"Mighty warriors of the galaxy!" Gloryhammer, an Anglo-Swiss power metal band founded by mastermind Christopher Bowes (Alestorm), have forged their third album! In case you don't know them, each member of the band represents a character in a story concept. The band appears on-stage in armor and costumes. This third time, we follow Angus McFife XIII (singer Thomas Winkler) into another dimension.
Following an expected intro track with a narrator, the album displays 9 tracks of "nuclear-fueled high-velocity heroic power metal", the likes of which you've heard in bands such as Rhapsody of Fire. As you can read from their own words, Gloryhammer is not apologetic when it comes to make epic music bigger than the "universe". They follow Malsmsteen's motto "more is more" to the fullest and don't take themselves too seriously. The formula works and their previous album is a masterpiece of modern power metal. Going into their third adventure my question was can Gloryhammer live to my high expectations? Well, yes and no. In the 2019 context, this is one of the most fun records I heard so far. On the other hand it is slightly inferior to 2015's Space 1992. The only reason for it is that the guitar and vocals are a bit less heavy while the symphonic elements were turned up to 10. It is not necessarily a bad thing and it gives the album a distinctive characteristic within the discography, but I miss that punch from 2015. Gloryhammer has always taken a lot from Rhapsody of Fire. But now it's even more pronounced due to the symphonic arrangements. There are hints of Manowar and DragonForce, but less used than previously.
In terms of song writing, creating memorable melodies, hooks and catchy choruses, Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex is as good as Gloryhammer has ever been. The new adventure starts strong with three songs already on their live setlist, including the first single "The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)". Then in the middle of the album two jewels: One of their strongest songs ever which is titled after the band's name (try not to sing it along) and "Hootsforce" a future live favorite as well. The album closes with the 12-min epic "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny". I specially like how the album was constructed because in between those songs there are a couple more that at first did not impress me. However as they are nested in between my favorites, soon enough I started to dig them as well. The production is typical modern power metal, limited dynamic range but not too bad. The guitars are a bit low in the mix, but overall the albums sound quite OK.
Terrorvortex is a worthy addition to Gloryhammer's discography following the same formula that got them here, but also creating a distinctive feeling. There's no doubt that fans of the band will dig this and so will fans of symphonic power metal overall. I'm looking forward to see them live again and for their continued success. For the eternal glory of Dundee!
SCORE: 85/100
DR: 6
Genre: Power Metal
Released by Napalm Records on May 31st, 2019
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