31st July 2025

Review: “Trapped” by Hammer

Having not only put themselves on the map but well and truly buried their flag in it with their self titled debut album in 2020, Edinburgh Groove Metal five piece Hammer have returned with a sophomore album in “Trapped” with which they aim to reclaim their territory. 2024 saw the horror movie and video game junkies announce new vocalist James Andrews (The Head of Helier, ex-Tableau Mort, ex-Pathogenic Virulence) to the world with stand alone single “From Beyond“. That may have set the tone for a more Extreme Metal offering with the group rounded out by original members Piotr Kasprowicz on bass, Keith Blaikie (Dog Tired, Runemaster, ex-Dregs) on drums and Dave Farrell (ex-Deadshot) with Adam Poustie (Edgeville Hellride) on guitars. Mixed by Kris Kournavos (Kakihara) and mastered by Grant Berry (Boston Manor, Ithaca, Static Dress) at Fader Mastering, this new seven track affair saw Postie record and engineer guitars, bass and vocals in house with Jamie Gilchrist at Nameless City Sound recording drums.

A phrase of Latin origin that is an acknowledgment of having done wrong “Mea Culpa” is the kind of opening track that hits like a building site wrecking ball to the skull. In the first half it has kind of Groove Death riffage that is instantly gratifying and that not only commands your attention but also sweeps all other thoughts aside with its sheer sonic brutality. Vocally Andrews burns through the lyric sheet with plenty of bark and bite but there is a cunning plot twist equal only to that found in Sixth Sense. Instead of maintaining perpetual forward motion, the quintet push in to the Extreme Metal territory usually reserved for more recent burnt offerings from Cradle Of Filth minus the symphonic theatrics. The result is absolute annihilation in a savage three minutes and forty six seconds that you simply didn’t see coming.

The hunter soon becomes the hunted in “Trapped In A House With A Maniac“, a homage to the horror movies of the 80’s with a nasty piece of repeating sinister lead guitar that is spine tinglingly good. Heavy hitting grooves with staccato breaks in the mid section are incredibly well done and if you’re not screaming-a-long with the anthemic chorus or snapping your neck with the rhythmic chugs, you need to see a doctor or a therapist to find out exactly what’s wrong with you. The sound of the victim turn killer with what could be a garrotting to finish the moment with audible gore is an master stroke that brings to mind the works of Irish Psychological Death Metal act Strangle Wire.

The benefit of recording the drums in the studio is all to clear on this album and none more so that on “The Hanged Man“, a shorter and sharper cut with tight rhythms and pummelling percussion. A lethal dose of adrenalized Death Groove, its will knock you into next week and leave your teeth in a jar on the bedside cabinet for when you wake up.

Perhaps a darker tale than Arthur Conan Doyle had in mind when he wrote “The Hound of the Baskervilles” the vicious little ditty that is “Gorehound” is another bloodstained hammer horror classic with a ripper of a solo at its beating black heart. The urgent riffs and fearsome vocal performance are exactly what the edge of the seat was made for and by the time it reaches its bitter conclusion you can’t help feel that it could have gone on for another verse and chorus without anyone being any the wiser. Anyone who has seen Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will know what a “Basilisk” is and the King of the Serpents makes for the perfect subject matter for an album of this stature. Shades of Melodic Death Metal begin to creep into this one with the sheer volume of lead guitar parts, something which works incredibly well.

How they manage to sustain such a blistering pace when it comes to performing these cuts live without mainlining a caffeine is a mystery but that doesn’t prevent them from hitting their mark with the electrifying “Golem“. A pick slide is a moment of majesty before the onslaught begins and this time out there are hints at the 2003 era American Metalcore scene being an inspiration in the riff department. Galloping drums and electrifying chord progressions intertwined with the kind of leads you might have expected from an As I Lay Dying or It Dies Today back in the day are one thing but the brutal vocals is what gives it another dimension. If you needed confirmation of just why they chose James Andrews when Matt Liddiard exited stage left, then the Slam vocal inspired grand finale of this skull crushing tune is all you need to hear.

Surpassing seven minutes the monster that is “Alive” is a beast of a track which takes the quintet into bruising territory. Hitting the mark time and time again with their neck snappable down tuned riffs, this one churns and burns before a face melting extended mid tempo solo absolutely stuns. The shock and awe tactics have worked a treat because this is a stone cold winner of a record. When this track fades out for the final minute and you hear a few things you wish they hadn’t faded out it says it all [8.5/10]

Track Listing