Artist: Deathhammer
Country: Norway
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2025
When Deathhammer started to emerge from the underground, right after the release of the demos and with the first EP, ‘Forever Ripping Fast’ (2008), I remember that these Norwegians were hardly taken seriously. Although Black Metal-fuelled Heavy Metal (or vice versa) has never really been away and always retained a strong underground following, the musical climate in which they were born wasn’t quite ideal. Around that time people increasingly started looking at the slowly approaching old school Death Metal explosion.
Yet, now we are here. Almost two decades later, and Deathhammer obviously is still around, in fact the band is now hailed as one of Norway’s finest musical export products for those into Extreme Metal. And although lots of people now enjoying their music were still in their infancy when Deathhammer started, the band hasn’t aged a bit over those twenty years. Well, on a musical level, at least. When the band started demoing, their take on the metal genre was already “old fashioned” and harkened back to the mid 80’s, and that is still very much the case.
Deathhammer indeed is a stubbornly steadfast band, stoically marching forward doing their own thing. But, ‘Crimson Dawn’ shows a tiny little step into a “new” territories. The cover artwork for ‘Crimson Dawn’ is a clear departure from their rather typical 80’s Heavy Metal styled past, and that cover art is a good reflection of how the record sounds. Before we elaborate on this, it is important to mention that there has been absolutely no drastic change in style. However, there is sufficient reason to devote a few words to this.
No radical changes, but compared to the previous output, ‘Crimson Dawn’ feels largely like a bit of a more vicious record. A bit more sharp in sound and texture, with a colder production. In short, this album has a stronger Black Metal connotation. From all of the previous output, ‘Crimson Dawn’ being Deathhammer’s sixth full-length, this new offering is definitely the one that feels closest to, say, that glorious early work of Aura Noir. Yet, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to enjoy for those who especially loved Deathhammer’s falsetto screams and wild Heavy Metal leads. Perhaps a little less exuberant, but all of the trademark Deathhammer elements are present, albeit to a greater or lesser extent.
As a result, ‘Crimson Dawn’ feels like a more well-rounded and composed record. I am aware that words like “a mature album” are basically not done in this style, but in fact, that is exactly what Deathhammer delivered here. Compared to the band’s earliest goings, this album is a bit more measured and it is clear that the duo has gained a lot of experience since their inception in 2005. Whether or not ‘Crimson Dawn’ is one of the band’s best records depends on your perception and personal preference. Obviously there will be people who will forever stick to wild energy and the charming disorder of the aforementioned ‘Forever Ripping Fast’ EP and their ‘Phantom Knights’-debut LP, yet I am 666% sure that none of the band’s following will be disappointed with ‘Crimson Dawn’.
