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Napalm Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 17.09.2015
Gloryhammer. Could you guess that the name implies power metal? Odds are. German power metal at that from a band of brothers who looked like they just stepped out of the Cosplay competition at the latest European Comic-Con. That or they dudes that, while playing Dungeons & Dragons, get beat up in the park by a bunch of bikers.
Yet, rather than suggesting you become totally incredulous and so, dismissive, just up the heavy metal "cheese" dial to 11 to deal with Gloryhammer and their new album, hold on, Space 1992 Rise Of The Chaos Wizards. Make that 12 on the "Are you freakin' serious" scale. However, and fundamentally, Gloryhammer composes and plays classic European power with flair, abundance, and abandon. Everything that makes power metal so pompous and outrageous is within. Walls of riffage, made even more extravagant by another wall of keyboards, becoming both intense and lavish in the same arrangement. Of course, with guitars comes the thrill of classic flaming heavy metal leads. The swift pace of speed metal informs the rhythm section, keeping everything galloping forward, but also putting rock groove into the heavy metal. The vocals are lead by a single voice at the mic, but embellished by the additional vocal arrangements that give a choral effect.
After these things, what could better than the songs themselves, at least the song titles. Rise Of The Chaos Wizards, Legend Of The Astral Hammer, Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy, Questlords of Inverness, Ride to the Galactic Fortress! (really), and The Hollywood Hootsman. What the hell is a Hootsman? Yeah, it's all very preposterous, even ridiculous. If the bombastic riff raging power metal isn't enough. Gloryhammer closes with Dundax Aeterna, mostly spooky choral vocals over symphonic keyboards, and a total waste of four and a half minutes. But, hey, it's all good and (mostly) done well. Gloryhammer's Space 1992 Rise Of The Chaos Wizards is the perfect storm and glorious wet dream for the cosplay power metal geek.
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Gloryhammer's Space 1992 Rise Of The Chaos Wizards is the perfect storm and glorious wet dream for the cosplay power metal geek.
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