The Bastard is the first album by the American progressive/heavy metal band Hammers of Misfortune, released in 2001.
Contents
Critical reception
AllMusic wrote: "Nothing less than a three-act heavy metal opera with role-playing vocals sung by the band members, the album draws on a whole range of metal influences—from Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden to Mercyful Fate and Opeth—and ties them together with some Celtic folk touches to create a sound that, while it does feel a little '80s nostalgic, is actually pretty original." Loudwire thought that there's not "much of a musical precedent for the group’s fearless brand of blackened prog-metal, made all the more stunning and unique by distinct vocal styles for each character and even folk music ingredients." SF Weekly declared that "Hammers of Misfortune's well-orchestrated melodicism, kaleidoscopic riffs, quirky time signatures, and striking vocals are grandiose and metalriffic—and that's no myth."
Personnel
Hammers of Misfortune
John Cobbett – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, screams
Chewy Marzolo – drums
Janis Tanaka – bass guitar, vocals
Mike Scalzi – electric guitar, vocals
Production
Rich Morin – engineer
Justin Weis – mixing and mastering at Trakworx, South San Francisco, California
John Cobbett – producer
Lorraine Rath – illustrations, design, lettering
Ross Sewage and Jeanie M. – photography
Additional information
The band did not record The Bastard in a typical recording studio. The liner notes state: "this album was recorded on an 8-track analog machine in a rehearsal space in San Francisco between July 1999 and February 2000."