HAMMERFALL Hopes To Release New Studio Album In 2016

Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark, conducted an interview with Swedish power metal masters HAMMERFALL before their show in Pardubice on December 11. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if HAMMERFALL will release a follow-up album to 2014's "(r)Evolution" next year, singer Joacim Cans said: "I really hope so. We have an almost scheduled date for the new album, but it all depends when we can get the producers to work for us and with us. But we're gonna do two shows early February, then the whole year is gonna be devoted to writing and recording and releasing a new album. So it's gonna be out there at the end of next year."

HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak stated about the songwriting process for the band's next album: "We have been [working on new material] for a couple of months, actually. 'Cause we have always an idea, we wanna release the album at this point and then we do the tour at that point. And then if you have a sort of a release date in mind, you have to start preparing for it really early. And this time there won't be any… 'Cause we tour a lot more this time than we normally do, so there hasn't been this period of rest between end of tour and start of the album recording. So we have to start writing early, basically."

Regarding whether it's "easier" for HAMMERFALL to write new music after "(r)Evolution", Oscar said: "No, it's not easier. '(r)Evolution' was quite easy, because it's been a while, so we had a lot of inspiration that was dying to come out, Whereas now, I find it hard… For me, I always want to be removed from the live situation when I write songs, and it's very difficult when you know that in three weeks you're gonna go out on tour again. So now, we at least have Christmas and the whole January, and then we only do one… this 70000 Tons Of Metal thing, so that's sort of an off… And a show in Mexico after that, 'cause it's in the same area. But those [two] things are the only thing we do before the album recording."

He continued: "I don't think I would be able to do it if I was like I was when I was younger, but now I plan ahead much more. I have to. It's what Joacim has always done, but I've never really cared about it because I didn't have to. But now I have a family and everything I have to take care of, so I think about things like that."

"(r)Evolution" sold around 1,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

The band's previous CD, "Infected", opened with around 1,700 units back in 2011. The CD debuted at No. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.