In terms of chords and melody, Hammer Smashed Face is more complex than the typical song, having above average scores in Chord Complexity, Melodic Complexity, Chord-Melody Tension and Chord Progression Novelty.
Hammer Smashed Face is written in the key of D♯ Locrian. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 7th most popular key among Locrian keys and the 79th most popular among all keys. The D♯ Locrian scale is similar to the D♯ Minor scale except that both the 2nd and the 5th notes (E and A) are a half step lower. This means that the characteristic "home base" chord of D♯ Locrian has a dissonant diminished quality (d#˚), which makes it a very uncommon choice for songs. See the D♯ Locrian Cheat Sheet for popular chords, chord progressions, downloadable midi files and more!