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Crimson Thunder is my favourite Hammerfall album. Chapter v (I forgot the rest of the title) wasn't really much interesting. But the tracklist sounds temptous. Genocide? sounds rather thrashy to me.

Hammerfall continues their journey to become Sweden´s official sports metal band . Now they have done that Curling video for olympics (which was great) and this athletics one. What´s next big sports event for Swedes ?

Wow, I dont know, it seems like their last one came out not too long ago, feels like they're rushing it a little bit.

It came out in 2005, but you know, it's not hard to write an album in a year's time. In fact, it's quite easy. I don't know why so many fans find this hard to understand.

Yea, but alot of the times when albums are put out so quickly, you can hear in the songwriting that the album was rushed rather than the band taking their time to write quality music.

But a year has passed? In fact, more than a year because the album was only released in 2005, so the music was obviously written before that.

Most of the time people claim an album is rushed, I don't hear it. I think it's just perception and expectation colliding.

Stratovarius does the same thing.

I'm still going to get this album because well it's Hammerfall cheap chessy metal but great to listen to when you're lifting weights

Yeah, back in the sixties, bands would quite often put out an album every 6 months. Bands these days are just lazy.

Indeed. I mean, look at Linkin Park, their music while there is a fair amount of programming involved, in the end it's rather simple music, so why, then, do they need to spend a year in pre-production? What the fuck is that?

You know, Zakk Wylde goes into the studio with nothing written and in the matter of a few weeks he has 30 new songs written and recorded! It's not fucking hard! Of course, people complain that Black Label Society doesn't change it up enough and Zakk should not release an album a year! I say fuck that nonsense!! Compare Mafia to Sonic Brew and tell me he hasn't changed it up! You can't change much in a year.

Ani Difranco released her first album in 1990. This is what she has released to date:

Difranco, Ani - Ani Difranco (w/Bonus Track)
Difranco, Ani - Dilate
Difranco, Ani - Educated Guess
Difranco, Ani - Evolve
Difranco, Ani - Imperfectly
Difranco, Ani - Knuckle Down
Difranco, Ani - Like I Said (Songs 1990-1991)
Difranco, Ani - Little Plastic Castle
Difranco, Ani - Living In Clip (2CD)
Difranco, Ani - More Joy, Less Shame (EP)
Difranco, Ani - Not A Pretty Girl
Difranco, Ani - Not So Soft (w/Bonus Track)
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #1: Atlanta 10.9.03
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #2: Sacramento 10.25.03
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #3: Portland 4.7.04 (2CD)
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #4: Boston 11.16.03
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #5: Chicago 1.17.04
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #6: Madison 1.25.04
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #7: Rome, Italy 11.15.04 (2CD)
Difranco, Ani - Official Bootleg #8: Carnegie Hall 4.6.02
Difranco, Ani - Out Of Range
Difranco, Ani - Puddle Dive
Difranco, Ani - Reckoning/Revelling (2CD)
Difranco, Ani - Render: Spanning Time With Ani Difranco (DVD)
Difranco, Ani - So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter (2CD)
Difranco, Ani - Swing Set (EP)
Difranco, Ani - To The Teeth
Difranco, Ani - Trust (DVD)
Difranco, Ani - Up Up Up Up Up Up

Plus she's got two releases with Utah Phillips that I don't have and her next album is coming out in a few weeks! Why, again, does it take bands so long to release music??

shit, she is one busy lady..she still can't match Frank Zappa aka TEH MAN!!1!1!1!!!

/\ /\ Give her a chance! And aren't half of those live albums, Ken?

One year for an album....I dont know about that, it does seem a bit rushed. Bands that put out an album a year generally don't release the best music. Too much too quick, with too little awesomeness. That I fear is the case of Hammerfall. But they've sucked for so long now that its impossible for me to imagine them being good. ha!

I think what tends to happen is that a lot of bands are lazy. I can identify with this, I'm lazy. Thus if an album comes out shortly after a previous album, it's often the case that it is comprised majorly of offcuts from the previous album (Rosenrot anyone?) therefore sucks. It's not that the album is rushed, it's just a lot of bands seem to be content with palming off previously wriiten and recorded but dumped songs in favour of writing new stuff. It placates the label and they can bugger off on tour again.

I'm not sugeesting this happens every time, but I'd imagine it happens a lot.

Zad, even live albums get touched up again in teh studio.

and Neil Young wrote and recorded his latest in a week.

True, but not new material, is it?

I think so... he's even got a gospel choir on every track. but hell, he's neil young. and when you're name's neil young, you can do whatever the fuck you want to.

I was on about Ani, dear.

ah. right. yes, not new material, but it still takes some time to put together a good live cd. taking different tracks from different concerts, editing, re-editing...

She's released two double-live albums and recently she's started doing live official bootlegs. But still, it's been 16 years and her next album is her 18th studio album. That bitch is prol-esbian-ific!