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]
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."
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