Returning with their latest call-to-arms, Texas metal warlords Ignitor are once again battle-ready with the release of new album, “Horns and Hammers.”
Another storm-the-gates, metal onslaught, “Horns and Hammers” delivers all the dramatic power and fury that landed previous albums “Haunted by Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “The Golden Age of Black Magick” in the hallowed realms of Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Raven, Dio, Accept and other keepers of the metal creed.
From the title track’s speed-metal war cry and the Maiden-esque “Imperial Bloodlines” to the cowbell-driven “Shattered Crosses” and the seventies inspired heavy metal of “Ferocious the Martyrs” (featuring guest keyboardist Gabriel Guardian of Immortal Guardian) the 11-track “Horns and Hammers” is a mighty mix of classic heavy metal spiked with NWOBHM, thrash, power metal and the atmospheric textures of prog-metal and fantasy.
“We raised the bar high with our last two albums so we couldn’t settle for anything less than a full-on metal assault,” said founding guitarist Stuart “Batlord” Laurence. “We’ve always honored our influences, but we’re also very insistent that our music – first and foremost – sounds like Ignitor. With ‘Horns and Hammers,’ we’ve covered the spectrum of metal and taken Ignitor to a whole new level.”
Fronted by the soaring vocals of Jason McMaster (Watchtower, Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth), Ignitor’s strength is further forged by guitarist Robert Williams, bassist Billy “Chainsaw” Dansfiell and drummer Pat Doyle. Whether charging and pounding like clashing titans (“Dark Horse,” “Chaos Maximus Eternal”) or luring the listener into gothic tales of doom and deceit (“Suicide Anthem,” “Taken Up With Serpents”), Ignitor delivers with shuddering impact.
“Robert brought a ton of songs and riff ideas to the table and Billy had some great ideas that blossomed into full-blown songs,” Laurence said. “Once we started jamming with Pat’s pummeling backbeat, we knew we had something special.”
“As the arrangements started coming together, I found myself completely immersed and inspired to come up with the lyrical themes and characters to carry the songs to completion,” McMaster added. “I’m really proud of the band’s individual and collective contributions, and I think we all agree that ‘Horns and Hammers’ is a triumph by any measure.”
The U.S. version of “Horns and Hammers” adds a ripping cover of Saxon’s classic “Machine Gun” featuring guest vocalist Marc Lopes (Metal Church, Ross the Boss, Let Us Prey) and guest guitarist Ross “The Boss” Friedman (Manowar, The Dictators, Ross the Boss). The European version of “Horns and Hammers” features a live performance of Ignitor’s 2020 track, “Hell Shall Be Your Home.”
The album’s stunning cover art – featuring a medieval warrior and his mighty steed surveying a hellish killing field – comes courtesy of renowned fantasy/sci-fi artist Claudio Bergamin whose credits include Judas Priest (“Firepower”), Burning Witches (“The Witch of the North”), Cassius King (“Field Trip”) and Klassik ’78 (“Phantoms”), among others.
Produced and mastered by Stuart “Batlord” Laurence at Emphatic Audio in Austin, TX, “Horns and Hammers” was mastered for vinyl by Cris Burns. “Hell Shall Be Your Home” was recorded live in Austin TX. at Kick Butt Coffee, 2019 and engineered by Ernie Basaldua with mixing by Stuart "Batlord" Laurence.
“Horns and Hammers” is available in Europe, Australia, and Asia on CD through Metal on Metal Records, and on vinyl through Metal World Records. It is available on CD and vinyl in North and South America through Revolt Vinyl Records. “Horns and Hammers” is also available for streaming and downloading at Bandcamp via Metal on Metal Records, and at www.revoltvinylrecords.com
“Horns and Hammers” track listing:
1.Horns And Hammers
2. Imperial Bloodlines
3. Dark Horse
4. Cyber Crush
5. Shattered Crosses
6. Taking Up With Serpents
7. Ferocious The Martyrs
8. Suicide Anthem
9. Chaos Maximus Eternal
10. Machine Gun (Saxon cover)*
11. Terminus- 1:52
*Note: “Hell Shall Be Your Home” appears on The Metal On Metal Records version.
All songs written, recorded and performed by Ignitor, except *“Machine Gun,” originally written, recorded and performed by Saxon, Carrere Music Ltd 1980.
Photos By Steve Miller
link to press video- IGNITOR vocalist Jason McMaster, and guitarist Robert Williams give insight on the making of the new IGNITOR release, HORNS AND HAMMERS...
https://youtu.be/ip1xGHaGH_4
