Review Summary: “The next time somebody announces that he plans to get Medieval on your ass, tell him you're going to get Renaissance on his gonads.” - James Morrow
Gloryhammer’s dripping cheese-metal returns once again. The hyper-kinetic metal riffs, this time, go alongside an origin story: Zargothrax’s escalation into a diabolical sorcerer. To understand the band’s lore - or the story within the pages of this album - prepare to indulge in heavy reading. Another option: don’t bother, and read Sherlock Holmes instead. The choice is yours. Gloryhammer’s story-led attack blurs the line between musicals and metal. Some will love the showy aspect of the band, but either way, there’s catchy power metal tunes behind the costumed, axe-wielding razzle-dazzle.
Gloryhammer’s power metal is more on the generic side in this iteration. The last album was similar to Rhapsody of Fire and Blind Guardian, and this one is Dragonforce to a tee, coupled with guitar notes fast enough to sound programmed. The choruses are fittingly ear-pleasing and triumphant, though the music comes across as a speed-blur. The new singer puts forth his best effort here, singing with less gusto than the previous singer — he is missed. These are all minor points though, considering how much the band sound like themselves.
Return to the Kingdom of Fife is overwhelmingly safe. Some hurricane riffs bring variety, which is perhaps the most memorable motif of the album. The band’s ability to stay consistent with their music is commendable. Fans of the band will love the more-of-the-same tactic. However, they’re sounding a little commercial in their never-ending tactic to copy-paste their usual formula. Spoken word sections with annoying effects take up half the runtime, and it’s certainly a grind. The singing is solid, but not especially memorable. There’s room for growth, Gloryhammer just refuse to use it. No need to tweak a successful formula, after all.
Once one looks past the glitz of the band, the music itself is perfectly decent power metal. What they bring to the scene works. It sounds good, it’s polished, it’s catchy, and that’s good enough for the masses. Their music could be vastly more grandiose, and escalated to epic proportions befitting their dramatic tales, though fans would say that goal is already reached. Gloryhammer are just here to do their thing, and they remain substantially better than a large handful of power metal bands. As cheesy as the music/band is, Return to the Kingdom of Fife is another win, and rather fun.
