Nobody predicts the end when they're starting out, and Joacim admits he didn't give any thought to HammerFall lasting 20+ years, never mind putting out 11 albums and having a loyal international fanbase. I think this genre of metal is in much better shape nowadays, absolutely."
That was the one big negative thing that happened leading up to 2000 the market was oversaturated with our kind of sound. Labels went crazy signing every band playing heavy metal or power metal or whatever it was called. And what happened then was every label wanted to have their own HammerFall.
I've heard it a couple times before and it makes me so proud because we came from out of nowhere with an album in the middle of the '90s, and the attitude from a lot of people was 'This will never work.' It was sort of like the second coming of the second coming of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. "But, I'm honoured to hear it and I appreciate you telling me that.
"It's hard for me to say yes to that because I'm from Sweden, and we're more used to saying things like 'No, that was pure fucking luck.'" laughs Joacim. Asked if he's aware of just how important the debut album was in terms of re-igniting interest in and ultimately the pursuit of metal for many fans, Joacim is characteristically modest but grateful for the accolades. Nobody saw it coming, not even the record label and certainly not the band. It was impossible, for example, get away from the songs "HammerFall" and "The Dragon Lies Bleeding", which had somehow infiltrated rock club playlists everywhere. To say that Glory To The Brave exploded is an understatement, and while the shockwaves took some time to hit North America, the album took Europe by storm and was responsible for shoving full-on old school power metal back into the spotlight. They boasted a line-up featuring some familiar faces (more on that later) playing music that was strictly taboo in the age of grunge and teen angst, pushed by a label (Nuclear Blast) celebrating its 10th Anniversary on its way to world domination. Settling in with HammerFall frontman Joacim Cans to discuss the band's new album, Dominion, our chat begins with a shot of time travel back to 1997 and the release of the band's massive debut, Glory To The Brave.
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