REV HAMMER – Skald (own label)

SkaldIt is always good when you hear that Rev Hammer has released a long awaited new album! He has done just that in the recently released Skald, featuring acclaimed guitarist and singer/songwriter Nick Harper together with Rev’s son Samuel Ryan, who is establishing himself as a singer/songwriter and about to follow in his father’s footsteps. He wrote the instrumental and title track Skald . For those of you who are uninitiated into the Scandinavian language by the way, Skald is their word for ‘poet, historians, and keepers of lore’. A very apt phrase to describe Rev Hammer!

Track one of the album is entitled ‘Apple/This Time’ is a perfect example of Rev Hammer vocals and acoustic guitar that we have all come to know and love. His six year old daughter being the Apple of his eye, superb track.

Track Two – ‘Happy Father’s Day’, heavy strummed guitar/mouth organ and lyrics of Land of Broken Dreams and don’t be sad or alone. Gut wrenching.

Track Three – ‘Corncrake’, featuring renowned singer/songwriter Nick Harper is probably my favourite track, if pushed to name one as they are all fab!

Track Four – ‘St John’, featuring Nick Harper, very powerful and dramatic track.

Track Five – ‘Ready And Waiting’, featuring Nick Harper – a dark and brooding tale of a person waiting to go into the next world. The lyric of ‘waiting for a light too bright to see’ shivered me to the core. A dramatic strain of guitar in the background just sets the mood.

Track Six – ‘Long Way Down’, featuring Nick Harper and set in Bristol. Fireworks, eyes, 7 floors above – listen to the track!

Track Seven – ‘Saline’, a dark track in the Garden of Gethsemane, taxis and revenge.

Track Eight – ‘Nose Dive’, Nick Harper in the mix once again, all about transmitting and receiving – or not. Most of us can relate to that.

Track Nine – ‘Flight of Fancy’, A melodic simple tune mostly acoustic taking us into the dawn.

Track Ten – ‘This Is The Love’, Nick Harper featuring and rather rock and roll. Fabulous backing.

Track Eleven – ‘Skald’, featuring Samuel Ryan. Funky and dramatic, interspersed with a foot tapping rhythm. A high note to end this fabulous album.

All in all there are eleven fabulous tracks. I just loved it. Typical Rev Hammer and then some featuring the glorious talent of Nick Harper ending with the fabulous talent of Samuel. One definitely taking pride of place in my CD collection and was well worth waiting for!

Jean Camp

Artist’s website: http://www.revhammer.com/