If heavy metal had a Mount Rushmore, Kai Hansen’s face would already be carved into it — probably with the very hammer he’s swinging on his new record. The Helloween co-founder and Gamma Ray mastermind, whose fingerprints are all over the DNA of power metal itself, is stepping back into the solo spotlight with a new album titled Born With A Hammer, arriving September 18 via earMUSIC.

It’s Hansen’s first proper solo outing since 2016’s Kai Hansen & Friends: XXX – Three Decades In Metal, and if the lead single is any indication, he hasn’t lost a single step. In fact, he might be swinging harder than ever.

A Record Built From Every Corner Of His Career

Born With A Hammer isn’t a nostalgia trip — it’s a full-throttle summary of everything Hansen has spent decades perfecting. Across 10 tracks, the album weaves together classic heavy metal, punk snarl, hard rock swagger, and melodic hooks big enough to fill a stadium. It’s raw, rebellious, and unmistakably personal, the kind of record you can only make when you have absolutely nothing left to prove.

Produced by Eike Freese (who also handles guitar duties on the record), the album features a stacked lineup with serious extreme metal pedigree: Alexander Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn) on guitar, Dan Wilding (Carcass) on drums, and Tim Hansen (Induction) on guitar. It’s a band with firepower to spare, and they let it rip.

“Feeding The Beast” Kicks The Door In

The album’s opening track and first single, “Feeding The Beast,” landed today alongside a matching music video. Built on razor-sharp riffs, anthemic melodies, and the kind of relentless energy that made Hansen a household name in metal circles, it’s a proper mission statement — direct, catchy, and heavy in all the right places.

Stream “Feeding The Beast” on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/album/5Jjs5valCzIu0Hy7pUsSGH

Born With A Hammer Tracklist:

1. Feeding The Beast
2. Welcome To Life
3. Don’t Care
4. Wait And See
5. Born With A Hammer
6. I.D.G.A.F.
7. End Of The Road
8. Triple Trouble
9. Invaders
10. Wonderland

The album will be available on CD Digipak, Black LP Gatefold (180g), and a Limited Picture Disc LP (180g) for the vinyl faithful.

Following the massive success of Helloween’s reunion era and their run of world tours, Born With A Hammer opens a fresh chapter for Hansen as a solo artist — one that stands entirely on its own two boots. Pre-order the album, crank “Feeding The Beast” loud enough to annoy your neighbors, and mark September 18 on the calendar. The hammer is coming down.