HAMMERPHILOSOPHERS – Signum

vote
7.0

• Bands:
  HAMMERPHILOSOPHERS
• Duration: 00:47:54
• Available from: 10/31/2025
• Label:

• Osmose Productions

In this second album for the Italian-Norwegian combo, the search for a leap in quality is evident right from the premises: first of all there is the transition to Osmose, which will be a slightly decayed label, but still noble in history; and then, the choice to master the album at the renowned Endarker Studio, known for having churned out works by bands such as Marduk and Funeral Mist, whose shadow was certainly formative for the duo's sound.

However, “Signum” does not stop at the nostalgic reproduction of 'Swedish' stylistic elements, aiming for varied nuances that gracefully cross three decades of black metal. From the most brutal and direct songs, although cloaked in an effective misty aura (“A Dance Above The Abyss”, “My Blood Is My Voice”), passing through precious midtempos, such as “Falling Monuments”, up to that dimension in which the French are masters, made of dark magic and malignity that gets under the skin. Moreover, we have already cited Blut Aus Nord as a reference in the past, and songs like “Centuries” or the final “Premonitions Long Forgotten” rework this type of research well.
The drums have a central role in the dynamics of the album; and thank you very much, you will say, but compared to the banality of the statement, the work done is truly precious: often pressing and square, with a technical cut worthy of His Majesty Hellhammer, measured and evocative where the pieces and the more esoteric approach require it. The pinnacle of this is “Meta-morphophobic”, an acidic song full of occult nuances, also thanks to the singing which is not very melodic, but decidedly malignant.

We are not faced with a masterpiece, but we certainly have confirmation of a solid project full of ideas, which can be expressed in a non-trivial way.