Overtaker, the first Hammers of Misfortune full-length album in six years, boasts a change in direction that founding member, guitarist and songwriter John Cobbett, describes as psychedelic thrash. Those who have had the good fortune of following Hammers of Misfortune since their 2000 inception know that change is constant within the band's ranks and sound. Therefore, the implementation of psychedelia alongside fast and furious progressive metal should come as little surprise. And, best of all, nary a few months after its original December 2022 independent release, Cruz Del Sur Music is giving Overtaker the vinyl treatment in early 2023. The album features an updated lineup that includes the return of Jamie Myers (vocalist and bassist in The Locust Years lineup) and the former rhythm section of Vektor, Blake Anderson and Frank Chin. Fresh lineup in tow, Cobbett and Hammers assembled an album that canvasses '70s prog and '80s thrash -- think King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King and Slayer's Reign in Blood. Overtaker marks yet another change: Cobbett has since relocated to Montana from the Bay Area. It's a move that will turn Hammers into a musical collective that will collaborate remotely. But as history (and Overtaker) have shown, whether collaborating in their native Bay Area or hammering songs out via online file trading, Hammers of Misfortune remains one of American metal's most unique and forward-thinking bands.
