Oscar Dronjak says his passion for writing and playing heavy metal makes him feel young – and keeps Hammerfall’s sound fresh.
The Swedish group release ninth album ®Evolution on September 1 via Nuclear Blast – their first recording since returning from a year-and-a-half hiatus.
The guitarist previously stated the album had “more quality songs than any we’ve done before” and reveals it’s his love of making music that drives the band forward.
He tells Spotlight Report: “I love heavy metal – that’s why I started playing. It’s something that makes me feel young all the time. When I’m writing heavy metal, it makes me feel like I’m the same fan of the music as I was 20 or 30 years ago.
“If you write the music you love, it makes it so much easier and I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do it for a long time.”
Dronjak also reveals the new album’s title has something in common with the Swedish release of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.
He says: “In Sweden, they sometimes take liberties with the translation of movie titles. When Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes came out in Swedish theatres, it was called Planet Of The Apes: ®Evolution.
“For a long time I thought that was the original title. I realised when we had decided to use ®Evolution, it was just the Swedish title, so it made it even better because it wasn’t available to many people.
“It also has meaning for us. For me, it means an on-going revolution that we’ve had since 1993. There’s been a revolution in heavy metal because in those days, heavy metal was uncool and not popular, so it’s always been a battle for us.
“The Evolution part of the title is linked to the music on the album, because it reflects the elements of old Hammerfall and the way our sound has evolved through 2014.”
Meanwhile, the guitarist has taken part in a Monty Python quiz, organised by the band’s label Nuclear Blast.
Dronjak, a huge fan of the seminal comedy group, travelled with Hammerfall frontman Joacim Cans to see Python’s live show at the O2 Arena in London in July – an experience he described as “magical.” See the video below.
Along with the September 1 launch of ®Evolution, the band will release a limited edition double blue vinyl of the album on September 22. It’s available to pre-order from the Nuclear Blast store.
®Evolution tracklist
Hector’s Hymm
®Evolution
Bushido
Live Life Loud
Ex Inferis
We Won’t Back Down
Winter Is Coming
Origins
Tainted Metal
Evil Incarnate
Wildfire
