On July 22nd, West Coast progressive heavy metallers Hammers Of Misfortune will release their sixth full-length, Dead Revolution, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. The album track “Sea Of Heroes” is streaming below.

Hammers Of Misfortune enlisted Nick Dumitriu (Vhöl, Ritual Chamber) to produce this record, utilizing a vintage Trident board and minimizing digital processing. The result is a warm, sharp sound that harkens back to productions like John Leckie's treatment of Pink Floyd's Meddle or David Hitchcock's master work in Camel's Mirage.

Recorded at Light Rail Studios in San Francisco, CA, Dead Revolution is more varied than its predecessor (2011's 17th Street), by using different tones, and delving into heavier, darker territory. With tracks like the stupendous "The Precipice", the raging "Flying Alone", and the riff-organ fest that is "Dead Revolution", Hammers Of Misfortune have found a way to indulge their progresssive and psychedelic tendencies while remaining decidedly metal.

That's not to say Dead Revolution is without its slow-burners: "Here Comes The Sky" pivots off a Pink Floyd axis (think "A Pillow In The Wind") - with its soft strums, careful vocal interplay, and delicate percussion - before jettisoning into traditional heavy metal motifs.

"Of course, every song stands out to me," says principal songwriter and guitarist John Cobbett. "I've no idea how listeners will react to them. “The Velvet Inquisition” is probably one of the most ambitious compositions we've ever recorded. I was trying some different writing methods and the results are…interesting. “Days Of '49” is an attempt to repurpose an old traditional folk song, which is new for us."

Dead Revolution tracklisting:

“The Velvet Inquisition”
“Dead Revolution”
“Sea Of Heroes”
“The Precipice (Waiting For The Crash…)”
“Here Comes The Sky”
“Flying Alone”
“Days Of '49”

“Sea Of Heroes”:

“Dead Revolution”:

Pre-order the album in various formats at this location.

Hammers Of Misfortune lineup:

John Cobbett - guitar
Will Carroll - drums, percussion
Sigrid Sheie - organ, piano
Leila Abdul-Rauf - guitar, vocals
Joe Hutton - vocals
Paul Walker - bass