Band Biography
“Thou camest near the next, O warrior Thor!
Shouldering thy hammer, in thy chariot drawn,
Swaying thelong-hair’d goats with silver’d rein.”
From ‘Balder Dead’
The huge success of the ‘Thor:Ragnorok’ movie isn’t just down to dazzling effects and star-power. It is because it draws deeply from the primal wellspring of Norse mythology. In these parlous times, the tales of Thor, Odin, Loki, Freya, and Valhalla, all strike a deep chord within people’s souls.
And in the case of Andrew James (of Edmonton’s Eye of Horus’ and ‘Shotgunner’) and his newone man band North Hammer; that chord is a guitar chord!
Andrew draws inspiration from the mighty Quorthon; for Andrew is not so much a one-man band as a one-warrior metal machine. Andrew wrote and recorded the guitar, bass, vocals, and orchestration for North Hammer’s forthcoming ‘Stormcaller’ album.
Inspired by Wintersun, Ensiferum, Amon Amarth, Aether Realm, Blind Guardian, ‘Stormcaller’ is a21st century continuation of the work of Norse bards who inspired the ancient poem above, Andrew describes North Hammer’s sound as “melodic death metal folk riffs!”
Andrew explains the significance of his band’s name. “The ‘north’ part was a representation of the common theme winter that comes up in metal music, including folk metal. It is also a reference to my native Canada. ‘Hammer’ is a reference to Mjolnir, Thor’s Hammer!”
Andrew hopes it will be well-received by fans.
“The experience I’m trying to give the listeners is that of a fellow fan. I want people to be euphoric for other bands that mean something to them like Ensiferum, Wintersunand Amon Amarth. To connect personally with my music and realize that I love and worship these bands.”
While North Hammer is a studio project at the moment, Andrew plans to put together a band of top-notch like-minded musicians.
“Fans can expect a strong performance ofkick ass musicians night-after-night!”
North Hammer’s “Stormcaller” is due out on March 16,2018 and will be available on all major online retailers.
-Give us a brief history of the band, who are you and who did you form?
It started as a post-high school band, everyone else went on to do other bands and I ended up using it as a vessel to practice writing music. Eventually, the songs became good enough to put on a record. As the recording went on I enlisted my friend Doug from Shotgunner to record the drums for me, and I finished the rest of the recording. As a live line, up we are still currently ‘forming’ I guess you would say but that won't stop me from making more records!
The Narrative
Stormcaller
It is indeed a concept album, it's your typical Heroes Journey. The first song ‘Written in the Stars’ is the prophecy of a deity who would rise to save the land from a great evil. The Second Song ‘A Soldier’s Song’ is where you meet the hero who is currently fighting in a militia in a foreign war trying to dethrone a tyrant king. The Third Song ‘Magic Mead’ takes place post battle where during a celebratory feast the hero hallucinates a fantastical woman and follows alone into the forest only to be tricked and put to sleep. The fourth Song ‘Black Forest Rain’ is a dream sequence in which the hero sees visions of glory for himself in foreign lands. The fifth Song ‘Wanderer’ is a voyage across the seas with a crew of his own with only a vague sense of direction but a purpose seen in his dream. The Sixth Song ‘North Hammer’ is the discovery of an ancient weapon bestowed upon him. The Seventh Song ‘Tip of the Spear’ is his first encounter with the horde of bestial creatures in which he mounts a Calvary attack to destroy them. The eighth song ‘Avatar’ is about the treacherous journey up a blizzarding mountain to seek the help of an ancient celestial. The ninth song ‘Spellbinder’ is about this ancient celestial and the runic power he imbues into the North Hammer. The tenth song ‘Lion’s Winter’ is the final reckoning for the bestial horde and the hero’s ascension into godliness.
-You rearranged the album songs on Bandcamp, with another alternative track listing below – which way do you recommend we listen to it, and why?
Really I find it depends what you're there for, I personally find the flow of the album is better with the track listing of the story not in order, so if you're just there for some quality music this is the route for you. However, if are reading the lyrics and you want a better understanding of the albums overarching story I would highly recommend the alternate track listing.
