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Ah, Hammerfall. The name is surely known to fans far and wide as the band was one of the lone flag bearers during Metal's dark ages in the late 90s. Built to Last is the band's 10th studio effort and picks up right where 2014's (r)Evolution left off, which is to say it's almost exactly like every other Hammerfall album (with the exception of Infected). If you've managed to go this long without hearing at least one Hammerfall song, it can be summed up thusly; catchy chorus, crunchy twin guitars, acrobatic solos and galloping rhythm work. This is truly the stuff of foot taping and air guitars with lyrics about Metal, fantasy and hammers. The songwriting is actually pretty good with classic (one could say cliché if one were feeling pugnacious) riffs and vocal lines but it's so generic it's like Joacim Cans and crew bought a "Hammerfall for Dummies" book and cranked out an album. By no means do I dislike it (my foot is tapping as I write this and listen the band channel "Steel Meets Steel" on "Dethrone and Defy") but I can't come up with one single reason to listen to Built to Last over Glory to the Brave. Built to Last is solid but I doubt even a dyed-in-the-wool Hammerfall fan could claim it is essential.