Given how undeniably dense the very whole of the underground is in its modern form, it’s not unreasonable for us to come across more than a couple bands every so often that simply refuse to fall neatly into any given category when it comes to style and performance. It hasn’t been since the likes of Inter Arma that I’ve found myself truly stumped by a band that denies all forms of genre-fication, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before another would come around to properly melt my brain. Hammers of Misfortune was not the name I was expecting, but with a revamped line-up and an approach that I can’t liken to anything I’ve heard before, I certainly am not complaining about this creation that’s the very definition of a surprise.

Immediately, my first impressions are to tag an album like this that’s so hard to pin down, and I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps it’s some form of human nature to try and place things as neatly as possible into some form of structure so that we can approach it more comfortably and thus process it all in a form that could be seen as somewhat more digestible. It’s clear that Hammers of Misfortune sought to indeed defy any such notions with the ten tracks of their first album in six years, “Overtaker”. Wholly unlike anything that I’ve heard before with a sound that takes bits from all over including progressive and thrash elements that are constantly sharing the spotlight even as there’s a clear use of off-kilter psychedelia thrown into the mix for maximum effect, I would dare anyone to compare this creation side-by-side with anything else in recent times. There isn’t so much as a single minute in the entirety of this record that is quite like anything else both within and without as “Overtaker” is almost too eager to take on a life all on its own as not only does this collective refuse to sit in one place for long to sate not only their musical curiosity, but it fulfills something on a spiritual level that is very rare to see ascertained to such a degree as what we see here. This is what means to create something that is wholly your own with there being very few that can ever hope to hold a candle to what you’ve achieved here with the end result of “Overtaker” something that those under the name of Hammers of Misfortune should be immensely proud of.

Efforts like this are the very definition of “few and far between”. There is very little that can come close to what has been crafted here without an immense stretch of the imagination, putting Hammers of Misfortune in a very special league that is incredibly exclusive, but the question still remains whether or not this collective will be able to continue this wonder going forward. No matter what path lays ahead of the collective, though, whether it’s along this same road or to entirely different territories altogether, there’s no way to deny the grandeur that was brought together to make “Overtaker” an unyielding reality with its finest moments some of the most unique that the underground has seen in some time.

“Overtaker” releases on December 2nd!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Overtaker” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Hammers of Misfortune on Facebook here.