Hammerfall have had plenty of lineup changes since 1993, and 2009's
No Sacrifice, No Victory finds the Swedish headbangers unveiling yet another new lineup. This time, the participants are
Joacim Cans on lead vocals,
Oscar Dronjak and
Pontus Norgren on guitar, Fredrik Larsson on bass, and
Anders Johansson on drums; guitarist
Stefan Elmgren is gone, and so is bassist
Magnus Rosen. But despite all the personnel changes that
Hammerfall have experienced along the way, their sound hasn't changed much -- and on
No Sacrifice, No Victory, they maintain their 1970s/1980s-based power metal orientation. A title like
No Sacrifice, No Victory is as stereotypically power metal as it gets, and larger-than-life offerings such as "Legion," "By Any Means Necessary," and "Punish and Enslave" don't run away from power metal's dungeons-and-dragons stereotypes. In fact,
Hammerfall's 2009 lineup enthusiastically embraces those stereotypes -- and while the results are predictable, they are inspired more often than not.
No Sacrifice, No Victory's most surprising track is an unexpected cover of
the Knack's 1979 hit "My Sharona";
Hammerfall take the song out of new wave and place it in pop-metal of the
Kiss/
Quiet Riot/
Ratt variety. "My Sharona" is the only thing on this 49-minute CD that isn't power metal, and it's an enjoyable departure from the rest of the album.
No Sacrifice, No Victory isn't
Hammerfall's best or most consistent release, but there are more strong tracks than weak ones -- and many die-hard
Hammerfall fans in Europe will no doubt acquire the disc simply because it is by
Hammerfall. ~ Alex Henderson