It's been 4 years since the killer Golden Age of Black Magic, which I recalled being a strong mix of U.S. power metal and good ol' fashioned metal with some NWOBHM leanings as well, and that's pretty much what they deliver again on their 7th album (not counting Mix Tape '85, which was just a covers album). Horns and Hammers shows the band continuing to make direct, aggressive, nicely melodic U.S. metal that's full of catchy, old-school songs that lack anything artificial or gimmicky and just rock the fuck out. Jason McMaster again steals the spotlight with his powerful, rough-edged vocals, but the band as a whole unit is tight and proficient as they spin out more of the simple, no-frills metal that they specialize in. If you like their last one as much as I did, odds are you'll like this plenty as well.