Discarding our robes to venture back into the grime-covered city, we make our way into the underbelly of...
#9
Hammers of Misfortune - 17th Street
Seemingly the darlings of the mainstream press, Hammers of Misfortune are routinely overlooked by our bread and butter (anything with “metal” in the URL) instead lauded by the US National Public Radio of all places. They draw upon funereal doom as dark and foreboding as mahogany caskets resting inside pitch black hearses, soaring British New Wave pomp and pageantry, accursed piano driven dark cabaret in addition to plethora of other eclectic influences, crafting yet another sprawling and genuinely entrancing work. The songwriting sounds ambitious and impenetrably precise; a lesser collective of musicians could only aspire to butchery in contrast to HoM’s inspired finesse. Careful attention is given to production; each track taking on its own unique character yet slotting in perfectly like a chapter in a chilling yet suspenseful mystery novel. Former Slough Feg guitarist John Cobbett and his accomplished company lovingly nurse the concept album back into its robust prime, layering sonorous guitar lines and counterpointed vocals that pay their respects to – but by no means shamelessly rip off – the greats of the past. It has been some time since a high concept record had the balls to tell a thought provoking story and just flat out rock.
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The Top 10 of 2011