Album Stats

• The 4th full-length album from Gloryhammer
• 48 minutes and 16 seconds
• 10 tracks
• Power Metal
• Released by Napalm Records
• Released on 01/06/2023

Review

Some bands maintain a single line-up throughout their careers, relying on solid bonds between bandmates to keep the outfit cohesive. Other bands are more fluid, losing and gaining members on a regular basis. This is not a bad thing. Bad Religion have had multiple line-up changes in their forty years together. Queen continue to tour with new singers in the wake of Freddie Mercury’s death. The Killers have both a touring line-up and a recording line-up. When band members change, so does the music. Sometime sits for the better, sometimes for the worse. To be quiet honest, many bands could replace a drummer or guitarist and I would be none the wiser. I listen to music largely for the vocals. So you can easily imagine how severe a shock to the system it is when a band replaces their lead singer.

With the departure of Thomas Winkler, Sozos Michael steps into the role of frontman. While Winkler’s iconic vocals can never be duplicated, Michael is arguably the better singer. Certainly there’s a newfound clarity to the vocals. I’m not entirely sure if he’s playing the same character as the previous Angus McFife (though to be fair, the storyline is hardly the point of these albums) but there is a very different feel to the album. Michael’s vocal range is great, especially on the higher end, and it feels as though the band as a whole have shifted into a more musical mode. There are still unfortunately long voiceover sections, but Return to the Kingdom of Fife allows all band members to stretch themselves. This isn’t just about showcasing the new lead singer, it’s about reasserting the band’s identity in the wake of a line-up change.

The downside of this experimentality is that not every song is a winner. In fact, there are more misses than hits. To be fair, this has been the case with previous Gloryhammer albums too, so there is at least a sense of continuity in that regard. ‘Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol’ is particularly guilty of instrumentals outstaying their welcome, while ‘Maleficus Geminus: Colossus Matrix 38B – Ultimate Invocation of the Binary Thaumaturge’ falls into the classic power metal trap of being far too long for its own good. As you can tell, the track names are also needlessly long, and self-indulgent to the point of ridiculousness.

But when the songs do hit the mark, they hit it hard. ‘Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernathy’ is a fist-pumping riot of great music and soaring vocals, while ‘Brotherhood of Crail’ boasts the strongest narrative on the album alongside Michael giving it his all as the centrepiece of the reformed band. And even the weakest songs have their moments. This is an album replete with catchy lyrics and infectious melodies.

Return to the Kingdom of Fife isn’t going to change anyone’s minds on Gloryhammer, but it shows there’s life in the old dogs yet.