Curse of the Absolute Eclipse

Die-hard metal heads channeling the spirit of their heroes (that would be Hellhammer in this case), or shameless rip-offs making a career out of copying that same legendary and long-dead band's style? That's the main question surrounding Germany's Warhammer, who here present their fourth album of unapologetically retro-early-'80s doom-thrash. Warhammer is not original, nor are they trying to be. But they're clearly doing what they do because they love it, not because it's fashionable (it isn't), and they do a good job of re-creating the sound and vibe they're after -- this album sounds like it was recorded in the mid-'80s, not the 2000s. Beyond that, there really isn't much to say about Warhammer; listeners who are interested in the Hellhammer sound should of course seek out the original article first, but since there isn't much of it available, this album makes a good choice for those who want to hear more.