PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Stop! It’s hammer time as Lancashire, UK based Damnation’s Hammer unleash their latest studio album Into The Silent Nebula, but it’s definitely not silent, following their debut album Disciples Of The Hex in May 2013 and Unseen Planets, Deadly Spheres in February 2019.
Released via Massacre Records and featuring stunning artwork by Fred Van Hardeveld, these eight mindblowing songs hit hard and heavy with album opener, ‘Sutter Cane’, featuring a spoken word piece by Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride. A crushing main riff is an early statement of intent for a five (not four) minute warning, for a dense, doomy dirge, punctuated by faster, heavier riffing and a melodically growled lead vocal, pinned down by pneumatic drilled power drum assaults.
‘Do Not Disturb The Watchmaker’ has a sludgy intro, ascending into an even more like morass cloying, multi tempo, pit opening piledriver, turning on its axis for a raging, midway guitar solo, ending on wrist snapping snare work.
‘Outpost 31’ is a magnum opus par excellence, based on the movie ‘The Thing’, with a spoken word intro by Fenriz from Darkthrone as this lengthy headbanger takes no prisoners, as it writhes along, telling a tale of mankind’s folly, by messing with DNA and the horrific consequences it leaves behind. A midway sense of calm precedes razor sharp solos and chilling spoken word outro of “Why don’t we just … wait here a little while … see what happens?”.
The albums title track begins with ear rattling tribal drum patterns, as this brick heavy pounder is my album highlight, as shifting and shuddering grooves are a force of nature.
A mental instrumental comes from ‘The Silent Nebula’. A tolling bell like main riff makes for an hypnotic, unholy dirge, backed by a laid back, but still sharp second riff and metronomic drum patterns, made even more surreal by a spoken word outro by Sakis from Rotting Christ.
As if things couldn’t get any heavier, Godzilla like stomped rhythms threaten to shift our planet off its axis, from unrelenting, but still majestic, monolithic moods as ‘The Call Of The Void’ ends on midway, jarring chords, heralding a gruelling outro.
‘The Hex IV’ is an abrasive, short, but still fulfilling touch of bleak ambience to give this instrumental an unnerving vibe.
The album closes in style as ‘The Moon And The Waters Of Death’ is a claustrophobic skull crusher, as this brain mauling knocks you for six for an almighty clatter, and at the end, the silence is deafening!
Band info, including purchase links to the album are here :- http://linktr.ee/damnationshammer
Damnation’s Hammer band personnel :-
Tim Preston – Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar.
Ady Farnell – Lead Guitar.
Gary Bevan – Drums.
Warren ‘Woz’ Wild – Bass Guitar.
Album track listing :-
Sutter Cane (Featuring spoken word from Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride).
Do Not Disturb The Watchmaker.
Outpost 31 (Featuring spoken word from Norwegian voice Fenriz from Darkthrone).
Into The Silent Nebula.
The Silent Nebula (Featuring spoken word from Sakis from Rotting Christ).
The Call Of The Void.
The Hex IV.
The Moon And The Waters Of Death.
