Review Summary: Gloryhammer creates the ultimate power metal cheesecake recipe. Legendary intergalactic heroes, space eagles and unicorns, Latin chants, symphonic interludes, catchy choruses and kick ass guitar solos.
Power Metal is a genre known as the perfect description for epicness. Stories of fantastical lands and powerful heroes are narrated with a background of super fast drumming and guitars. And it normally is pretty serious stuff. Serious in the sense that one feels in awe with the stories narrated, and wants to grab their imaginary sword to go hunting some dragons. Gloryhammer is surely epic, but they take a self aware and ridiculous approach, capable of making even the most badass metal guy to giggle like a schoolgirl.
One does not need to look further than the band photos to realize that Gloryhammer is a ridiculous bunch. The singer looks like a combination of Iron Man and Green Lantern. The evil wizard has some crazy looking googles, and there is also a ghost in the band. And all of this accompanied of an intergalactic backdrop. These goofy guys surely are ready to kick some space ass.
And sure, the album could make me laugh with its heroic chants to protect the citadel of Dundee, or its narrated sequences that join all fantasy cliches in one paragraph. But is the music any good? Yes, it is. Leaving the theme aside, this album displays good power metal musicianship. The guitars and drums flow smoothly with symphonic passages. The songs do not overstay their welcome and pack powerful guitar solos, extremely catchy choruses that haunt me weeks after listening to the record, and just some awesome power metal segments that could easily get you stopped by the police for driving too fast. The music definitely has the power of "power metal" in it. And the way it comes together with the funny lyrics is just natural and extremely cheesy.
I highly recommend this album to either fans of power metal or to nerdy people that love themselves an epic and ridiculous space opera. This album really puts a grin on my face and has me loudly singing that I am the hero of Dundee that will save the galaxy. If you'll excuse me, I'll go defeat Zargothrax with my flying unicorn.
Recommended Tracks:
Infernum Ad Astra + Rise of The Chaos Wizards
Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy
Heroes (of Dundee)
Apocalypse 1992
