sessions in 2002, a listening session for the press was held. Overall, the reactions were quite positive, and most seemed to perceive the album as a change for the better from Renegade. A single for the song "Hearts on Fire" was released six weeks prior to the album's launch and remained for weeks on the number one spot on the parades of some European countries. The song also attracted a number of new fans to the band due to its chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
-driven melody and simple riffs coupled with fast guitar solos.
The shooting of the music video "Hearts on Fire" by director Roger Johansson was scheduled for August of that year. The band's plans, however, had to be held back for a week due to an incident that occurred one night. While Joacim was drinking with his girlfriend in a rock club he had been frequenting for over a decade, he was attacked by an unidentified person who hit him in the head with a beer glass and hastily escaped. Joacim instantly lost consciousness and had to be taken to a hospital, in which he underwent plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
and rested for a couple of days. As soon as it became medically possible, he joined the band to record the music video.
In order to promote the release of the band's album in North America, they toured with Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
during November and December 2002. Subsequently, the manager of the band disappeared, taking the entirety of the tour's revenue with him. Despite this the tour was very successful, and proceeded to Europe. Changes were made to the band's stage setting, and many investments were made on fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
and on the presence of the mascot Hector on stage. The scenery on the cover of the single Hearts on Fire was also reproduced and added to the performances. The tour progressed to Japan and then to South America. HammerFall was present on festivals in Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, playing with bands such as Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
, U.D.O.
U.D.O.
U.D.O. is a German heavy metal band founded by lead singer Udo Dirkschneider in 1987.-1987–1992:After Udo Dirkschneider left Accept in 1987, a large fan community followed him to U.D.O....
and Stratovarius
Stratovarius
Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
.
HammerFall's tour was brought to a sudden end when Oscar Dronjak suffered a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident, breaking his left arm and sustaining several minor injuries.
They were then left with no choice but to take a break. Stefan dedicated himself to getting a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
license, Magnus and Anders continued working on their side projects and Joacim began work on his solo album and had his first child. Oscar simply focused on recovering. Together with a group of specialists, he was able to recover to his full capacities. He then joined Anders, Joacim, Stefan again, with bands Helloween
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
, Gamma Ray
Gamma Ray (band)
Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
and Pretty Maids
Pretty Maids
Pretty Maids are a Danish heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark. Formed in 1981 by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer. Their sound and music can be described as classic guitar-laden heavy rock with a strong emphasis on melodic elements like vocals and keyboards....
, amongst others, and played in the celebration of the 20 years of the German rock club Rockfabrik.
Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken and Threshold (2003-2008)
The live album and DVD One Crimson Night was released in February 2003. After two years of hiatus the band released Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, UnbrokenChapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead & backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Guitars & backing vocals* Stefan Elmgren - Guitars* Magnus Rosén - Bass Guitar* Anders Johansson - Drums...
, which was followed by a European and South American tour. A video for the song "Bloodbound" was made by director Roger Johansson.
On October 16 it was reported that HammerFall (along with the band Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
) would be part of the Eurovision song contest. This rumor was refuted by lead singer Joacim Cans only a couple weeks later. Joacim was quoted as saying "So there were no talks whatsoever to be part of this."
Their 6th album, titled Threshold
Threshold (HammerFall album)
*European Digipack and Brazilian releases come with "Natural High" videoclip as bonus.*Bonus tracks for Japan: The Fire Burns Forever , Raise the Hammer .*Limited edition bonus 3" DVD: Natural High, The Fire Burns Forever, Making of 'Natural High'....
, was released on October 20, 2006 and it went directly to a number 1 position on the Swedish charts.
On March 6, 2007, a statement was posted online at HammerFall's official website (and his own official website), that bassist Magnus Rosén would not be involved with the band anymore. The reason for his departure stated that he was unhappy in the band and wants to focus on other projects. On his own website (and therefore with his own official statement) it was announced that Magnus was tired of the simple bassplaying he was forced to play in HammerFall, and that he was unable to bring his own material to the band. He now wants to "be more creative in his career". On April 10 it was announced on the official Hammerfall homepage that the replacement for Magnus is former member Fredrik Larsson, who played bass on the Glory to the Brave album.
Three new songs were recorded for the band's first compilation album. These are "Last Man Standing", "Restless Soul", and "The Abyss". They also rerecorded the Glory To The Brave track "HammerFall". "Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years of Glory
Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years of Glory
Steel Meets Steel: Ten Years of Glory, which was released on October 23rd, 2007, is the first compilation album by the Swedish power metal group HammerFall....
" was released on 12 October 2007.
On April 2, 2008 Stefan Elmgren
Stefan Elmgren
Stefan Elmgren was the guitarist of the Swedish power metal band HammerFall from 1997 to 2008.- History :Before becoming a member of HammerFall, he was the guitarist in the band Highlander. Elmgren has also worked with his solo project Full Strike and released one album called "We Will Rise" which...
announced his decision to leave HammerFall in order to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His replacement is Pontus Norgren
Pontus Norgren
Karl Pontus Norgren is the current guitarist of the Swedish power metal band HammerFall and formerly played guitar for The Poodles.- Biography :...
from The Poodles
The Poodles
The Poodles are a glam metal/heavy metal band from Sweden.They are best known for their hits "Metal Will Stand Tall" and "Night of Passion", the latter of which was played in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 2006....
. On June 27, 2008, the band released the compilation album "Masterpieces
Masterpieces (HammerFall album)
Masterpieces is a compilation album by power metal band, HammerFall.The CD consists of all the cover versions recorded by HammerFall to date plus three new unreleased songs ....
". The album has on it a collection of every song the band has covered, plus three new cover songs previously unreleased. This was Stefan Elmgren
Stefan Elmgren
Stefan Elmgren was the guitarist of the Swedish power metal band HammerFall from 1997 to 2008.- History :Before becoming a member of HammerFall, he was the guitarist in the band Highlander. Elmgren has also worked with his solo project Full Strike and released one album called "We Will Rise" which...
's last release with the band.
No Sacrifice, No Victory and Infected (2009-present)
HammerFall's album No Sacrifice, No VictoryNo Sacrifice, No Victory
- Reception :- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals* Anders Johansson - Drums...
was released in the UK on 23 February 2009. Songs on this album include "Any Means Necessary", "Life is Now", "Punish and Enslave", "Bring the Hammer Down", and a My Sharona
My Sharona
"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboards Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry...
cover. The Album peaked at #38 on the Billboard heatseakers charts.
There is also a music video for the song "Any Means Necessary". To kick off their new album HammerFall toured all over the world in support of their new album No Sacrifice, No Victory
No Sacrifice, No Victory
- Reception :- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals* Anders Johansson - Drums...
. The tour had supporting acts, Powerglove and Echoes of Eternity
Echoes of Eternity
Echoes of Eternity is a band based in Los Angeles. Their debut album The Forgotten Goddess, was released in February 2007 on Nuclear Blast records...
.. In the summer 2010 the band played a couple of high profile festivals throughout europe including Sonisphere Festival
Sonisphere Festival
The Sonisphere Festival is a touring music festival which takes place across Europe between June and August. The festival is owned by John Jackson and Kilimanjaro Live. It is jointly-promoted by K2 and Kilimanjaro Live...
, High Voltage Festival
High Voltage Festival
High Voltage is a music festival held in Victoria Park, London. The event hosts artists from various strands of rock music, including classic rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal. The first festival was held on the 24 and 25 July 2010...
, Metalcamp
Metalcamp
Metalcamp is a heavy metal music festival held annually in Slovenia since 2004.-2004:Danzig, Apocalyptica, Hypocrisy, Sentenced, Primal Fear, Katatonia, Dew-Scented, Dead Soul Tribe, Fleshcrawl, Mnemic, Prospect, Belphegor, Ancient, Destruction, Brainstorm, Dark Funeral, Vintersorg, Finntroll,...
, Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting is an annual metal festival in Dessel, Belgium that has taken place each year since 1996. Despite the small size of the festival grounds the festival draws a large number of international spectators, with a total of 142,000 visitors in the course of the 2011 edition...
and many more. The summer tour was named "Any Festival Necessary".
Hammerfalls 8th album was released on 20 May 2011, under the name Infected
Infected (Hammerfall album)
- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars, keyboards and backing vocals, production* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals, production* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals...
. After several months of recordings in Göteborg, Sweden and Nashville, TN, the new studio album was finally finished on February 19. It was released on May 20 charted well all over Europe. In support of the album the band preformed at many festival's throughout the summer and later announced an European tour. Infected is also the first Hammerfall album not to feature the former mascot, the paladin Hector, on the cover.
Current members
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joacim Cans Joacim Cans Joacim Cans is the lead singer of HammerFall, a Swedish power metal band. He is the only member aside from founder and guitarist Oscar Dronjak to appear on all of the band's albums.... |
1996–present | Lead vocals | All HammerFall releases HammerFall discography To give more exposure to their work and try for a professional recording deal, a short live performance was recorded and sent to the Dutch label, Vic Records. HammerFall soon received a deal and spent the whole of the following year writing the album Glory to the Brave... |
|
| Oscar Dronjak Oscar Dronjak Oscar Fredrick Dronjak is the rhythm and lead guitarist and founder of the Heavy Metal band HammerFall. Prior to the success of HammerFall, he also played and released albums with the death metal acts Ceremonial Oath and Crystal Age.... |
1993–present | Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , backing vocals |
All HammerFall releases HammerFall discography To give more exposure to their work and try for a professional recording deal, a short live performance was recorded and sent to the Dutch label, Vic Records. HammerFall soon received a deal and spent the whole of the following year writing the album Glory to the Brave... |
|
| Pontus Norgren Pontus Norgren Karl Pontus Norgren is the current guitarist of the Swedish power metal band HammerFall and formerly played guitar for The Poodles.- Biography :... |
2008–present | Lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , backing vocals |
No Sacrifice, No Victory No Sacrifice, No Victory - Reception :- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals* Anders Johansson - Drums... (2009), Infected Infected (Hammerfall album) - Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars, keyboards and backing vocals, production* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals, production* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals... (2011) |
|
| Fredrik Larsson Fredrik Larsson For the Swedish musician who gained fame through YouTube, see FreddeGredde.Fredrik Larsson is the current bass guitarist of the Swedish power metal band Hammerfall, which he left in 1997, but rejoined in 2007... |
1994–1997, 2007–present | Bass Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , backing vocals |
Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave is the debut studio album released by the Swedish power metal band HammerFall in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just... (1997), then from Steel Meets Steel (2007) onward |
|
| Anders Johansson Anders Johansson Anders Johansson is a Swedish musician. He is the son of Jan Johansson, famous jazz pianist and brother of keyboardist Jens Johansson.-Biography:... |
1999–present | Drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... |
From Renegade Renegade (HammerFall album) Renegade is HammerFall's third album, the first with drummer Anders Johansson. It was released on October 9, 2000 on the label Nuclear Blast Records. As shown in the tracklist, the founding guitarist of In Flames and former founding member of HammerFall, Jesper Strömblad, was co-writer of several... (2000) onward |
Former members
| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stefan Elmgren Stefan Elmgren Stefan Elmgren was the guitarist of the Swedish power metal band HammerFall from 1997 to 2008.- History :Before becoming a member of HammerFall, he was the guitarist in the band Highlander. Elmgren has also worked with his solo project Full Strike and released one album called "We Will Rise" which... |
1997–2008 | Lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... |
From Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave (song) -Single line-up:* Joacim Cans - Lead & backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Guitars & backing vocals* Stefan Elmgren - Guitars & backing vocals* Magnus Rosén - Bass* Patrik Räfling - Drums-Music videos:... (1997 single) to Masterpieces Masterpieces (HammerFall album) Masterpieces is a compilation album by power metal band, HammerFall.The CD consists of all the cover versions recorded by HammerFall to date plus three new unreleased songs .... (2008) |
| Magnus Rosén Magnus Rosén Klas Magnus Rosén is a Swedish musician, born 1963 in Gothenburg, and is best known for being the bassist of the Swedish band HammerFall during the years 1997-2007.... |
1997–2007 | Bass Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... |
From Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave (song) -Single line-up:* Joacim Cans - Lead & backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Guitars & backing vocals* Stefan Elmgren - Guitars & backing vocals* Magnus Rosén - Bass* Patrik Räfling - Drums-Music videos:... (1997 single) to Threshold (2006) |
| Patrik Räfling | 1997–1999 | Drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... |
From Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave is the debut studio album released by the Swedish power metal band HammerFall in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just... (1997) to I Want Out I Want Out "I Want Out" is a song by the German heavy metal band Helloween from the album Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2, that was released as a single in 1988.... (1999 Single) |
| Jesper Strömblad Jesper Strömblad Clas Håkan Jesper Strömblad is a Swedish musician who is currently the guitarist for the bands Dimension Zero & The Resistance... |
1993–1997 | Drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... |
Song writing on the three first albums and No Sacrifice, No Victory No Sacrifice, No Victory - Reception :- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals* Anders Johansson - Drums... (2009) |
| Glenn Ljungström Glenn Ljungström Glenn Ljungström was the original guitarist of the Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames along with the band's founder, Jesper Strömblad. He was a member of In Flames from 1993 until 1997, after which he quit In Flames to support his family with a more stable job. He was fired from multiple... |
1995–1997 | Lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... |
Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave Glory to the Brave is the debut studio album released by the Swedish power metal band HammerFall in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just... (1997) |
| Mikael Stanne Mikael Stanne Bengt Mikael Stanne is the vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity and the ex-vocalist for Swedish power metal band HammerFall.-Dark Tranquillity:... |
1993–1996 | Lead vocals | None |
| Niklas Sundin Niklas Sundin Niklas Sundin , is a musician best known as the guitarist of bands Dark Tranquillity and Laethora. He also wrote some of the lyrics for the first three and recent two Dark Tranquillity albums and In Flames' album The Jester Race, and... |
1993–1995 | Lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... |
None |
| Johan Larsson | 1993–1994 | Bass Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... |
None |
Discography
Studio albums- 1997: Glory to the BraveGlory to the BraveGlory to the Brave is the debut studio album released by the Swedish power metal band HammerFall in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just...
- 1998: Legacy of KingsLegacy of KingsLegacy of Kings is the second album from Swedish metal band HammerFall.It was released September 28, 1998 on Nuclear Blast Records.The enhanced CD release included the music video for the track "Let the Hammer Fall", a photo gallery, lyrics for the songs, PC wallpapers & a screensaver, and a...
- 2000: RenegadeRenegade (HammerFall album)Renegade is HammerFall's third album, the first with drummer Anders Johansson. It was released on October 9, 2000 on the label Nuclear Blast Records. As shown in the tracklist, the founding guitarist of In Flames and former founding member of HammerFall, Jesper Strömblad, was co-writer of several...
- 2002: Crimson ThunderCrimson Thunder-Personnel:* Joacim Cans - Lead & backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Lead & Rhythm guitars, Backing vocals* Stefan Elmgren - Lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars, Backing vocals...
- 2005: Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, UnbrokenChapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead & backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Guitars & backing vocals* Stefan Elmgren - Guitars* Magnus Rosén - Bass Guitar* Anders Johansson - Drums...
- 2006: Threshold
- 2009: No Sacrifice, No VictoryNo Sacrifice, No Victory- Reception :- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals* Anders Johansson - Drums...
- 2011: InfectedInfected (Hammerfall album)- Personnel :* Joacim Cans - Lead and backing vocals* Oscar Dronjak - Rhythm, lead guitars, keyboards and backing vocals, production* Pontus Norgren - Rhythm, lead guitars and backing vocals, production* Fredrik Larsson - Bass and backing vocals...