Well, it's good to see the band Light Force back together after all these years. Wait a minute, what's that you say? This isn't a Light Force album? This is a Mortification album? No, that can't be. Mortification is the ultra-heavy death metal/grindcore band from down under. This is a CD of classic power metal, reminiscent of Iron Maiden. No, this has to be Light Force.
Wait up. After inspecting the CD cover it appears that yes, this is a Mortification album. Sigh. Maybe I should resign myself to the fact that maybe the longed for older Mortification sound is never coming back. Seems they've found a niche in the classic power metal category on Hammer of God, although I seem to feel a bit cheated. Yes the metal riffs are hook-heavy, and just as atmospheric as Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time album, especially on opener "Metal Crusade". The over-all thrash element shows up all over the bloomin' place, especially on "Martyrs", "In The Woods" and "Hammer Of God". "Lock Up The Night" and "A Pearl" have a heavy-ended plod along near-doom feel to the classic metal mixture. But, by the Hairy Hordes of Hogarth, does there need to be a cheesy anthem on every CD now? I am of course, referring to "D.W.A.M.", which stands for Daniel Was A Mosher. The "Medley"'s okay, with a bunch of classic early Mortification tunes revamped to the let's just say, current sound and bits of 'em pieced together to make one hunky-dory CD filler. And speaking of fillers, Triumph of Mercy is arguably the front runner for Worst Album In The Band's History. There's no need for pointless demo versions of that album's songs here. And, just in case you have a hankerin' for some karaoke time, there's an instrumental of "Metal Crusade" thrown in for good measure.
All I'm asking is, could you guys please change the name of the band to reflect the different sound? Or at least redesign the logo. The one used on Blood World seems right. Ah, well. At least Hammer of God brings me back to my pimple-ridden Junior High School days. . .
7/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #78Reviewed by Doug Van PeltMortification has played a true tribute to the classic metal sounds that influenced it from the beginning. What we first heard on Blood World comes out more prominently here, but it's played so aggressively and tight that it beats the "old school" criticism to death. The album has good songs on it. The guitar tones bite a la Iron Maiden, the vocals are less grindy, but still close to the Steve…Art for the Ears 1999Reviewed by Marco PovervestThe mortified guys are back with a hammering thrash-album. Wow, start the first tune with powerful thrash (Metal Crusade). New here are the keyboards which add so much more atmosphere. The guitar comes clearly out of the mix so that's good. It's an aggressive song with a great guitarsolo. I only think the song could have been shorter. I didn't know Mortification could be this good nowadays, you…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Justin W. JonesGet ready for a trip back metal lane. But the real trip is your tour guide--he looks like he's stuck in the eighties, he plays like he's stuck in the eighties, but I'm glad he's in the nineties. Yes, Mortification has released yet another album. Right from the start you get the metal fix you've been craving for so long, but you may question if you really wanted it in the first place. Steve Rowe…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by SFhxcSFI've heard a lot of bad things about this album. I don't know why. I know it's not grind and I know it's disappointing (R.I.P. old Embodyment). But this cd does not suck by any stretch of the mind. It's not brutal but it's metal! And we love metal! If you've read my other Mortification review...I think Morty's lyrics are cheesy and don't feel great need to comment, sorry. I do love…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by SORGThis is the 9th full length CD from Steve Rowe and company, not to mention a couple of live eps, a best of compilation, a rare import, and some stuff Steve done back in the late 80s with his band Lightforce. Steve Rowe has been through the fires of Hell and is here to tell about it! He has successfully won a war against Leukemia (cancer of the bones and blood stream), even though at one point the…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by FletchOuch. I give Mortification an E for effort. However, the glory days of Scrolls of the Megilloth are long gone. From the vague memories I carry of EnVision EvAngelene, this is somewhat of a step up in some areas, but an even further decline in others. Steve's personal classic metal tastes are showing through more than ever. The solos and riffs on this cd are pretty, well actually, extremely…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by MuchTo be honest I have had zero interest in this band for years, other than the question of "have they ventured back into the land of brutality yet"? SIGH Not now and I fear never again. I did have a bit of interest upon hearing that keyboards were going to be used on this release. This new amenity ended up being an enmity because they sounded so "lite & airy" that it made Morty sound even weaker. A…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by D_ListerI guess the thing that upsets me most about this album is simply that there was so much potential here it's not funny. Many secular death heads know who Mortification is, and with the influence, not to mention affluence of Metal Blade, Mortification stood a good chance of having seriously turned a lot of people on to Christian metal. Sadly their debut release on Metal Blade is a FAR cry from what…Similar sounding releases
1998ExtolBurial
1997Theocracy A.D.Welcome to our Island
2001AmosGothic Soul
2003TourniquetWhere Moth And Rust DestroySeraphDemo
2000FeezelLife Moves OnMore from Mortification
1996EnVideon (Video)
1996The Best Of... Five Years
1995Primitive Rhythm Machine
1992Scrolls of the Megilloth
1994Blood World
1993Live Planetarium (Video)
