HAMMERFALL: New Album To Feature Appearance by VENOM Frontman

HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"As promised, elesewhere on the site you will find the cover to our upcoming single 'Blood Bound', to be released worldwide at the end of January. Now, onto the details about the album. Here's the complete and final tracklist:

"Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken"

01. Secrets
02. Blood Bound
03. Fury Of The Wild
04. Hammer Of Justice
05. Never, Ever
06. Born To Rule
07. The Templar Flame
08. Imperial
09. Take The Black
10. Knights Of The 21st Century

"I'll try to describe its contents for you. The production is ten times more powerful than last time, and there's more energy in the performance than we've ever managed to get in a studio before. Playingwise, we have grown a lot; this is a much more coherent unit than on any other HAMMERFALL release. The songs, then, are as diverse as you have come to expect of us, and with a few twists and turns to keep your attention 100% throughout. Some, like 'Hammer Of Justice' and 'Born To Rule' are classic HAMMERFALL songs, whereas others, like 'Secrets' and the epic 'Knights Of The 21st Century' contain stuff we've not really done before. There you have it, 'Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken' in a nutshell. I feel very strongly for this release, a feeling only growing by time, it seems. I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am with the outcome of this session, and I know the others agree. It's like we're on the brink of something big.

"Anyway, onto the next item: the very special guest on the recording. He is a bloke from England — Newcastle, I believe — who gave me goosebumps from listening to his powerful voice in the Eighties, who is the grandfather of the black metal movement and a true icon in extreme metal today. I am of course talking about none other than the high priest himself, Mr. Conrad 'Cronos' Lant from VENOM! We have collaborated with a lot of musicians in the past, many of them who has had a more direct influence on our sound than him, but the unexpectedness and sheer coolness of this goes beyond everything. I simply never even played with the thought of the mighty Cronos appearing on a release of ours. It was unthinkable! But the passages in the lyrics wich suited his talents magnificently, the aura he brings to the record-closing track is a vital part of its dynamics. In short: thank you, Conrad, for injecting the song with what it needed to reach previously unscaled HAMMERFALL heights!

"More news: another show has been confirmed, in Slovenia. HAMMERFALL will appear at Metal Camp in Tolmin, on June 24th. The festival also features bands like PRIMAL FEAR, DANZIG, SENTENCED and DESTRUCTION. Find out more at this location.

"This coming Friday, December 17th, Swedish viewers will be able to see Stefan and myself on ZTV-nytt. We will be in Stockholm during Thursday to film an interview for the last ZTV-nytt to air in a few months as well as other promotional stuff.

"Lastly, we will unveil the cover of the album here as well in the coming weeks, it has just been completed by Samwise Didier. While I won't be stupid enough to repeat the mistake of thinking everyone working with us would adhere to our wishes, I will nevertheless make my best effort to make sure you see it here first. Stay tuned!"