The Bastard (album)

The Bastard is the first album by the American progressive/heavy metal band Hammers of Misfortune, released in 2001.

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."