After years of igniting stages and airwaves since solidifying their line-up in 2017, Gold Coast heavies HAMMERS today announce the long-awaited release of their debut album DEATH WOBBLES, due out on Friday 23 January 2026 via Summerland Records.
An album steeped in post-hardcore and alternative metal flavours, forged with the group’s trademark swagger, grit and blistering charm, DEATH WOBBLES also marks a significant progression for HAMMERS, both sonically and spiritually, with the group pushing their own creative boundaries and the very confines of what it means to be a heavy band in the 21st century across the space of 12 tracks.
Accompanying the album’s announcement today, HAMMERS — aka Leigh ‘Fish’ Dowling (vocals), Lucas Stone (vocals + guitar), Ricky T (bass), Ryan ‘Ruckus’ Lucas (drums) and Dario Lagana (guitar + backing vocals) — have also unveiled their forthcoming record’s title track; a propulsive cut laden with “riffs, hooks and neck-breakers aplenty”, as Stone explains, mixed and mastered by Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Sunk Loto, Animals As Leaders).
“I wrote this song about the trials of life, using both skating and surfing as the metaphoric vessel or conduit for the song’s expression,” shares Stone of brand new single DEATH WOBBLES. “The song traverses the heaviness of life and our imminent mortality. Our topical experiences of love, hate, sex, violence, intention, outcome and how we generally work through all that tests us in order to rationalise our impending mortality while experiencing all we can – the best way possible – is at the fore.”
Via the accompanying DEATH WOBBLES music video, directed by James Latter, HAMMERS merge their personal passions alongside reflecting the very notion of “death wobbles”, both literally and metaphorically; a term for a violent and uncontrollable shaking of a vehicle, skateboard, surfboard and beyond that also translates to the human experience.
“We filmed DEATH WOBBLES in the iconic ‘Death Bowl’ at local Gold Coast skate institution, Pizzey Park, with local skate/surf frothers and mates on the lens ,” explains Stone. “The overall concept was inspired by the lyrical content. Using two of our favourite physical pursuits/loves (skating/surfing) as the vessel to deliver the message meant things fell into place as naturally as you would deal with the outcome of a heavy take off in the water, bombing a hill you know you shouldn’t or dropping into a bowl that might kill you. Spontaneous commitment, flow-state recovery. James took my relaying the feeling to him, coupled it with our performance and did his thing.”
Releasing their debut EP Homeblokes in 2018, and a sophomore 2020 EP Kicking Goals, the road towards the first ever HAMMERS full-length album began three years ago without a fixed or restrictive mission statement; instead, it found Stone channeling innovation amongst his own extensive songwriting history, and a collective band sentiment: “serve the song”.
“I started fuckin’ with it about three years ago,” Stone reveals. “Had no idea where it was taking me, or us, just knew it had to be the best version of whatever it was I was doing. And I do think as you get more advanced in the creative realm, you kind of let the magic happen? Have faith in your soul’s ability to know when to work through or alternatively, let it be I guess.”
“I’d like to think that if DEATH WOBBLES had a consciousness, as a whole, it’d be pretty settled and would know exactly who and what it is,” Stone continues. “The writing process was definitely more insular and selfish than previous efforts, on my part. Not really intentional, but as we evolved through it, the general band discussion around that sentiment indicated that our ‘serve the song only’ motto was being executed optimally by doing so.”
“Our band is very open. We operate on happiness, love and brotherhood. Not ego and non-inclusion. And we grow through every experience. This time ’round, it’s worked. Who knows, the next one could be different again.”
Teaming up with producer Forrester Savell along with engineering courtesy of Michael Campbell (She Cries Wolf, Vengeance, Deficit) and Luke Palmer (Dead Letter Circus, Boo Seeka, Jacob Lee), DEATH WOBBLES as a whole injects a unique and compelling spin on influences spanning Every Time I Die through to He Is Legend, Better Lovers, Stray From The Path, Alexisonfire, The Bronx, Thrice, The Barbarians of California and many more. And, as witnessed in earlier singles TOP FUN, FUCKED AROUND & FOUND OUT (nominated for ‘Video of the Year’ at the 2025 Gold Coast Music Awards), TRAPS and today’s new title track, the sonically diverse album thematically traverses nihilism, apathy, the weakness of the human condition, political commentary, greed, misuse of power, division and disconnection, unabashedly aiming deep below the surface along with heavy riffs, emotive hooks, spine-snapping grooves and gut-wrenching screams; and all conjoined with, as Stone puts it: “fists full of love.”
Firmly flying the flag for true blue Australian rock’n’roll in a modern industry where fortune rarely seems to favour the bold, HAMMERS‘ uncompromising wares have continually transcended any roadblocks in their way, striking an unforgettable balance between flippant fun and searing substance without sacrificing genuine craftsmanship. Equally in-demand onstage as they are for their diverse sonic smorgasbord, HAMMERS ticked off their first international tour in 2024, headlining in New Zealand and Japan, and have previously shared stages with the likes of He Is Legend, Mammal, and The Butterfly Effect, as well as their own renowned headline shows.
Currently on the road as part of their Moment Of Struth Australian headline run, HAMMERS will take the stage in Brisbane tomorrow night, Saturday 29 November, for a headline shindig, before closing out the year supporting Aussie rock icons Cog on Saturday 6 December on the Sunshine Coast and Saturday 20 December in Byron Bay.
With more videos, international touring, new merch and “more dumb pirate skullduggery” imminently on the near horizon alongside the upcoming release of DEATH WOBBLES due out next January via Summerland Records, an independent label run by the band’s own Stone and Ricky T, HAMMERS are primed to take on the world, armed with fortitude and an unwavering passion for what they do.
“I feel like where we are at globally as a species, we are straight-up mid Death Wobbles,” says Stone. “You’ve either had ’em or you haven’t but yeah, IYKYK.”
“Finally releasing a debut HAMMERS album feels kinda the same as the build up to ya first orgasm, only heaps better,” Stone concludes. “It’s been a patient evolution into our most actualised form. We cannot wait for it to grow legs, so our excitement is at a fuck’n irrationally hectic level. But ultimately, being HAMMERS and having the best fans ever is easily our greatest achievement to date. The HAMMERS family rules.”
Stream DEATH WOBBLES (Single) & watch official music video:
https://linktr.ee/
Pre-order & pre-save DEATH WOBBLES (Album):
https://ditto.fm/death-wobbles
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER – TOMCAT, BRISBANE QLD (HEADLINE SHOW)
SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER – KINGS BEACH TAVERN, SUNSHINE COAST QLD^
SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER – HOTEL NORTHERN, BYRON BAY NSW^
^Supporting Cog
TICKET INFO & MORE: www.hammersofficial.com
