Signum sees the band flexing their muscles in the most Marduk way possible, and that’s from the first riffs of “A Dance Above the Abyss” echoing the “Christraping Black Metal” of Panzer Division Marduk. This is pure savagery unleashed, hell on all fronts.

“Falling Monuments” reigns it in at the beginning, but only for a short while, because by the end of the track, they have laid waste to the remaining threads of your sanity. The drums become a battering ram that is just jaw-dropping, and it’s scorched earth all the fucking way.

After three China cymbals *tinks* they rip a new asshole for the world with “My Blood is my Voice” another Marduk raging track. Hammerfilosofi has so much combative riffing that it’s like a mental war going on in your ears, but goddammit, that chorus sounds like “I am the Black Wizards” by Emperor, and that’s okay.

“Centuries” is automatically my favorite song because its introduction is from Twin Peaks; plus, it’s a pretty haunting track, with some reverb-heavy vocals and the air of menace that permeates through the boundaries of the song.

“Funeral Veil” brings back the Marduk level blasting and chaos, a staggeringly vicious little number that serves as a face-degloving ceremony; there’s a respite around the three-minute mark where it becomes a discordant dirge before the whirlwind picks up speed again. “Destroyer of Worlds” does exactly what it professes to be, it’s outrageous brutality and the once again, heavily reverbed vocals. It gives it a cavernous feel like echoes from a dark past.

“Meta-morphobic (The Infamous Lord of Shadows)” is a slow burning death machine that erupts into a blast furnace of hypnotic fury; the force of the song is tsunami level; rushing over you and sweeping you into a black flood of hatred.

“Premonitions Long Forgotten” brings some Dissection into the miasma, especially in the midsection, where it’s a crawling horror before the blasts kick in for the remainder of the song.

Overall, Hammerfilosofi have staked their spot in the pantheon of Black Metal. Signum is a fucking solid album, nasty Black Metal that pays homage to the greats in Marduk, Funeral Mist, and even Funeral Winds. This is an album that you need to have in your collection.

El Jefe forwarded the new Hammerfilosofi EP SOLUS (Igne Natura Renovator Integra) to me the other day and since I’m on a roll with writing I figured I’d give this a tackle.

From the presser: Recorded at WS Studios during the Autumn of 2023 and Winter 2024. The EP was mastered by Magnus “Devo” Andersson at Endarker Studios during the Spring of 2024. I saw 2023 and was like fuck, I can’t do it… so I double checked and it comes out this year so that was good.

From the presser: Behind the music is as per usual the Norwegian-Italian duo – NKTFR and FCCM. Lyrics for the EP were penned by long-time comrade of the band, Rune Vedaa from the legendary Norwegian Black Metal band Forgotten Woods.

“Hunt or be Hunted” begins with that ominous piece of music that almost every Black Metal band has used at least once, you’ll know it when you hear it; I don’t remember what it’s called in all honesty. But it only lasts for a bit and then the track erupts into some huge blasting, there’s some nice tempo changes that keep shit interesting too which is swell as well.

I have to remind myself that this is an EP. Mainly because it doesn’t feel like one. I mean, yeah there’s only four songs but they’re big enough to fill out a nice buffet of brutality. Next up is “Alpha Ego”, a sheer devastating Black Metal track. Blasts for days, people! 6:48 Minutes of menace and malice, with some cool samples at the beginning, it’s a relentless beast and it gives way to the sort of instrumental “Holy Fire” it thrashes like an alligator doing a death roll, in the background is spoken samples of Bible verses and of course,  J. Robert Oppenheimer ‘I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds’.

It’s a short track, only 2:48 but it sets the stage for the final ultra Doom (in the beginning)  complete with cymbal and guitar letting the notes hang in the air like a bloody mist. “Epigone of Tragedy” is my favorite song on SOLUS. The Doom gives way to some furious blasting and Black Metal harmonies that make this a satisfying closer to an enjoyable record.

The last few albums I’ve reviewed have been gripe-less affairs and Hammfilosofi has delivered a solid EP to the unsuspecting masses. Oh, I totally forgot about who would like this… Well if you like Merrimack or Ragnarok you’ll be on the right boat. Ugrehal too, for good measure could be added to that with no problem. Pick this up at your local music resource, you’ll be pleased.