Hammerfall – Renegade 2.0
Release Date: 12th November 2021
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Power Metal
FFO: Primal Fear, Dream Evil, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray.
Review By: Jordan Burton-Morris
So, Hammerfall are back with a revamp of their 2000 album Renegade, aptly titled Renegade 2.0! This is great to see. There are a few ways to purchase such an album, including a 3 disc CD/DVD bundle and a marbled grey vinyl! The anniversary remaster has been done by Fredrik Nordström.
So this is a remaster of the old album, the tracks are the same, but they’ve been given a fresh coat of paint to make them stand out even more than they did at the turn of the century (if that’s possible). This album meant the beginning of a new era for HammerFall, as well as for the metal world as a whole, being a very influential album on the genre.
Album opener Templars Of Steel is such an amazing way to kick off such an album, with the pounding bass, the harmonizing guitar solos, the vocals sounding as good as ever – it’s great! This track sounds so much more vibrant and colourful as it did before, bringing it into the year 2021!
Title-track Renegade sounds so much tougher and heavier than it did before. The guitar sounds tighter, the drums have an incredible sound, it just proves that these guys have not lost it over the years. The vocals on here are really quite captivating, with lyrics such as “See the outlaw stands alone beneath the burning sun” and “Renegade, renegade committed the ultimate sin”.
The Champion is another personal favourite. The chugging guitars just suck you in. This is one of the most testing vocal performances, and it pays off! Even being towards the end of the album, it proves that this album is all killer, no filler!
This album rocks! Just like it did all those years ago, but this revamp has brought it to 2021! Frederick Nordström deserves as much credit as the boys from Hammerfall here, as he helped somehow make it sound even better than it did before. This is one for all power metal lovers, especially fans of the band. It showcases how a bit of polish can make something old, feel brand new.
(4.5 / 5)
