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CRAZY HAMMER
Roll The Dice

M & O Music (2022)
Rating: 8/10

I’ve always had a passion for rich-sounding metal, and by that I mean gravelled vocals, fiery production and enchanting dynamics. Crazy Hammer, from France, provides such qualities.

Roll The Dice is the second album from this band which, believe it or not, were floating around at the tail end of the 80s. So it’s a shame that they never issued any records back then as I would have definitely jumped aboard.

This is the sort of heart-warming slab of metal that makes you cast aside the glut of teenage metal pretenders, because this opus is the real deal. As each track glides by the flames grow higher, bolstered by the enriched tones of frontman Didier Delsaux.

Opener ‘Wondering’ sets the bar high, nonchalantly striding in with that big bass groove and that percussive nod and you can just feel the heat coming off this composition. Meanwhile, the title track is wonderfully infectious, majestically displaying its power and grace. And those are the two words I keep coming back to when describing this solid metal showcase.

While there’s one foot in the 80s, no doubt down to the band’s experience, there’s still that energy and enthusiasm. The powerhouse strut of ‘Walking Over You’, the galloping ‘Another Way’, the rumbling ‘Never Show’ and the fizzing thrash escapades of ‘Believe A Word’ showcase the versatility of this band. But in whatever style, the metal remains steely and serious, doused in flames and sparking with electricity.

The second half of the record is equally satisfying with such cool cuts as the driving force of ‘Spread Your Wings’ and the power metal thump of ‘We Fight’.

Crazy Hammer is another gem of a band that remains criminally overlooked in an over-saturated world, but if, like me, you’re a fan of sizzling molten metal dripping with big choruses and solid rhythms, then dive in.

Neil Arnold

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