{"id":34133,"date":"2013-11-05T15:32:54","date_gmt":"2013-11-05T20:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=34133"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:38:55","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:38:55","slug":"gloryhammer-tales-from-the-kingdom-of-fife-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/gloryhammer-tales-from-the-kingdom-of-fife-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Gloryhammer | Tales From the Kingdom of Fife<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist\/News Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"GloryhammerSooner or later there was bound to be a band that looked at Rhapsody and Hammerfall and said \u201cyeah, we can be even cheesier than that.\u201d That time has come, and the band to deliver the next level of over the top fantasy-based power metal is called (epically enough) Gloryhammer. The Scottish band was formed by Alestorm keyboardist Christopher Bowes, and is guaranteed to have (plastic) swords raised all across the globe.<\/p>\n

In terms of overall sound, Tales From the Kingdom of Fife<\/em> sounds exactly like you\u2019d expect it to. This is Rhapsody meets Hammerfall-style power metal full of sweeping symphonic elements, galloping leads and sing-along choruses. Bowes makes the shift from swashbuckling pirates to dragons and princesses with ease, and some of the folk melodies he uses in Alestorm are carried over here. The rest of the band are relative newcomers, but you\u2019d never know it by their performances on the album. Thomas Winkler\u2019s vocals in particular are strong.<\/p>\n

Tales From the Kingdom of Fife<\/em> is (to absolutely no one\u2019s surprise) a concept album based on a fantasy world. In this case it\u2019s an alternate universe Scotland full of magic weapons and enchanted creatures. Lyrically, Gloryhammer is so enthusiastically embracing the cheese factor that they\u2019re in Lost Horizon territory. It\u2019s tongue-in-cheek without becoming full-on parody, which is a fine line to walk, but song titles like \u201cThe Unicorn Invasion of Dundee\u201d and \u201cMagic Dragon\u201d should clue you in on what to expect here.<\/p>\n

Gloryhammer may be treading a very familiar path here, but they\u2019re definitely doing it with style. Tales From the Kingdom of Fife is an album that\u2019s literally too much fun to resist. Even if you burned out on the Rhapsody\/Hammerfall epic power metal sound years ago, you really ought to give Gloryhammer a listen. Chances are they\u2019ll rekindle that power metal flame in your heart. <\/p>\n

Edition Notes: You really need to get the CD version to truly get the full Gloryhammer experience. The thick booklet features cover artwork that would make Hammerfall drool, lush illustrations throughout, and one of the most epic band photos ever. The limited CD version, which comes in a digipack, also includes the bonus track \u201cWizards!\u201d<\/p>\n

Genre: Fantasy Power Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nThomas Winkler (v)
\nPaul Templing (g)
\nJames Cartwright (b)
\nChristopher Bowes (k)
\nBen Turk (d)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\nAnstruther\u2019s Dark Prophecy
\nThe Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
\nAngus McFife
\nQuest For the Hammer of Glory
\nMagic Dragon
\nSilent Tears of Frozen Princess
\nAmulet of Justice
\nHail to Crail
\nBeneath Cowdenbeath
\nThe Epic Rage of Furious Thunder<\/p>\n

Label: Napalm Records<\/p>\n

Online: http:\/\/www.gloryhammer.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Senior Columnist\/News Editor — Sooner or later there was bound to be a band that looked at Rhapsody and Hammerfall and said \u201cyeah, we can be even cheesier than that.\u201d That […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":34134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[2317,891],"class_list":{"0":"post-34133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-napalm-records"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}