Hammers of Misfortune has left me at a loss for words. Not because this is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard or anything. It is damned good, but it’s just so damned weird. Coming up with a “theme” for a review is usually no sweat, but these guys have put out such a strange album, drawing from such bizarre influences and still making it sound good, that I just don’t even know where to begin. So, I’m using my confusion as a starting point.

I guess this is some sort of power-progressive folk-tinged thrash metal, but that hardly even begins to cover it. The music on The August Engine is forward thinking in a different way than many other truly progressive bands. Instead of honing a certain style and expanding on it, Hammers of Misfortune manages to meld a vast array of genres that on their own are quite tired and turn it into something exciting and completely enjoyable.

By far the finest points on this album are those where there aren’t any vocals. Not to say the vocals are bad or anything, they’re rather good, but during the instrumental passages, there’s very clearly tons of attention paid to writing killer music. Where many bands that utilize long instrumental sections in their music let it grow dull with repetition, Hammers of Misfortune doesn’t let any riff overstay its welcome, leaving you wanting to hear it again instead of wishing it to just be done with. But, although each song varies tremendously, none of the changes seem forced or abrupt; they all flow naturally together.

There are both male and female vocals on The August Engine, and neither is bad or detracts from the music at all, but neither inspires awe, at least for me. The female vocals are typical of those found in metal; operatic, and somewhat overly dramatic. Unlike many female vocals, though, those found here aren’t ever overbearing, making their relatively typical nature completely bearable if not even enjoyable at times.

By far the best two tracks on the album are both of the title tracks (pts.1 and 2). The first one opens the album with a bang. It’s an instrumental just under five minutes long and shows that they’re awesome musicians who understand that writing ass kicking melodies is just as important as showing off technical prowess. The balance between wankery and songwriting is just as it should be. There’s enough great playing to make me say, “Damn! I wish I could do that,” but not enough to make me want to shoot them for being so damned pretentious. The second part to the title track begins sounding like standard, cheesy 80’s thrash influenced metal, but instead of being boring, it’s actually rather endearing. Of course, that portion of the nine-minute song only lasts for the first three and a half minutes and, even during that phase, between verses there’s some impressive playing and odd melodies. The last five and a half minutes are easily the best on the album, though. Obvious influences range from the likes of Megadeth, Thin Lizzy, Rush, Opeth, and far too many others to name, but somehow it’s completely cohesive.

Probably the only slight downside to the album is the closing track. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s a bit too slow and long to be as captivating as it could’ve been. It’s the most doom influenced, so the slow speed makes sense, it’s just that the melodies in it aren’t strong enough to keep it afloat for its entire eleven-minute duration. Still, it’s an enjoyable listen, just nowhere near as much as the rest of The August Engine. I guess another aspect worthy of a little complaint is the production. It is quite clear and effective; it’s just missing some necessary “Umph” in many places and is slightly rawer sounding than could truly do the band justice.

Overall, this is an entirely gratifying listen, another breath of fresh air not just into metal but also into some of the most stagnant genres of metal around. If you’re into bands that push the envelope without really straying too far from the core values of the style’s they’re playing, this is an album for you. I know The August Engine will be given many future listens from me and maybe if I’m lucky it’ll stop seeming so confusing one of these days. Still, despite the confusion, it totally rules.