The first fact I read about HAMMERCULT from Israel is that they won the Wacken Metal Battle in 2011. And I wasn’t really sure wether this is a good omen or not. After hearing their second full length album "Steelcrusher", I am pretty sure that it wasn’t… The artwork and the introducing ‘Hymn To The Steel’ hinted on damn fuckin’ true Metal with all the cliches you’d expect and, honestly said, want to hear. But then the title track proved me wrong and worse. Sounds like CHILDREN OF BODOM, but on a lower level and without those crazy keyboards. The vocal delivery strikingly reminds of this typical high pitched shouting of Mr. Laiho, the thrashy background shouts are as similar… And the music is just the same style. Fast, high speed Death Metal with lots of guitar melodies, breaks and drums played with a lead foot. In fact, CHILDREN OF BODOM are a very original and sometimes pretty enjoyable band, but I don’t think that the world really needs a subprime copy of this band. Especially because this copy has nothing new to add to the sound of the original, not even passion and feeling. And the waiver of keyboards cuts a lot of excitement out of the music. Before you get me wrong: HAMMERCULT are not really bad, they are skillful musicians and the songs aren’t that bad… It’s just that they are completely unoriginal and pass me by on the most left lane of a six-lane-road with the speed of sound. Need a highlight? Maybe it’s ‘We Are The People’ with its MAIDENesque guitars, maybe it’s the dramatic album closer ‘In The Name Of The Fallen’. But those are the only songs on "Steelcrusher" that are worth mentioning. For more, check: www.hammercult.com, www.facebook.com/hammercult or www.spv.de