Threshold
Studio album by
HammerFall
Released18 October 2006
Recorded2006, Lundgård Studios, Denmark
GenrePower metal, heavy metal
Length50:30
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerCharlie Bauerfeind
HammerFall chronology
Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
(2005)		 Threshold
(2006)		 Steel Meets Steel: Ten Years of Glory
(2007)
Singles from Threshold
  1. "The Fire Burns Forever"
    Released: 6 August – 6 September 2006[1]
  2. "Natural High"
    Released: 22 September 2006[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

Threshold is the sixth studio album by Swedish power metal band HammerFall, released on 18 October 2006.[4] The album entered the Swedish charts at number one, staying on the chart for eight weeks.[5] It was the band's first number 1 album since Renegade in 2000.[6] It is currently the last HammerFall studio album with guitarist Stefan Elmgren and bassist Magnus Rosén, as Rosén left the band in 2007 and Elmgren left in 2008.[7]
The cover artwork was created by Samwise Didier.

The guitar solo of "Howlin' with the 'Pac" is essentially a reworked version of the one from "Hearts on Fire". As with several songs on the previous album, the song "Dark Wings, Dark Words" is inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire.[8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Threshold"Oscar Dronjak, Joacim Cans4:45
2."The Fire Burns Forever"Dronjak, Cans3:22
3."Rebel Inside"Dronjak5:34
4."Natural High"Dronjak, Cans4:16
5."Dark Wings, Dark Words"Dronjak, Cans5:02
6."Howlin' with the 'Pac"Dronjak, Cans4:06
7."Shadow Empire"Dronjak, Cans, Stefan Elmgren5:15
8."Carved in Stone"Dronjak, Cans6:13
9."Reign of the Hammer"Elmgren2:50
10."Genocide"Dronjak, Cans, Elmgren4:43
11."Titan"Dronjak, Cans4:24
Total length:50:30

Music videos

  • The song "Natural High" was made into a music video depicting Hector the Knight battling vampires in a decrepit castle; he managed to kill most of the vampires with his hammer, but one of them escapes, leaving Hector by himself. The video itself is a montage alternating between the band and the action, which is shot in live-action and complemented with CGI.[9]
  • The song "The Fire Burns Forever" was also made into a music video.[10] The band recorded it with some of the Swedish participants in the European Athletics Championships.[11]

Single "The Fire Burns Forever"

"The Fire Burns Forever" was also released as a single and only available as a download between 6 August and 6 September 2006, exclusively at the ITunes Store and Nuclear Blast Musicshop. Hammerfall and the athletes also performed "The Fire Burns Forever" at the official opening of the Championships on 6 August in Gothenburg, Sweden.[11]

Personnel

Backing vocals by Oliver Hartmann, Rolf Köhler, Olaf Zenkbiel, Mats Rendlert, Joacim Lundberg, Markus Sköld, and Johan Aremyr

Chart positions

[12]

  • Sweden: #1
  • Germany: #15
  • Austria: #30
  • Switzerland: #32
  • France: #192

References

  1. ↑ "HammerFall - The Fire Burns Forever - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". metal-archives.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "HammerFall - Natural High". Discogs. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  3. ↑ AllMusic review
  4. ↑ "Threshold | Hammerfall - Official Webpage". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  5. ↑ "Threshold in Swedish charts". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Swedish charts archive". Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "Magnus Rosén". magnusrosen.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "HammerFall - Threshold - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". metal-archives.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Nuclear Blast Records (22 September 2006). "Hammerfall – Natural High (Official Music Video)". Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Nuclear Blast Records (24 June 2008). "Hammerfall – The Fire Burns Forever (Official Music Video)". Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  11. 1 2 "Hammerfall Reveal New Album Details". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  12. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "swedishcharts.com - HammerFall - Threshold". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
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