Carry. Heritage. Bury. Heritage.

Hammok - "Look how long lasting everything is moving forward for once"
Label: Thirty Something Records

While Norway never was the epicenter of the european Hardcore landscape, it definitely had a strong scene in the 2000s. We, as foreign people, merely witnessed the peak of it, but these bands were really worth it. From the most legendary Norway HC-act ever, JR EWING, to DOMINIC and KAOSPILOT, to SNÖRAS (with members from the former), THE SPECTACLE and RUMBLE IN RHODOS. While sounding different, all these acts had something in common, when it comes to the feeling of their music. JR EWING and other, even more successful, scandinavian bands like REFUSED probably left a mark on all of them... yet, ever since, the spirit of those bands wasn't revived in the last 10 to 15 years. Enter HAMMOK.

The trio out of Oslo formed in 2020/21. Personally I discovered them with their excellent video for "Seance" and then had a hard time finding their music. They don't have a Bandcamp, but eventually I found their EP from 2023 in the form of a live playthrough on YouTube. You can also find the tracks from the 2022-EP "Jumping/Dancing/Fighting" there! But the record we're talkin' about is their first full length "Look how long lasting everything is moving forward for once", which recently came out on Thirty Something Records.

HAMMOK definitely revive that old, norwegian spirit. They take a lot from all of JR EWING's phases, from the spastic, early stuff to the rocking, groovy "Ride Paranoia" (arguably their best!) to the melodic, hymnic sounds of their last record. And, HAMMOK also have something in common with DOMINIC, for sure. Yet, they find their own way of doing things. It's more like, they have the same DNA as their fellow countrymen...

The quasi-title track is one of the best openers I've heard in a long time and the way you want to start your album. It's fast, crushing, intense and straight to the point in under two minutes of playtime. Next is the hit of the record, the already mentioned "Seance". With the keyboards, and the whole Post-Punk/New-Wave-vibe to it, the track is quite misleading when it comes to the whole record. It's not like they're doing something similar with the upcoming tracks. "Nothing's never better" starts us off with those epic, melodic, Post-Rock-ish guitars, somewhere in the middle of TRAIL OF DEAD, TOUCHE AMORE and late JR EWING. Tho they get into more spastic territories and bounce back and forth for the rest of the track. This "bouncing" between melodic/epic and chaotic/destructive parts is pretty much what they'll do for the rest of the album... with different priorites from track to track. While "Wannabe (Billboard No. 1)" is more melodic, the next song "H.F.D." leans on the noisy side of things.

HAMMOK do a very good job throughout, as they never let go from start to finish. The first half of the record is better in my opinion, that may also be due to the fact that they can't really bring anything new to the table in the second half. Personally I'd love them to incorporate more mellow pieces, as you can feel that they have a tremendous feeling for those softer, moody parts. But... I guess, they need somewhere to go from here, ey? As of now, "Look how long lasting everything is moving forward for once" is not just a fuckin' cool record title, it is also a triumphant debut album for the trio. And one, that puts Norway back on the HC-map!

HAMMOK on Instagram