Review HANSEN “Born With a Hammer”

Over the past few months and years, Kai Hansen has hardly been sitting around twiddling his thumbs. Much of his time has been taken up by Helloween, who released a solid new album in 2025 and have been on their ongoing 40 Years Anniversary Tour ever since. Still, Hansen somehow managed to carve out enough time for a new solo album. Here it is: Born With a Hammer.

This is Hansen’s first solo album in ten years, so naturally, there’s some curiosity about what the guitarist and vocalist has been cooking up this time. “Feeding the Beast” was released as a lead single in the summer of 2026 and also serves as the album opener. It makes for an interesting start. Piano and Hansen’s vocals open both the song and the album – not a roaring guitar riff in sight. Instead, we get a quieter, more emotional beginning. The song soon picks up some weight, driven by pulsating riffs. Sitting firmly in mid-tempo territory, “Feeding the Beast” provides a strong introduction to the record. Hansen’s own musical signature is clearly audible, and he wisely avoids making the track sound too much like Helloween.

The latter becomes even more apparent on “Welcome to Life.” A positive vibe runs through the song, while clever tempo changes and a slight punk edge turn it into one of the album’s more immediate moments. It was also released as a single ahead of the album, and it’s easy to understand why.

On “I Don’t Care at All,” melody takes center stage. The song’s lightly pop-infused opening may cause a moment of confusion, and somehow the verse immediately brought Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” to mind. Make of that what you will. What becomes increasingly clear is that keyboards and samples play a larger role here than one might have expected. You also can hear it right from the beginning of “Wait and See,” another track with a dark, distinctly modern feel.

Kai Hansen is clearly taking a different route with this album, and that may not sit comfortably with everyone. There are fewer obvious genre boundaries here, and the production leans into contemporary textures rather than simply recreating the classic Hansen formula.

With “I.D.G.A.F.,” however, the roots of rock ’n’ roll come roaring back. It’s a straightforward rocker with a strong melody and a distinct Motörhead flavor.

The title track is the album’s longest song, clocking in at around eight minutes. Like the opener, it starts slowly and is built around piano. There’s a distinct Queen influence in the air, and that feeling only becomes stronger as the song unfolds. It’s a melancholic, weighty piece that feels like a reflection on the artist’s life while also looking toward the future. Personally, though, this is where I find the balance a little off: there’s simply too much Queen and not quite enough Hansen.

“Triple Trouble” picks up the pace again, with Hansen letting the party beast off the leash and giving it plenty of room to cause some fun. “Invaders” follows in a similar vein, offering a proper metal anthem where heaviness and melody work together nicely.

Then comes “Wonderland,” one of the album’s strongest tracks and a fitting reminder that Hansen’s roots are still firmly planted in metal. Judas Priest are clearly among the bands that helped shape his musical DNA, and that influence comes through without overpowering his own identity.

Born With a Hammer is an album that will probably require a few spins before it fully reveals itself – and it’s likely to divide opinion along the way. Kai Hansen and his band have succeeded in distancing themselves sufficiently from Helloween while creating a record packed with different influences.

Metal, rock, punk, and pop all make appearances on Born With a Hammer. The downside is that the album occasionally loses its sense of flow in the process. Each individual song offers something interesting, but taken as a whole, the record can feel a little scattered. That may be exactly what some listeners enjoy about it, while others will wish Hansen had followed a more consistent path. Either way, Born With a Hammer doesn’t simply play it safe – and perhaps that’s the point like stated in “I.D.G.A.F.”. Give it a few spins and make up your own mind.