Hammerschmitt’s Forgotten Legacy: When Great Music Meets Bad Timing

After discovering Hellmidian, I found myself craving something a bit more old-school—straight-up heavy metal from the '80s that perfectly balances slow, anthemic warrior songs with faster, adrenaline-pumping tracks. My search led me to Hammerschmitt, an obscure band from Falkenstein, Germany, who only ever released one album—also titled Hammerschmitt.

Now, let’s get one thing straight: the album cover is awful. It looks like something a joke glam metal band would slap together, and releasing it under Rockport Records didn’t help their cause. The label wasn’t well-established in the German metal scene at the time, and they released Hammerschmitt’s album during the same period as Trance’s Victory, which completely overshadowed it. Both bands were on the same label, but Victory stole the spotlight, leaving Hammerschmitt's album in the dust. The cover art got bashed by the metal press at the time, and it’s no wonder the album didn’t sell well. But honestly, if these guys had been signed to a bigger label, like Roadrunner, with better artwork, they might have actually made a name for themselves in the scene.

But here’s the thing: the music is fantastic. Hammerschmitt had two standout guitarists—Andreas Püschel and Diethard Schmitt—who could write killer dual guitar riffs and harmonies while knowing exactly when to crank up the speed or slow things down. The rhythm section was tight, with the bassist (Hans-Dieter Wolf) and drummer (Ralf Deutscher) perfectly synced throughout the album, creating an incredible flow between the tracks.

And let’s not forget about Edu Keller’s vocals. This guy had pipes! While many one-album wonders from the '80s had great instrumentals but lacked solid vocals, that’s not the case here. Keller hit those high notes with ease, while also delivering a strong, grounded performance that was above average for the local metal scene at the time. Here's the only picture I was able to find featuring the whole band:

Most of the tracks on this album have aged surprisingly well. Standouts like Race to Hell and Air Born channel the explosive energy of Accept or Judas Priest, while The Devil's Cry feels reminiscent of Stormwitch, and Bringer of War captures the spirit of early Iron Maiden—minus the Di’Anno-era vocals.

After listening to the album, you can’t help but wish there was more—but sadly, Hammerschmitt never released a follow-up. Apart from a single compilation album, their legacy is confined to this one, rare gem. It’s a classic case of “wrong time, wrong label.”

Hammerschmitt - "Bringer of War" & "The Devils Cry"

Here's a quick taste of what's to come - if you haven't heard this album yet, I highly recommend giving it a full spin!