Review | Wizards Ahoy! A Look at Gloryhammer’s Tales from The Kingdom of Fife

If you have been keeping up with our posts on the DMK Facebook page,  you’d know that we have been hyping up Gloryhammer, the Power/Fantasy Metal band driven by the quirky Alestorm frontman, Christopher Bowes.   Wizards, Unicorns, Scotland…need I go on? But as the time draws near to their debut release in March, we finally got our hands on the album.  Does it live up to the hype, or is it an epic disappointment? Let’s find out!

Band: Gloryhammer
Album: Tales from the Kingdom of Fife
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Release Date: March 29, 2013

Before jumping into the review, I’d like to point out how epic the artwork is on its own. Dan Goldsworthy crafted an amazing entourage of art which further complements the high expectations of this album.

Power Metal is one of those genres that always has a familiar sound, it’s easy to get into, and typically makes you want to wield a sword so you can slay those who resist the power…yeah.  You have bands like Helloween and Blind Guardian that take you by your ears and slam you with a hammer of power.  You have others who try to mimic their sound and end up creating an overzealous, muddled piece of Unicorn feces that lacks any production value and musical proficiency. Then you have Gloryhammer, who doesn’t just slam the hammer, they drop it harder than Skrillex drops his bass!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTW30Q4B3Go]

The album starts off with an ominous instrumental introduction that flows right into “The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee” a fast and heavy track that gallops straight to a gloriously catchy chorus.  Vocalist Thomas Winkler, who plays the role of Angus McFife, dominates the verses with his powerful voice that flawlessly follows the NWOBHM riffs.  ”Angus McFife” brings a fun, yet repetitive segue into “The Quest for the Hammer of Glory” which turns down the tempo, but brings a new definition to fist pumping with the unnatural amounts of UNST that force their way into your ears.  It’s inconceivable ear rape that immediately turns consensual, thanks to James Cartwright, the Barbarian Warrior of Unst, grooving the sweet bass line.

Paul Templing, as Ser Proletius, brings a strong armament of swift solos, smashing riffs, and Templar guitar shredding in every song, and he shows off his technicality well in “Amulet of Justice” and the instrumental “Beneath Cowdenbeath“.  Ben Turk, Ralathor the Mysterious Hermit of Cowdenbeath, supplies these heroes with a full range of artillery as his drumwork is crisp and clean throughout every track.

Now as aforementioned, this band is a side project of Christopher Bowes.  Rather than taking the leading role, he sits back to play Zargothrax, the Dark Sorcerer of Auchtermuchty, who defiles the Kingdom of Fife with his keyboard of black magic.  ”Magic Dragon” starts with a pretty damn wizard keyboard introduction that follows through the entire track.  Magic ahoy!

As is expected from many Power bands, there is a an epic ballad in the form of “Silent Tears of Frozen Princess” which is about Angus McFife’s princess who was locked away in a magical encasement of ice by the hands of Zargothrax.  To climax this already epic fantasy story, “The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder” ties together all of the elements of this album in a 10 minute power track that is 10 mins too short!

These tales from the magical land of Fife bring a fresh sound, that doesn’t stray far from what we expect from a band: outstanding musicianship, production quality, and replay value.  From what appears to be a bit of a parody band in light of the silliness of Alestorm, Gloryhammer turns out to be a truly powerful collaboration of musical prowess.  The lyrics may be a bit quirky at times, but Winkler’s tone brings such conviction that you feel these Fife tales happened, that you just experienced something that can not only bring your imagination another playground, but something that you’d want to hear again and again.  Not to mention the sheer perfection of the production, courtesy of the talented Lasse Lammert who is no stranger to Alestorm, having produced their latest album Back Through Time.

Just ask yourself this: do I like awesomeness that cannot be compared in any realm both mortal and beyond? If you answered yes, please see below and PRE-ORDER this album.  It lives up the hype and then some, and expect to see these lads on tour soon. Be sure to bring  your Hammer of Glory, the Amulet of Justice, and the Magic Dragon if you want to have any chance of defeating Zargothrax…or just bring him some gin and an In-N-Out Cheeseburger.

Rating

Track Listing

1. Anstruther’s Dark Prophecy
2. The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
3. Angus McFife
4. Quest for the Hammer of Glory
5. Magic Dragon
6. Silent Tears of Frozen Princess
7. Amulet of Justice
8. Hail to Crail
9. Beneath Cowdenbeath
10. The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder
11. Wizards! (Limited Edition Digipack)

Personnel

Thomas Winkler, Angus McFife – Vocals
Ben Turk, Ralathor – Drums
Christopher Bowes, Zargothrax – Keyboards
Paul Templing, Ser Proletius – Guitars
James Cartwright, Hootsman – Bass

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Pre-Order the album!