Releasedate: 29-03-2013; Label: Napalm Records
\nBy: Martine Goffard<\/i><\/small><\/p>\n
Gloryhammer is the new band of Alestorm\u2019s Christopher Bowes. When I saw that the musician who had made himself famous with his pirate metal had created a new band, I thought that maybe it was a more mature project with deep musical creations, which is not impossible at all in power metal. Everyone change with time and Bowes, we must admit, has real talent for playing. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a euphemism to say that this new project is a deception. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I am a true fan of power metal but I have standards. Like Swashbuckle creating some down-market Alestorm, Gloryhammer is a shameless parody of Luca Turilli\u2019s creations. Rhapsody (of Fire), a real \u201cepic\u201d band, has always created inspired sagas with deep stories and impressive music. Of course, the unicorns, elves and dragons are a bit cheesy but it is part of the magic. Here, Bowes takes exactly the same schema, elements and details (and titles parts!!) but pushes it to the caricature and wrap it with two layers of cotton candy that make your teeth (and your ears) bleed. The pseudo allusion to the Scottish\/Celtic folklore is there only to mark the difference. <\/p>\n
Don\u2019t let yourself be fooled by the profusion of sounds, it\u2019s the music version of Transformers\u2019 CGI, it\u2019s the addictive sugar in the burger sauce. Gloryhammer carries in its essence the same flaw as Alestorm. It\u2019s a party band. Alestorm can make you smile because it has the honesty to talk about pirates, which means clearly \u201cWenches & Mead\u201d and when they arrived on the metal scene, the theme was very original. With Gloryhammer I say \u201cenough\u201d. Enough of these bands who have as sole objective to encourage their public to drink like pigs. Whatever the genre of metal you represent, you are there to deliver a message, a music, a story or at least a feeling. If the only emotion you share has for objective to increase the sales of beer and rum labels, you should seriously question yourself as an artist. Surfing on that wave of the \u201cparty music\u201d some bands and artists have evolved for the worst. The only sound I hear today when I listen to Korpiklaani it\u2019s the noise of the cash register. Bowes has not even the excuse to have produced an inspired first album. The respect I have for Turilli and for thousands of talented musicians who don\u2019t have the media coverage granted to Bowes makes that this music fills me with deep disgust. The Napalm machine has created a new monster, without a brain, without a soul. Avoid “Tales from the Kingdom of Fife” at all costs! <\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/i61.photobucket.com\/albums\/h52\/tempelores\/Gloryhammer_-_Tales_From_The_Kingdom_Of_Fife_cover_zps8d149121.jpg\")
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