Artist: Hammered
Label: Self-released
Release: 2006
Length: 26:05
Rating: 3.8/5
This Italian quintet from Gorizia put out this demo all the way back in 2006, a completely DIY affair, self-released and all. If their travels hadn’t brought them to Ljubljana’s Channel Zero on Metelkova at the end of September this year, I’d never have gotten to know this band, let alone this EP.
These guys aren’t flaky, they’ve got their own “I”, their own riffs, and what draws you into the EP most is the excellent, raw production that makes Hammered sound totally real. The opening track alone is an aggressive seven-minute symphony that sketches out a very pleasing blend of those early thrash metal ingredients, combined brilliantly with bombastic melodies that the two guitarists conjure up with their three-part harmonies. The song is built in a more complex way, split into several motifs, all neatly glued together with melodic transitional passages, and Hammered never lose the thread. A dramatic atmosphere builds gradually through it, enriching the composition nicely. The picture is crafted in detail, and the band keeps the expression going strong, even adding polished multi-part solo exchanges between the two guitarists. The vocals sit in the mid-to-high range, adding an extra dose of melody to the band, and could work very well in a symphonic power metal setting. Here and there you can hear an Italian accent in the English lyrics, but it’s not overdone and doesn’t get in the way. We’ll Met In Hell, a cross between some classic Riot, speed metallers Helstar and early Slayer, is definitely the most thrilling track on the EP and, by its nature, certainly the one that stands out. Here the band once again proves its great sense for lining up many motifs in a coherent way, flowing one into the next through the successful creation of a cataclysmic atmosphere that erupts in full force in the closing section of the song.
Hammered are a happy find. They dug up a little something from the treasure chest of thrash metal’s forefathers like Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, and wove it all into a basic, ossified old-school melodicism that of course comes close to the heavy metal of early Iron Maiden. They get closest to this stew right in the closer, From Paradise To Hell.
“2010…Live the Terror” is an inspiring start for a band that defines Hammered as a group that happily looks back to the roots of metal while following the development of its own ideas. As Italians, they don’t have a milligram of sugar in them, and there’s no trace of the “copy-paste” riff tendencies that have given Italian bands the unfortunate reputation of flattening the world’s competition. This is an aggressive, dramatic fist of dynamite, one that true metal fanatics will bang their heads to without hesitation, spinning into a wild frenzy.
Lineup
Andrà s Csà szà r – vocals
Luca Cicuttin – guitar
Andrea Grasso – guitar
Mario Manganelli – bass
Alfredo Macuz – drums
Production
Hammered
Track list
1. No Time For Us
2. Killing For Money
3. Space Invaders
4. We’ll Meet In Paradise
5. From Paradise To Hell
