Tarbeaux's Almostopster: Hammers of Misfortune - Dead Revolution

We had to finish the project on a high note

As we approach the conclusion of this project, I must say it has exceeded my expectations. I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed their time and tolerated my relentless teasing. Special thanks go to Abso for the visuals, and to Snyde, Meri, Goldi, and ferd for their proofreading.

Ultimately I think we discovered some pretty interesting albums. Initially, I feared most would be worse than the ones at the bottom of the reliquary, but that wasn’t the case (with a few exceptions - I’m looking at you, Gadunka). We also noticed that many selections were quite nostalgic; people would outgrow an album but their connection to it would remain. As for me, I already stated that nostalgia sucks and that I don’t really connect with that feeling. So It will not come as a surprise that my choice is not something that I listened to during my youth (you can thank me that you don’t have to listen to Manu Chao - Clandestino). 

When it came to my pick, I already knew the band I wanted to feature. So let me introduce one of my favorite groups, Hammers of Misfortune and its frontman, the guitarist John Cobbett. 

I first discovered him while he was playing for Mike Scalzi’s band Slough Feg, contributing to several albums between 2000 and 2005. During this time, he also formed his main band, Hammers of Misfortune, which initially featured Scalzi on vocals. However, the lineup saw numerous changes, with Cobbett remaining the central figure throughout. He was also a member of Ludicra, a progressive black metal band worth checking out—I highly recommend their album The Tenant, which I recently listened to and enjoyed. Oh and he created Vhol, a supergroup featuring Mike Scheidt from Yob on vocals, responsible for one of the best thrash metal albums of the past decade. Despite these various projects, my favorite of his has always been Hammers of Misfortune.

The first HoM line up, left to right: Cobbett, Scalzi, Marzolo, Tanaka

And yet, no albums from this band have made it into my reliquary over the past five years. Hammers of Misfortune has always resonated deeply with me, both thematically and musically. Their criticism of dehumanization and its dire consequences runs like a red thread through their discography and has been approached from various angles—such as the fantasy themes in The Bastard or the more grounded treatment of gentrification in 17th Street.

What truly ties everything together is their unique take on metal, which defies easy categorization. Cobbett once said in an interview, “Why do I balk at the ‘prog metal’ tag? Maybe because I can’t relate to Dream Theater?” I tend to agree. I would describe Hammers of Misfortune as experimental heavy metal. At their core, they play heavy metal, but it’s enriched with ’70s prog-style composition featuring multiple sequences, recurring musical themes, and complex song structures. They can also slow down the tempo to create outstanding doom metal tracks and seamlessly blend in folk or blues elements. This eclectic mix is remarkably cohesive, showcasing impressive writing and composition skills across nearly all their albums, making their discography one of my favorites to explore.

However, every time I listened to their albums, I couldn’t shake the sense of dread that accompanied them. It reminds me of some Ken Loach movies like I, Daniel Blake, where all hope seems lost and our doom feels inevitable. These feelings are particularly prominent in my favorite album of theirs, The August Engine.

There’s something very meta about this album. Initially conceived as a double concept album (with Cobbett citing The Wall as an inspiration), it centers on a philosophical discussion between the main character and a system or society called The Vortex The August Engine (no, not The Vortex), which is crushing his individuality. The theme is intentionally vague, allowing for multiple interpretations. Ultimately, the inspiration came from Cobbett’s dissatisfaction with the music industry and its direction. Ironically, no label wanted to finance this ambitious project, and only a few songs were ever recorded. The original album was killed by the very industry it sought to criticize before it could even fully articulate its critique, resulting in the release of an incomplete work.

And so I thought I had the album for this almostopster. But when I listened to it again to write this review, I thought I was stupid to not have it in my top 25. 

It’s a wonderfully flawed album. The ambition shines through in every track, resonating even more because of the project’s initial failure. Both the male and female vocals are excellent, and the riffs, leads, and compositions are outstanding. I find myself connecting to this album more now, and I will include it in my top 25 in the next update.

This left me without my first almostopster idea, but fortunately, Hammers of Misfortune has another album that I love just a little less than The August Engine: Dead Revolution.

Dead Revolution was released in 2016, 13 years and 4 albums after The August Engine, and featured Cobbett playing the guitar, Will Carroll on drums, Joe Hutton on vocals, Sigrid Sheie on organ, piano, flute and back up vocals, Leila Abdul-Rauf on the second guitar and Paul Walker on bass.

The album starts with the Velvet Inquisition, a track that puts you right into the thick of it. Aggressive riffs are paired with a 70’s Deep Purple-style Hammond organ doubling the lead guitars. The drums are loud, and the mood is heavy. Run all you want; you will not escape the technological inquisition coming for you. This theme permeates the album: technology, meant to save us from our struggles, will ultimately doom us all due to the greed of a few.

All the ingredients introduced in the first track are actually cooked better immediately after, in the title track, “Dead Revolution’’, with superior riffs, smoother transitions, and a more dynamic structure. The track build towards two lines, declaimed in a prophetic tone by Cobbett, which serve as the mantra for this album:

‘’The better world you are trying to build is laughing in your face

The better world you are trying to build is on fire’’

I will talk here about one of my gripes with this album: Joe Hutton vocals are good, but not great, as he suffers from the comparison with Mike Scalzi. He tries to sound like him but ultimately it falls a bit short, in particular on the high notes. It’s not a massive flaw, but I feel the album could have been even better with Mike on the mic. Also there are almost no female vocals on this album, which is a strong point on an album like The August Engine. 

And I can now talk about my second gripe, the third track Sea of Heroes. It’s a mid-tempo song that is the least original of the bunch, with little variety. It’s a bit monotonous and even if the layered backing female vocals are nice, I feel they ultimately don’t bring much life into this song. 

Fortunately, the next song is the best on the album and one of my all-time favorites, The Precipice (Waiting for the Crash…). Cobbett’s songwriting shines here, surpassed only by his track “Deeper Than Sky” on the second Vhol album. This 8-minute masterpiece is packed with ideas, featuring multiple sections that return with slight variations to keep the song from going stale. The transitions are seamless, the build-ups are incredibly satisfying, the voice fits better here, and the lyrics are memorable. This track is the album’s centerpiece, distilling the band’s essence to its very best.

After displaying their heavy metal ability, how about writing an amazing bluegrass doom piece about the creation of a hurricane. Written like a dance between the sky and the sea that brings endless destruction to the land nearby. If it’s about global warming consequences, it’s probably the best song written about this topic, mostly because it’s left to your own interpretation. 

On the penultimate song, the album picks up pace again and offers us its most aggressive song. With a riff reminiscent of Diamond Head - The Prince, it’s Cobbett’s farewell to San Francisco, bidding adieu to the city he played years in. 

And so the album draws to a close, but not before giving us one last nugget of brilliance. Days of ‘49 is a poem by Joaquin Miller about a gold miner from the California gold rush of 1849 originally published in 1884. It was massacred covered by Bob Dylan in 1970, completely missing the essence of the song. The poem is profoundly melancholic, reflecting the hopes, dreams, and ultimately the heartbreak and disillusionment of the American Dream. Hammers of Misfortune’s rendition is spot-on; they replace the Hammond organ with a piano, transforming this old music hall song into a heartbreakingly powerful doom ballad. Hutton delivers his best vocal performance here, perfectly conveying the emotional struggles experienced by the song’s characters. It’s a remarkable conclusion to the album that I hope you’ll appreciate as much as I do.

The almostopster is now over and The Vortex Engine keeps turning, I hope for a long time, and I will see you next year for another project.