Artist: Immortal Hammer
Country: Slovakia
Label: Hexencave Productions / Murderous Music Production / Purity Through Fire / Werewolf Promotion
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2023 / 2024
Somewhere around the early to mid-00’s I developed a bit of fascination of Eastern European Black Metal, bands from Poland and Czechia in particular were the ones that I tried to track down. In these times where internet was not as it is today, it was not always as easy to get my hands on some of the tapes that I thought (or hoped) were interesting enough to actually get. That particular interest was piqued by bands like Veles, Mysteries, Infernum, Maniac Butcher and Inferno. In that wake also came Immortal Hammer from Slovakia, a band that somewhat possessed the same sort of unexplainable gravitation to my rather useful ears.
While most of these bands could all just be described as “just” Black Metal with all the basic clichés of the genre being exploited, yet, they all have a certain compelling charm. It certainly was not only about the piercing riffs, but also about a clear admiration of their native backgrounds in which many of them incorporated a strong Folky and Pagan feel to their musical palette.
In that quest I picked up Immortal Hammer’s ‘Volanie Bohyne Smrti’ 7” EP that was released by Eclipse Productions in the first days of 2003. It was an EP that I had on regular rotation at the time, not only because my collection was still at a modest level, but also because I thought the primal sort of take of the Black Metal genre allured me. Unfortunately, not too long after having “discovered” the band, they decided to throw in the towel, leaving only a moderate discography of a few demos, that one EP and their debut full-length.
Honestly, while I always kept enjoying ‘Volanie Bohyne Smrti’, Immortal Hammer never appeared to my thoughts as a band that should return. Not because I didn’t want them to restart, it just didn’t occur to me that it would be ever in the books. But, somewhere in 2022 the duo that made up Immortal Hammer in the last part of the first incarnation decided to give it another shot. The result of those efforts were canned into the band’s sophomore album, that was released in the summer of 2023, no less than 21 years after the band debuted with ‘V Znamení Perúnovho Kruhu’.
For sure, ‘Kráľovstvo Zimných Démonov’ came to me as a total surprise. The album was released on cassette tape and CD by Unholy Pagan Fire and Murderous Music Production respectively and now, early 2024, gets a well-deserved vinyl treatment through a collective of different labels – of which Purity Through Fire might be the most well-known. Well-deserved because the album does not only mark the return of Immortal Hammer, it is also the best material the band has ever put forward.
In essence, the music of Immortal Hammer has remained largely the same, but the big difference compared to the band’s earlier works, from over two decades ago, is that ‘Kráľovstvo Zimných Démonov’ sounds way more refined and, in a way in a somewhat less nonconformative way. The album showcases the band in a less primitive shape, more strongly incorporating that aforementioned Pagan part of their musical identity, resulting in a more melodious affair than anything the band has ever put to the table. While the result is definitely a thoroughly enjoyable half-hour clocking ride, that recognizable Eastern European DNA has gotten lost a bit in the process or garnering this more organic and overall more mature sound.
One could argue that it is a pity that the band lost a bit of that gnarly and fierce nature of their earliest work, but to me personally ‘Kráľovstvo Zimných Démonov’ feels like a logical step, especially when you keep in mind that the band has tilted their musical heritage into the now, some twenty years later. The melodic riffing, Folky melodies and acoustic strumming fits just seamlessly into that blueprint that they have cemented so many years ago. And, for those who are still sceptical, the lyrics in their mother-tongue still adds that exotic flair and paints them into that much beloved Eastern European/Slavic Black Metal corner.
Cutting a very/too long story short, Immortal Hammer might not have been a band that really changed the course of Black Metal in general, but they certainly were an important force for the development of Extreme Metal in their native Slovakia. And, while listening to those earliest recordings, with an ear that has also aged some 20 years now, and juxtaposing them with this latest piece, one can only come to the conclusion that there is still ample room for Immortal Hammer under the Black Metal constellation of 2024.
