HAMMERCULT – Legends Never Die
Showcasing what this Israeli born, German-living death/thrash band lives for musically, Hammercult issue a tribute EP "Legends Never Die" which comes in a 5 song format digitally, or 8 songs on CD-digipack and vinyl versions with 3 of their own songs included as a bonus. The choices on tap include "Fast as a Shark" (Accept), "Ace of Spades" (Motörhead), "Soldiers of Hell" (Running Wild), "No Rules" (GG Allin) and "Evil Has No Boundaries" (Slayer) – given an abrasive run through, especially in terms of vocalist’s Yakir Shochat’s caustic larynx and lungs. Plug in and play, these versions do not taint the originals and could expose Hammercult’s following to maybe reach back into the archives for some classic records.
As you can hear from the original songs like "Rise of the Hammer" and "Let the Angels Burn", the band’s no nonsense thrash/death attack goes for the jugular and never relinquishes energy from the first riff to the last drum hit. Good stop-gap EP pick up while we await album number four.