HJALLARHORN – New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal

Hjallarhorn is a Norwegian band that so far has three demo releases under their belt, with New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal being the latest. This most recent output from the foursome is five tracks in length, with three new songs and two remastered bonus tracks; these bonus songs are taken from Hjallarhorn’s prior demos, Six Track Metal Attack and Trilogy Of Lightning.

As you can tell from the title of this disc, Hjallarhorn are/were big fans of the original New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement, which saw lots of British Metal bands fighting for attention during the early 1980s, some of whom went on to long, prosperous careers and are still popular today. Hjallarhorn looks to bring back the classic Metal to a new generation of listeners, with their time-tested, throwback sound.

Hjallarhorn’s style of Metal is definitely that of another generation, when the Heavy music landscape was undergoing an important shift; you’ll definitely feel like it’s the early 1980s all over again as you listen to New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal. Modern-day production values aside, these songs easily feel like they could have been recorded 25 years ago.

Hjallarhorn is certainly an “old-school” Metal band, but at the same time they have their own sound and can’t really be accused of ripping any of their mentors off; sure, they might have some similarities to bands like early-era Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Saxon, but their songs still sound fresh and fun. The riffs are big, loud, and Thrashy, the choruses are “shout it out” catchy, the solos are in all the right places, and there’s plenty of rough energy and attitude to go around. Throw in some motorcycles and leather jackets, and this is the foundation of “classic” Heavy Metal, and Hjallarhorn does a solid job of reminding people of this fact.

New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal is a fun listen, but it’s a bit short, especially if you’ve heard either of Hjallarhorn’s earlier discs. Then again, it is a demo, not a full release. The three new songs – “The Changeling,” “Murder,” and “Eye Of The Storm” – are all solid stompers, with “Eye Of The Storm” a nine-minute shot at an epic song; with its punishing guitar work and pounding momentum does a pretty good job of being big, even throwing in a nicely-done keyboard passage towards the end.

The bonus tracks here are pretty solid too: “Iron Clad Soldier” definitely would have been an arena anthem for someone back in the day.

New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal is a solid throwback to another era, with Hjallarhorn paying proper – and loud – tribute to the bands that inspired them.