On sunday 22 august (my son’s third birthday, gaaah) Gloryhammer published a brief post in social media that Thomas Winkler, aka Angus McFife XIII, time as the bands lead vocalist was over. Very unexpected and very, very sad news.
Winkler himself posted later that day that he had been sacked from the band by an email the same morning. Email!
Angus McFife armed with a “Heavy Metal Darklord Crasher” and “Fighting mega battles every day” have survived the evil sorcerer Zargothrax in different time, space and dimensions through the band’s three albums.
Still, it appears that the “Mighty prince with a licence to slay” finally was annihilated by an e-mail. Evil e-mail indeed!
I started writing this post that Sunday but I wanted to see how the breakup-story evolved. It has turned out to be very bad. But:
Gloryhammer is/was a conceptual symphonic power metal band, for those who never heard about them and might think I’m crazy. On stage and in videos etc the characters have costumes and play parts in the storyline.
The storyline is beyond traditional fantasy like:
”Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy
Ride on the wings of doom
Grant me the power to fight my foes
And defeat the lords of the moon.”
Lyrics: Gloryhammer, ”Gobling King of the Darkstorm Galaxy”.
With beyond traditional Scottish elements, such as ”Questlords of Inverness, ride to the galactic fortress!”.
The band was formed in 2010 by Chris Bowes (Alestorm etc) and he appears as the evil sorcerer Zargothrax on keyboard and backing vocals, lyrics, etc.
Other current members:
- Paul Templing, ”Ser Proletius”, guitars and backing vocals.
- Ben Turk, ”Ralathor”, drums.
- James Cartwright, ”The Hootsman”, bass and backing vocals.
The hero Angus McFife XIII portrayed by, now former member, Thomas Winkler on vocals bringed more magic to the band than his legendary astral hammer.
I remember exactly where I was when I instantly became a Gloryhammer-fan. It was early autumn 2015 and an early morning on the bus to work that Spotify suggested music that I might like. “The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee” was a song-title too hilarious to say no to.
And it hit me right away with the same line as the title, “The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee” in a high-pitched very power metal note. The lyrics are just as hilarious as the title promises.
“Fireballs and lightning are raining from the sky
Chaos and bloodshed while all the people die
In this epic battle begins the final war
Tragedy will strike this day, prepare thee for The unicorn invasion of Dundee.”
Lyrics: Gloryhammer, ”The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee”
I have grown up with power metal-gods like Blind Guardian and Avantasia. Hansi Kürsch, Tobias Sammet and Jorn are three of my top ten favourite male vocalists. I title myself as a power metal-nerd but I’m very picky about vocalists. I´m not a huge fan of too much high-pitch and vibrato. Some depth too, thank you.
My first impression of Gloryhammer that September morning, which has lasted ever since, is that it makes sense that modern power metal evolved to sound like this. The very, very talented lead vocalist in Thomas Winkler was the key for me to fall in love with the songs and play them over and over on repeat. And the double bass drums, of course.
If you ever tried to follow Winklerd notes through all the songs, which I have and can well warmed up singing in my car, you find a huge range often in the same songs.
“His voice spans more than four octaves and is claimed to be made of a star nucleus.”
Thomas Winklers website.
I love vocal coaches reactions on songs and The Charismatic Voice, professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, is a favorit.
With lyrics that often fall over the edge of mocking traditional fantasy parts that you often find in this genre, you need to sound like you mean and believe in every line. You need to have the ambition to overachieve in every part if you don’t want to end up entirely as a joke.
If you just listen to all the parts not including lyrics and vocals you find a sound of a more traditional power metal band. But with Gloryhammers lyrics you really, really need a vocalist that gives his/her all for every word and note.
If Gloryhammer had not been presented by Winklers vocals I probably would just have turned it off.
Yes, a band is usually a band with members doing their part and should be equally important. But let’s be honest, all bands aren’t Rammstein with the same lineup of members since the beginning. Whatever you have to say about Rammstein, I´m a big fan, they have declared that their music making process always is democratic. That’s pretty unic I´d say. But you can also easily make the assumption that democracy within a band is a hard task to achieve. If you’ve ever been in a group activity with many opinions about directions you know. Not easy to find a united way of doing things.
When Nightwish parted from Tarja in 2005 I was heartbroken. Today I really love that the band survived. I love that you can have the earlier songs with Tarja as the original vocalist and Floors live versions of them, and later songs with Floor as full member and lead vocalist. Luxury, I call that. Two true queens!
I want to mention Lordi. I was a fan before that epic win in Eurovision 2006. Lordi supported Nightwish when the Once-tour came to Stockholm in 2004 and I was hooked. Lordi is also a conceptional band. Members have shifted since the band was formed. But, new members have got new characters. For example Enary was replaced by Awa, and Awa was later replaced by Hella on keyboards.
In Gloryhammers first post stating that Winkler no longer was a member they mentioned that planned shows later this year will take place with a new vocalist. Well, this time I’m very skeptical about Gloryhammers survival without Winkler on the vocals. Very.
I think the band’s theoretical chances of survival depend on a solution like Lordi. A new vocalist needs a new character than Angus McFife XIII. For the glory of Dundee the prince of Fife needs to rest in peace.
”To defeat the power of the sorcerer
The Prince of Fife must Die
To save the galaxy
It is your mighty destiny Brave Angus McFife”.
Lyrics: Gloryhammer, ”The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny”
But in that quoted lyrics from the song that ends Gloryhammers latest album you also finds:
”In the fires of ancient cosmic destiny,
Evil will rise,
And of all the legendary warriors,
None will survive”
Lyrics: Gloryhammer, ”The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny”
It feels like a proper way to mention the bigger issue that have been arising in the aftermath of Sunday 22 August. ”None will survive”, seems to be the fate of Gloryhammer as a band. Issues bigger than by e-mail let a member go.
Screenshots from a group chat between members in Gloryhammer has leaked and spread in social media. The truth in situations like this when bands fall apart tends to stay in the dark. I really did not expect the band to admit that the awful racist and misogyny group chat between members is legit.
But yesterday, September 3, statements were made both on Gloryhammers official Facebook page and by Chris Bowes individually. Something that Loudwire covered, among others.
To my fans, my friends, and anyone else who has had the misfortune of having to read what I said, I must apologise. From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry. Words cannot express how remorseful I am to have hurt you with my actions.
Today I want to take full responsibility for this whole situation, on behalf of everyone in Gloryhammer. I’ve let you all down, massively. I can’t imagine the pain some of you must be feeling reading the racist, misogynistic, and frankly horrific things I’d said in conversations with my bandmates.
Excerpt from Chris Bowe’s statement, September 3.
The conversations in the leaked group chat took place in August 2017 and is after all legit.
Some fans probably will stay as fans of the music. Some may separate the members private and professional business. Some will not.
Fans like myself don´t come for free. Over the last 2 weeks I have been thinking a lot about what situations like this means for my love of music. Obviously I have loved this band. But what should I feel now? What should I as a fan do now? I do not want to support a band that stands for the terrible values that have emerged from the leaked group chat, how many times and ways the involved apologises.
Can I say that I’m okay with what all the musicians I like do or stand for? Can I say that all of them match my own moral standard?
I really want to think they do. But no. Usually I do not know what all the musicians I like do or stand for privately. But when such information as the case for Gloryhammer is presented in broad daylight a fan like me have a choice. You have a chance to think about your moral standards and if you can let it go and still love the music that always make you feel so good.
In my opinion Gloryhammer has always been fun and I feel that it was the purpose for the band. Fun escapism. Like Angry Metal Guy wrote in his rewiew of Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards:
”… at the always giving Galactic Well of Unicorn Jokes: “Like tears of a unicorn lost in the rain…” There are, literally, 9 songs of this stuff and hit (“Legend of the astral hammer!”) after hit (“In the dwarven caverns beneath the mighty citadel of Dundee…”), I giggle like an Angry Metal School Girl.”
Angry metal guy, review of Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards.
Now it is very hard to feel that Gloryhammer is fun.
Now I know exactly when I instantly became a former fan of Gloryhammer. After six years the band is not ”Masters of the Universe” for me anymore.
”Fly high through apocalypse skies
Fight for the world we must save
Like tears of a unicorn lost in the rain
Chaos will triumph this day
Apocalypse 1992”
Lyrics: Gloryhammer, ”Apocalypse 1992”
It seems like chaos led to an apocalypse for a band that could have been so glorious, and it breaks my f*cking power metal heart.
