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The Bastard is the first album by the American progressive/heavy metal band Hammers of Misfortune, released in 2001.[3]

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The Bastard
Studio album by Hammers of Misfortune
Released	2001 (2001)
Recorded	July 1999 – February 2000 in San Francisco, California
Genre	Heavy metal, progressive metal
Length	46:10
Label	Tumult Records[1]
Producer	John Cobbett
Hammers of Misfortune chronology
The Bastard (2001) The August Engine (2003)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Critical reception

AllMusic wrote: "Nothing less than a three-act heavy metal opera with role-playing vocals sung by the band members, the album draws on a whole range of metal influences—from Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden to Mercyful Fate and Opeth—and ties them together with some Celtic folk touches to create a sound that, while it does feel a little '80s nostalgic, is actually pretty original."[2] Loudwire thought that there's not "much of a musical precedent for the group’s fearless brand of blackened prog-metal, made all the more stunning and unique by distinct vocal styles for each character and even folk music ingredients."[4] SF Weekly declared that "Hammers of Misfortune's well-orchestrated melodicism, kaleidoscopic riffs, quirky time signatures, and striking vocals are grandiose and metalriffic—and that's no myth."[1]

Track listing

Personnel

Hammers of Misfortune

• John Cobbett – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, screams
• Chewy Marzolo – drums
• Janis Tanaka – bass guitar, vocals
• Mike Scalzi – electric guitar, vocals

Production

• Rich Morin – engineer
• Justin Weis – mixing and mastering at Trakworx, South San Francisco, California
• John Cobbett – producer
• Lorraine Rath – illustrations, design, lettering
• Ross Sewage and Jeanie M. – photography

Additional information

• The band did not record The Bastard in a typical recording studio. The liner notes state: "this album was recorded on an 8-track analog machine in a rehearsal space in San Francisco between July 1999 and February 2000."

References

• Cobbett, John (2001). The Bastard (booklet). Hammers of Misfortune. San Francisco, California: Tumult Records.

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