HammerFall

HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band formed in Gothenburg in 1993 by guitarist Oscar Dronjak. The project began as a deliberately contrarian side venture at a moment when Sweden's scene was dominated by death and black metal, aiming to write unashamedly melodic, anthemic songs in the tradition of Judas Priest and Accept. The decisive change came in 1996 when Joacim Cans stepped in on vocals and was made permanent the same day. The 1997 debut Glory to the Brave reached No. 38 on the German charts and is widely credited with kick-starting the late-1990s revival of traditional heavy and power metal. Renegade (2000) went to No. 1 in Sweden; Crimson Thunder (2002) yielded "Hearts on Fire," still their signature song. After a brief hiatus, (r)Evolution (2014) debuted at No. 1 in Sweden. Built to Last (2016) marked their move to Napalm Records, followed by Dominion (2019), Hammer of Dawn (2022) and Avenge the Fallen (2024). With thirteen studio albums, HammerFall remain one of European power metal's most durable names.