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Concert Review – Gloryhammer (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 03/12/2024)

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One of the torchbearers of Symphonic Power Metal worldwide returned to Toronto after five long years with more of their striking music, swords, goblins, hammers, and HOOTS!

OPENING ACTS: AMMO and Twilight Force

It was a beyond pleasant night in Toronto yesterday with temperatures above the two digits, something VERY uncommon for this time of the year but perfect for enjoying some high-quality Power Metal at The Phoenix Concert Theatre (which by the way desperately needs better parking nearby), courtesy of AMMO, TWILIGHT FORCE and GLORYHAMMER during their most excellent The Red, White & Hoots North American Tour 2024, and the Torontonian fans of all three bands answered their call and joined them in the battlefield for a night of soaring vocals, shredding, orcs, goblins, swords, hammers, princess and princesses, and of course my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I couldn’t be left out of that metallic party in a land far, far away, right?

Well, to be fair, due to other commitments I couldn’t get to the venue in time to see Toronto’s own Heavy Metal act AMMO, but some people told me they were really good and put on a very entertaining warmup for Twilight Force and Gloryhammer. I checked online and it looks like there have been some significant changes to their lineup since their 2019 EP Taking the Throne, available on BandCamp and on Spotify, which means we can expect new music from those guys in a not-so-distant future. Sorry, AMMO, for not catching you live last night opening for Twilight Force and Gloryhammer, but I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to see you guys kicking ass on stage in the coming months.

Setlist
Into Death
Street Metal Werewolves
Doomsayer
Taking the Throne
Empire
Too Metal for Metal

Band members
Alex Zdarvkovic – vocals
Brett Hexx – guitars, backing vocals
Matt Lewis – guitars
Necro Hippie – bass
Struan Robertson – drums

It was around 8pm when Sweden’s iconic Symphonic Power Metal unity TWILIGHT FORCE hit the stage for a fantastic performance, I would say just as electrifying as Gloryhammer, with all band members being on absolute fire throughout the entire show and in sync with the crowd, leading each person at the venue into magical battles with dragons (and there was actually a “floating” dragon released over the crowd during Dragonborn) and other mystical creatures. Having released the album At the Heart of Wintervale last year, Twilight Force was unfortunately missing their lead singer Allyon due to unforeseen issues with his family back home, but that doesn’t mean their show was boring; quite the contrary, Long Island, New York-born (but currently residing in Sweden) vocalist Kristin Starkey, of Italian Melodic Heavy/Power Metal act Temperance, and who’s been doing backing vocals for Twilight Force since 2023, did all the vocals last night and, oh boy, she was incredible. What an amazing voice she has, plus of course her charisma and onstage theatricals, making us even “forget” she’s not the actual vocalist for the band. Sword yielding songs like Dragonborn, Thundersword, and the closing one The Power of the Ancient Force, inspired all fans to raise their fists in the air and enjoy an ass-kicking performance by Twilight Force, and I’m sure soon we’ll see those guys headlining concerts in the city thanks to the more-than-warm reception from their Torontonian fans (and if you want to know more about their music, go check them on BandCamp and on Spotify).

Setlist
Dawn of the Dragonstar
Twilight Force
Dragonborn
Thundersword
Sunlight Knight
Flight of the Sapphire Dragon
Sunlight Knight
At the Heart of Wintervale
The Power of the Ancient Force

Band members
Kristin Starkey – vocals
Lynd – lead & acoustic guitars, lute
Aerendir – rhythm guitars
Born – bass
Blackwald – keyboards, piano, violin, harpsichord
De’Azsh – drums

GLORYHAMMER

Finally, five years after their last concert in Toronto, Scotland’s own Symphonic Power Metal brigade GLORYHAMMER returned to Canadian battlefields armed with their 2023 opus Return To The Kingdom Of Fife, and if there’s one word that could define their show, that word has to be HOOTS! It was a fusion of Heavy and Power Metal with symphonic elements, beer, goblins, hammers and other fantasy elements by Angus McFife II, Ser Proletius, The Hootsman, Zargothrax and Ralathor, putting a huge smile on the faces of everyone who attended the show last night. Blending songs from all of their albums with new ones like Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol and Fife Eternal, which are extremely catchy and perfect for live concerts, the band kicked some ass and slayed some goblins for our total delight.

Of course, some of the most anticipated songs of their setlist didn’t disappoint at all, including the amazing battle hymns Gloryhammer, Hootsforce and The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee, with Angus McFife II (aka Sozos Michael) proving why he was chosen to become the band’s frontman with not only an amazing vocal performance, but also being very charismatic and leading the crowd with his requests for fists in the air while holding the Gloryhammer high. Also, I was impressed with the fact that there were even mosh pits during Gloryhammer’s performance, because that’s not the type of music you expect mosh pits. Well, it’s Toronto, so mosh pits can happen anytime. Furthermore, when you have a concert where a goblin appears on stage playing the saxophone, that means ANYTHING can happen, and I bet everyone at the venue can’t wait for Gloryhammer to visit Toronto again in the near future with more swords, hammers, and HOOTS!

Setlist
Incoming Transmission
Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost
Gloryhammer
The Land of Unicorns
Fly Away
Angus McFife
Questlords of Inverness, Ride to the Galactic Fortress!
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol
Fife Eternal
Masters of the Galaxy
Sword Lord of the Goblin Horde
The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy
Universe on Fire
Hootsforce
The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
The National Anthem of Unst

Band members
Angus McFife II (Sozos Michael) – vocals
Ser Proletius, Grand Master of the Deathknights of Crail (Paul Templing) – guitars
The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst (James Cartwright) – bass
Zargothrax, Dark Emperor of Dundee (Michael Barber) – keyboards
Ralathor, the Mysterious Submarine Commander of Cowdenbeath (Ben Turk) – drums

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Album Review – Gloryhammer / Return To The Kingdom Of Fife (2023)

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Scotland’s own metallic warriors return to the Kingdom Of Fife with their fourth full-length opus, a massive onslaught of Power Metal greatness and epic fantasy.

In the not-so-distant Kingdom of Fife, there lies a band like no other. Scottish Symphonic Power Metal outfit Gloryhammer embodies the very essence of Power Metal and epic fantasy, with a sound so majestic and grandiose that it could only be the work of the gods themselves. Led by the manifestation of extreme trumpet-chaos in battle-mode, Gloryhammer have been waging a never-ending fight against the forces of Zargothrax since their formation in 2010, armed with what they like to call “Interdimensional Power Metal”. Now in 2023 the band formed of vocalist Angus McFife V (aka Sozos Michael), guitarist Ser Proletius, Grand Master of the Deathknights of Crail (aka Paul Templing), bassist The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst (aka James Cartwright), keyboardist Zargothrax, Dark Emperor of Dundee (aka Michael Barber), and drummer Ralathor, the Mysterious Submarine Commander of Cowdenbeath (aka Ben Turk) is back in action with Return to the Kingdom of Fife, the fourth album in their already solid career. Featuring a majestic artwork by Dan Goldsworthy, the album is a massive onslaught of Power Metal greatness, being highly recommended for admirers of Alestorm, Powerwolf, Beast In Black, Battle Beast and Sabaton, among other metal giants.

Time to enter Gloryhammer’s parallel dimension to the symphonic intro Incoming Transmission until all hell breaks loose in Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost, a fast and thunderous Power Metal feast where Ser Proletius is on fire with his riffs while Zargothrax adds his touch of insanity to the music with his magic keys; followed by Imperium Dundaxia, even more imposing and multi-layered, with the keys by Zargothrax sounding striking from start to finish, not to mention the song’s absolutely rumbling bass and drums. The keys by Zargothrax will penetrate deep inside your mind in Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol, a video game-like metal attack led by the electrifying riffage by Ser Proletius, whereas Brothers of Crail is a battle hymn where Ralathor dictates the song’s galloping pace supported by the puissant bass by The Hootsman. And continuing to distill their keyboard-infused Power Metal we have Fife Eternal, showcasing another spot-on performance by Angus supported by the riffs and bass by Ser Proletius and The Hootsman.

Sword Lord of the Goblin Horde is a lot slower, more melodic than its predecessors, and not as inspiring, with even the kitchen by Zargothaz and Ralahor sounding very basic. However, that lack of energy doesn’t last for too long, as Ralathor speeds things up with his frantic drumming in Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem while Angus powerfully declaims the song’s lyrics in an incendiary display of Symphonic Power Metal. Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy follows the same formula as most of the songs from the album, a very happy version of Symphonic Power Metal spearheaded by the classic drums by Ralathor. Lastly, get ready for a 12-minute voyage full of cinematic passages, soaring vocals, ethereal keys, epic guitars and pounding drums beautifully titled Maleficus Geminus (Colossus Matrix 38B – Ultimate Invocation of the Binary Thaumaturge), a proper ending to such entertaining album flowing into a whimsical grand finale.

The electrifying Return To The Kingdom Of Fife can be appreciated in all of its glory on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you can support those metal warriors by purchasing the album from HERE or HERE (and if I were you I would certainly go for the wooden deluxe box containing the 2-CD digipak, a 7” single for “Fly Away”, plus a cards + dice + flag + collector’s card bundle), and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on. “Hoots! We are proud to teleport you all to as-of-yet unknown mountaintops of extreme-trumpet-confoundry with this new opus! Several orchestras were maimed during the production process, which we think reflects adequately in the hyper-sonic nano-recordings we have inscribed on disc for you to peruse. Many battles await,” commented the band about their new album, inviting us all to join them on another quest for Power Metal in the vast Kingdom Of Fife, and I bet you’ll be more than happy to fight alongside one of the most important bands of the Scottish scene, right?

Best moments of the album: Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost, Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol and Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem.

Worst moments of the album: Sword Lord of the Goblin Horde.

Released in 2023 Napalm Records

Track listing
1. Incoming Transmission 1:46
2. Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost 4:35
3. Imperium Dundaxia 4:36
4. Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol 4:29
5. Brothers of Crail 4:16
6. Fife Eternal 3:05
7. Sword Lord of the Goblin Horde 5:26
8. Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem 4:29
9. Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy 3:20
10. Maleficus Geminus (Colossus Matrix 38B – Ultimate Invocation of the Binary Thaumaturge) 12:10

Band members
Angus McFife V (Sozos Michael) – vocals
Ser Proletius, Grand Master of the Deathknights of Crail (Paul Templing) – guitars
The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst (James Cartwright) – bass
Zargothrax, Dark Emperor of Dundee (Michael Barber) – keyboards
Ralathor, the Mysterious Submarine Commander of Cowdenbeath (Ben Turk) – drums