The players of the NHL team Minnesota Wild began the 2014-15 season extremely well with two shut-outs against the Colorado Avalanche. Additionally, the team is pleased to announce that for all their upcoming home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, they’ll be receiving a special welcome from Swedish heavy metallers HammerFall.

 

 

"When we first discovered the song "Fury Of The Wild" by HammerFall, it was like a gift because everything about it fits so well to what we try to do for Game Presentation,” states Minnesota Wild team representative Paul Loomis. “The energy, the drive, and of course just having ‘Wild’ in the title makes it a perfect fit.  And for the band to go out of their way to make an instrumental version rocks the State of Hockey!”

HammerFall lead singer Joacim Cans comments on the alliance with Minnesota Wild: “It's a tremendous honor to have a team in the NHL use one of our songs as their intro, and Minnesota is a great fit due to the Scandinavian heritage of many of the state's inhabitants. We always felt heavy metal and hockey was a great mix, and this is the ultimate proof. The State of Hockey has got new fans in the Templars of Steel!”

The next Minnesota Wild home game is against the Arizona Coyotes on October 23rd. Tickets are available now via Ticketmaster.  Watch Swedish defensemen Jonas Brodin and Christian Folin, forward Mikael Granlund of Finland, Minneapolis’ own Zach Parise, and the other stars of Minnesota Wild as they take to the ice with HammerFall’s “Fury Of The Wild” blasting in the arena!  It's gotta be experienced!

Visit the Minnesota Wild online at this location.

HammerFall are still enjoying the success of their latest record »(r)Evolution«, which hit the top ten in five countries and the world charts at #24. The band recently made a major announcement:

 

 

“Life in a heavy metal band is indeed filled with twists and turns, highs and lows, ups and downs. On Monday, we rolled out our own whiskey, Legacy Of Kings. Today is a shocking and monumental day for all, HammerFall members and fans alike: Anders Johansson has decided to leave the band, after 15 years as the drummer. Brought on by increasing musical differences, as well as a career in the music industry that spans almost four decades, he has come to the conclusion that enough is enough.

But fear not, we have already formulated a plan to get us through this even stronger. As a replacement we have found a most excellent drummer in David Wallin (pictured above), who most notably has been beating the skins in the Swedish industrial force Pain. David will fill the void left by The Swedish Tank with his youthful intensity and fantastic musicianship during the upcoming tour. We wish Anders all the best in his future endeavours and hope that 15 years can’t be erased that easily.

Also, bassist Fredrik Larsson will have his second child in December, and is therefore on parental leave through March. But we think you will like the choice to fill his shoes. For anyone who is the least bit familiar with HammerFall, this one needs no introduction: handling the four-string duty in Fredrik’s absence, none other than former guitar player Stefan Elmgren has agreed to make a triumphant return to the band! Yet another reason not to miss catching us live on the upcoming tours, this will be a very unique constellation.

 

 

So it is with mixed emotions we say goodbye to an old friend and welcome an even older one back into the fold. The Swedish Templars of Steel cannot and will not be subdued, we will carry on heeding the call as long as the crimson thunder still is flowing in our veins. It is not the end of anything, it’s the dawn of a new era. And we welcome it with our hammers high!”

HammerFall's World Wide (r)Evolution Tour kicks off in early 2015. Check out all dates here.