Rock In Review

Hammerfall - Masterpieces
Nuclear Blast Records

* * * * 1/2
4 1/2 Stars

Hammerfall has done it again! Technically, this is the first time they’ve put together an album constructed of all their covers (including a few that were previously unreleased), but Masterpieces should not be looked at as any less of an album than any of Hammerfall’s other great albums. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve reviewed or even heard an album that was all covers, but you can’t go wrong with Hammerfall. Masterpieces is made up of an all-star track list that has songs by bands including Judas Priest, KISS, Skid Row, Twisted Sister, Dio, Helloween, and many more! The overall final product of this album is excellent, but there are a few songs in particular I really like. Most of these songs are on the list because I’ve heard their original recordings and I like the way the cover came out. The songs are “Breaking the Law” (Track 10), “Detroit Rock City” (Track 13), “Youth Gone Wild” (Track 17), and “Child of the Damned” (Track 1). “Child of the Damned is the one on the list that I’ve never heard the original recording (originally recorded by Warlord), but I really like the way it sounds. If I had no idea that this was a cover, I would swear that this was written by Hammerfall in the first place. “Breaking the Law” (originally recorded by Judas Priest) is on the list because of the great way it turned out and the fact that the band members switched instruments to give the recording a special feel. This cover in particular was hard for the band since everyone knows the original sound, but I think it sounds great either way. Once again, the overall final product of Masterpieces is awesome and I definitely recommend it to any Hammerfall fans like myself!

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