Editing HammerFall (section)

===''Renegade'' and ''Crimson Thunder'' (2000–2003)===
After a long series of concerts, the band returned to Sweden in order to spend time with their families and begin writing songs for their next album. HammerFall made arrangements for this album to be recorded by Michael Wagener,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelwagener.com/ |title=Michael Wagener.com |publisher=Michael Wagener.com |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> who had previously produced bands such as [[Accept (band)|Accept]], [[Alice Cooper]] and [[Ozzy Osbourne]]. The recording took eight weeks, and the album was entitled ''[[Renegade (HammerFall album)|Renegade]]''. The switch from producer Fredrik Nordström to Wagener was met with skepticism from the media in general. However, after the release, critics were mostly positive, even though there was a consensus that the band's sound was remarkably different. A music video by director Roger Johansson was created for the song "Renegade" and reached the top of the Swedish parade; the same soon happened with the album itself, which reached gold status with over forty thousand copies sold.
[[File:Anders Johansson 4.jpg|thumb|Anders Johansson]]
Oscar stated on www.metalrules.com just prior to the release of 'Renegade' that they were going for a more "commercial" sound in order to attract a broader audience that otherwise would have been lost to them and that future albums wouldn't follow in this mold.

The band's second world tour began in January 2001. Concerts from this tour counted with a replica version of the album's cover on stage. It was set up as a [[castle]] in ruins from which the musicians entered the stage. In total, the tour included almost sixty shows.

The band then released a [[DVD]] entitled ''[[The Templar Renegade Crusades]]'', which included video footage from recording sessions, live concerts, tour backstages, and encounters with fans. The footage ranged from the recording sessions of ''Legacy of Kings'' to the gold album party which took place in November 2001.

HammerFall then proceeded to record their fourth album &mdash; ''[[Crimson Thunder]]''. Arrangements were made for recording sessions to take place in both ''JM Studios'': from [[Charlie Bauerfeind]], in ''[[Wisseloord Studios]]'' &mdash; in the Netherlands, and studio ''Blind Guardian'' &mdash; in Germany, for the bass.

By the end of the recording sessions in 2002, a listening session for the press was held. Overall, the reactions were quite positive, and most seemed to perceive the album as a change for the better from ''Renegade''. A single for the song "Hearts on Fire" was released six weeks prior to the album's launch and remained for weeks on the number one spot on the parades of some European countries. The song also attracted a number of new fans to the band due to its [[refrain|chorus]]-driven melody and simple riffs coupled with fast guitar solos.

The shooting of the music video  "Hearts on Fire" by director Roger Johansson was scheduled for August of that year. The band's plans, however, had to be held back for a week due to an incident that occurred one night. While Joacim was drinking with his girlfriend in a rock club he had been frequenting for over a decade, he was attacked by an unidentified person who hit him in the head with a beer glass and hastily escaped. Joacim instantly lost consciousness and had to be taken to a hospital, in which he underwent [[plastic surgery]] and rested for a couple of days. As soon as it became medically possible, he joined the band to record the music video.

In order to promote the release of the band's album in North America, they toured with [[Dio (band)|Dio]] during November and December 2002. Subsequently, the manager of the band disappeared, taking the entirety of the tour's revenue with him. Despite this the tour was very successful, and proceeded to Europe. Changes were made to the band's stage setting, and many investments were made on [[fireworks]] and on the presence of the mascot Hector on stage. The scenery on the cover of the single ''Hearts on Fire'' was also reproduced and added to the performances. The tour progressed to Japan and then to South America. HammerFall was present on festivals in Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, playing with bands such as [[Iron Maiden]], [[Slayer]], [[Twisted Sister]], [[U.D.O.]] and [[Stratovarius]].

HammerFall's tour was brought to a sudden end when Oscar Dronjak suffered a [[motorcycle]] accident, breaking his left arm and sustaining several minor injuries.

They were then left with no choice but to take a break. Stefan dedicated himself to getting a [[aviator|pilot]] license, Magnus and Anders continued working on their side projects and Joacim began work on his solo album and had his first child. Oscar simply focused on recovering. Together with a group of specialists, he was able to recover to his full capacities. He then joined Anders, Joacim, Stefan again, with bands [[Helloween]], [[Gamma Ray (band)|Gamma Ray]] and [[Pretty Maids]], amongst others, and played in the celebration of the 20 years of the German rock club ''Rockfabrik''.