Interview by Angela Croudace
No matter how much everything changes in culture and the world at large, heavy metal endures. It empowers. It engages. It engenders strength. It outlasts fads. 
Since forming in Gothenburg, Sweden and releasing their debut album Glory To The Brave in 1997, Swedish power metal titans HammerFall have stormed the gates of heavy music’s pantheon and waved the genre’s flag higher and higher with every subsequent release. With multiple international number ones, gold certifications, sold out tours, and over 100 million+ streams and 100 million+ YouTube views, the group upholds a venerable legacy.
But it is in a live setting where they outshine their peers and imitators. In true HammerFall fashion, every element becomes dangerously and dramatically amplified. The riffs hit harder. The rhythms thunder louder. The choruses soar closer to the clouds.
The GODS have listened, and they have heeded your call. HammerFall will set sail for Australia in January 2025 for their first ever Australian tour. HEAVY caught up with frontman Joacim Cans to dive in further.
"This tour is part of the tour of the latest album, Avenge the Fallen," he offered. "And since this is the 13th album - but still an album that will make a difference in the history of Hammerfall - we need to play the songs that the fans want to hear.
We also need to play the songs that we want to play. That really makes me go and on stage. I love playing this song because it's so personal to me. We need to put that song in as well. And then maybe you add one or two, like, underdogs, so to speak, like, surprise songs. I think this is the equation for the perfect set list."
Check out the full interview to hear the full story.