| Hammer of The North | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Grand Magus | ||
| Released | June 18 2010 | |
| Recorded | January - February 2010 at Studios 301 in Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Genre | Heavy Metal | |
| Length | 47:52 | |
| Label | Roadrunner Records | |
| Producer | Nico Elgstrand | |
| Grand Magus chronology | ||
| Iron Will (2008) |
Hammer of The North (2010) |
The Hunt (2012) |
Hammer of The North is the fifth studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band Grand Magus. Recorded through the Winter of early 2010 at 301 Studios, it would be released on 18 June 2010 in Europe, 21 June 2010 in the UK and 22 June 2010 in North America.
Hammer of the North would notably be the band's only studio album with major label Roadrunner Records, whom they would sign with in late 2009.[1] It would also be the last album with Sebastian Sippola on drums and the first with longtime producer Nico Elgstrand.
Background[]
Work would begin on a fifth studio album in the Fall of 2009 to which the band would begin writing and stating the following: "Ever since the release of 'Iron Will', we have been on what seems like and endless roller coaster ride, filled with great gigs, awesome response from magazines and most importantly from you, our listeners. We never knew there were so many of you out there. Especially gratifying is the fact that you all seem to fucking understand what we want to put across, which makes it worth so much more. It has been a fantastic year and a half! Our goal now is to top this for 2010. We aim to make an even better album and gigs. We can't wait to get the metal out there to you.
"At the moment we are writing new songs and generally spending a lot of time locked in our rehearsal space. The atmosphere when we get together is electric and we have already come up with some killer stuff. We feel strong and confident."[2]
On 4 December 2009 it would be announced that Grand Magus would sign with major label Roadrunner Records.[3] Recording would begin in January 2010 with producer Nico Elgstrand[4] and would be finished by the next month.[5] In March details on the album would begin to surface including the track list and artwork,[6] followed by "I, The Jury" being released on 31 March 2010.[7] A music video would be released for "Hammer of The North" in June 2010, followed by a second video, for the song "At Midnight They'll Get Wise".[8][9]
Hammer of the North would see release in June 2010, peaking at #73 on the Austrian Charts[10] and #42 on the German Charts. Hammer of The North would see praise from numerous publications such as Blabbermouth (8.5/10),[11] Metal Temple (8/10),[12] Fury Rocks (9.6/10),[13] Stormbringer (4.5/5),[14] Angry Metal Guy[15] and Your Last Rites[16] among others. Metal Hammer would award a perfect 7/7 score and be awarded "Album of The Month" in their July issues.[17]
Tracklist[]
Grand Magus - At Midnight They'll Get Wise
Grand Magus - Hammer Of The North OFFICIAL VIDEO
- 1. I, the Jury (4:15)
- 2. Hammer of The North (5:13)
- 3. Black Sails (5:08)
- 4. Mountains Be My Throne (3:46)
- 5. Northern Star (4:19)
- 6. The Lord of Lies (6:14)
- 7. At Midnight They'll Get Wise (3:45)
- 8. Bond of Blood (4:44)
- 9. Savage Tales (4:42)
- 10. Ravens Guide Our Way (5:52)
- 11. Crown of Iron (Japanese Bonus Track)
Personnel[]
- JB - Guitar, Lead Vocals
- Fox - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Seb - Drums
- Nico Elgstrand - Engineer, Producer
- Ian Agate - Assistant Engineer
- Jens Bogren - Mixing
- George Marino - Mastering
- Linda Åkerberg - Photography
- Necrolord - Artwork
External Links[]
References[]
| V·T·E Grand Magus | |
|---|---|
| Current Members | Janne Christoffersson • Mats Heden • Ludwig Witt |
| Past Members | Fredrik Liefvendahl • Sebastian Sippola |
| Studio Albums | Grand Magus • Monument • Wolf's Return • Iron Will • Hammer of The North • The Hunt • Triumph and Power • Sword Songs • Wolf God |
| Misc. Releases | Demo Two Thousand • It's Over / Twilight Train |