Live Review: Templars Unite! HammerFall Brings the Power to Sydney – Spotlight Report
Imagine waiting 28 years for your favourite heavy metal band to make the trip to Aus. Now imagine baring witness to a room full of people who have been waiting 28 years for their favourite heavy metal band to make the trip to Aus… the same band who plays at huge European festivals like Wacken Open Air, to crowds of 80,000+.. now playing in the small but perfectly formed Manning Bar. EPIC! That’s HammerFall!
How they didn’t blow the roof off the place is anyone’s guess!
The energy was palpable as the legends took to the stage with an erratically passionate ‘cyclone’ of fans taking shape on the floor, gathering momentum, speed and more audience throughout the set! Opening with Avenge the Fallen, through the red stage lighting you could begin to see details like the drum kit draped in chains, a Jason Halloween hockey mask secured to the front. By Hammer High, lead singer Joacim Cans began to speak to the eagerly awaiting crowd. After receiving their instructions, each person raised their arm like a mini hammer, ready to give it their all.
After Last Man Standing, Cans asked what was taken as a pretty controversial question, ‘Who here will be the last man standing??’ met with some boos he repeated the question, quickly changing it to ‘Who here will be the last woman standing?’ A swift glance around the room confirmed there were a lot of women in attendance, all looking a little over it. Cans spoke again, providing context that genuinely when they play in Europe there are very few women at their gigs. Let Australia set the record straight!
Wrapping up the set with fan favourites Hail to the King and Hearts on Fire, the band stayed on stage to a rapture of applause and cheers. The intimacy of the small venue and ride or die audience likely transporting them back in time and hopefully cementing Australia on the map for the next tour!
If you haven’t heard HammerFall before, please check them out. They are your guide to quintessentially great heavy metal with the big riffs, the synchronised moves, the long hair, beards and enough hardware on their denim vests to sink them to the bottom of the harbour should they decide to take a swim!
HammerFall are yet another example of Swedish heavy metal excellence of which there are too many to mention.. Pretty special for a country with less than half the population of Australia!
HammerFall were supported by Perth’s Silent Knight and Brisbane based Valhalore. If you’re looking for a Celtic tin whistle meets Metal sound, then Valhalore’s ‘Ceilidh-core’ might be the one for you! If you close your eyes for a moment and listen, you can imagine being in a large dining hall, stamping your feet, raising your drink and dancing a jig, celebrating victories on the battlefield. With new single, Horizon out now the band are looking to headline their own tour later this year. Grab your tickets and go enjoy a really quite powerful experience.
There is only one more chance on this tour to see Cans, Dronjak, Norgren, Larsson and Wallin do what they do best – that’s tonight, January 19 in Brisbane.
But don’t worry too much, if you missed them now they know they make Australia rock, they will be back!!
