Label : Metal Blade Records

Review By Tony Cannella

The fourth and final of the Hammers of Misfortune re-issues by Metal Blade is "Fields/Church of Broken Glass", originally released in 2008. This San Francisco based band has really perfected their Avant-Garde/Progressive Metal sound, and with this album their progression continues. The organ heavy opening track, "Agriculture" gets things off to an excellent start. Right away, the organ on this track reminds me a bit of Ken Hensley’s work in early Uriah Heep. This track is a great opener and a good way to begin things. Next is "Fields", this track features only the female lead vocals. The third track, "Motorcade" quickly became my favorite. This song features an infectious melody, a cool riff and excellent vocals. Other highlights include: the 8-minute, "Almost (Left Without You)", the 11-minute "Butchertown" and "The Gulls". The end result of "Fields/Church of Broken Glass" is quite a monumental opus. It has been cool to see how Hammers of Misfortune has progressed from album-to-album. The band is currently working on their debut for Metal Blade which should be out in 2011. Until then, these four re-issues will have to hold us over.

Rating – 91/100

Tracklist

1. Agriculture
2. Fields
3. Motorcade
4. Haruspex
5. Rats Assembly
6. Always Looking Down
7. Too Soon
8. Almost (Left Without You)
9. Butchertown
10. The Gulls
11. Church of Broken Glass
12. Train

Line Up

• Sigrid Sheie – Organ, Piano, Vocals, Flute
• John Cobbett – Guitar
• Patrick Goodwin – Guitar, Vocals
• Jesse Quattro – Vocals
• Ron Nichols– Bass
• Chewy Marzolo – Drums

Links

Hammers Of Misfortune Official MySpace

Hammers Of Misfortune Official Site

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