From Calgary, Canada, Hammerdrone are a new band that features ex-Reverend Kill member Graham Harris whom previously featured in the Scottish metal scene a few years back. This 4 track debut features songs of a style that would please most melodic death metal fans. Insane guitar technicality sweeps back and forth across your sound system to reveal a band that do know a thing or two about arranging and recording a pleasing collection of tracks. Whilst some of the vocal phrasing goes far beyond what I personally like, the standard is both redeeming and consistent. ‘A Demon Rising’ has some sweeping riffs and breakdowns associated with modern technical and even brutal death metal, as the track develops you gain the atmosphere and aesthetics of big name Swedish melo-death monsters, ranging from Dark Tranquility to Amon Amarth (without the Viking connection.

‘Last Stand on Gibraltar’ and ‘Annihilation in Equilibrium’ really lets the melo-death metal fly, the guitar tone and rampant high level of talent clearly defines a band that can hold their own and it is abundantly clear that they have a massive talent for catchy riffs intertwining with many bar raising melody lines. The guitars are what are most redeeming about this effort, even though this is a thoroughbred group effort, I can see this band worthy of mention amongst the many unsigned bands, and Hammerdrone really cut the mustard when it comes to a band producing passionate heavy melodic death metal, this is a band to watch in the future.

(7/10 Paul Maddison)

http://www.hammerdrone.com/