| The Bastard | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Hammers of Misfortune |
| Cover: | HammersOfMisfortune-TheBastard.jpg |
| Alt: | Woodcut: a male figure with a crown of light emerges from a tree, seemingly transforming from tree to human form, to grab a double-headed axe held by a winged dragon who is descending from the top of the frame and is facing him. The text "Hammers of Misfortune" is displayed above the scene. A banner with the text "The Bastard" is displayed in the lower left corner of the scene. |
| Recorded: | July 1999 – February 2000 in San Francisco, California |
| Genre: | Heavy metal, progressive metal |
| Label: | Tumult Records[1] |
| Producer: | John Cobbett |
| Next Title: | The August Engine |
| Next Year: | 2003 |
The Bastard is the first album by the American progressive/heavy metal band Hammers of Misfortune, released in 2001.[2]
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."[3] 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."[1]