Angus McSix
Copenhell - 2023
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
In 2021 Thomas Winkler parted ways with Gloryhammer, the rumours and politics we won’t enter into here. What might be worth noting however, is that in said band his moniker was Angus McFife (sounding slightly like five, yes?), and already in 2022 Winnkler was up and running again with a new band, now under the name of Angus McSix - one better!
Winkler has been public about being hurt by the split, but I like that he’s addressed it in his work life with a wink in his eye and a smile on his lips. He himself describes it best in the first single and opening track of the first full-length album of the new band, Master Of The Universe:
“Fallen hero, a legend I’m now reborn
Glory left my hammer
But now I wield a sword
…
I got stabbed through my old armour made of leather
But guess who’s back - one better!”
- Thomas ‘Angus McSix, Starlord of the Sixtus Stellar System’ Winkler (vocals)
Look, there’s no two ways about this - Angus McSix and Gloryhammer clearly operate within the same D&D style universe thematically, and musically they’re really not far separated either, if at all. So in the end, it’ll all come down to presentation, who brings the strongest material, and given the performative nature of both entities, who has the most fun live shows. Of course, there’s also the option of accepting that there’s space enough for both of them, but that wouldn’t be the die hard fan approach, now would it?
So, did Angus McSix deliver? We saw what Gloryhammer’s new incarnation had to offer at last year’s Copenhell, and you can read about that elsewhere on the site. Now it was time for Winkler and his merry band of warriors to step up and show their worth.
Like with the album, the show opened with Master Of The Universe, and the cool thing about this is that each musician/character got their own introduction. We already know of Winkler of course, but with him was Manuel Lotter / Skaw! Buff Berserker from the North (ex-Rhapsody Of Fire) on drums, Thalìa Bellazecca / Thalestris, Queen of the Lazer-Amazons of Caledonia (Æxylium) on guitar, and Sebastian ‘Seeb’ Levermann / Arch Demon Seebulon, The Origin of all Evil (Orden Ogan) also on guitar. At first it confused me that the band didn’t have a bassist or keyboard player, but apparently Levermann handles both of these duties as well when in the studio - still, it would have been nice to have someone fill the roles live.
The show was fun and filled with crazy antics, stunts, and silly jokes; pretty much what one would expect and hope for. It was interesting to see that some of the Gloryhammer tropes followed with Winkler in this new setting, like the classic crowdsurf to the bar to return a beer for a band member - instead of The Hootsman though, it was Bellazecca that received the beer here, and sipped it down over time instead of pouring it down in one go like the aforementioned creature. Also, and this is very important!, Angus McSix provided an inflated unicorn, or Plastic Pegasus of Steel as they called it, to do the crowd surfing on, and that was quite the upgrade!
The music, of which I didn’t know much beforehand, proved to be another plus for this orchestra. When it comes to this type of thing, there’s no such thing as overdoing the cheese. Cheddar, mozzarella, feta; it’s all welcome! Angus McSix handled the cheese grater pretty well I must say, but there were a few tracks that really stood out for me, like Laser-Shooting Dinosaur, Ride To Hell, and the (extra)humorously titled Just A Fool Will Play Tricks On Angus McSix, all of which were also top-tier sing-along anthems.
Despite it raining through the show, and the band being forced into a short break after Lotter hammered a stick right through his snare (he’s not called Buff Berserker for nothing!), Angus McSix delivered one extremely fun and uplifting performance here on the final day of Copenhell 2023. If one has to choose sides, I’d rather see Angus McSix again in the future - they just had that extra layer of cheese on them, which made them that more fun to hang out with.
And if you have no other proof than this, Gloryhammer’s Sozos Michael has been dubbed Angus McFife II, and Winkler is Angus McSix - that’s four points better right there!
Setlist:
Master Of The Universe
Sixcalibur
Starlord Of The Sixtus Stellar System
Laser-Shooting Dinosaur
Amazons Of Caledonia
Fireflies Of Doom
Eternal Warriors
In A Past Reality
Just A Fool Will Play Tricks On Angus McSix
Ride To Hell
Winkler has been public about being hurt by the split, but I like that he’s addressed it in his work life with a wink in his eye and a smile on his lips. He himself describes it best in the first single and opening track of the first full-length album of the new band, Master Of The Universe:
“Fallen hero, a legend I’m now reborn
Glory left my hammer
But now I wield a sword
…
I got stabbed through my old armour made of leather
But guess who’s back - one better!”
- Thomas ‘Angus McSix, Starlord of the Sixtus Stellar System’ Winkler (vocals)
Look, there’s no two ways about this - Angus McSix and Gloryhammer clearly operate within the same D&D style universe thematically, and musically they’re really not far separated either, if at all. So in the end, it’ll all come down to presentation, who brings the strongest material, and given the performative nature of both entities, who has the most fun live shows. Of course, there’s also the option of accepting that there’s space enough for both of them, but that wouldn’t be the die hard fan approach, now would it?
So, did Angus McSix deliver? We saw what Gloryhammer’s new incarnation had to offer at last year’s Copenhell, and you can read about that elsewhere on the site. Now it was time for Winkler and his merry band of warriors to step up and show their worth.
Like with the album, the show opened with Master Of The Universe, and the cool thing about this is that each musician/character got their own introduction. We already know of Winkler of course, but with him was Manuel Lotter / Skaw! Buff Berserker from the North (ex-Rhapsody Of Fire) on drums, Thalìa Bellazecca / Thalestris, Queen of the Lazer-Amazons of Caledonia (Æxylium) on guitar, and Sebastian ‘Seeb’ Levermann / Arch Demon Seebulon, The Origin of all Evil (Orden Ogan) also on guitar. At first it confused me that the band didn’t have a bassist or keyboard player, but apparently Levermann handles both of these duties as well when in the studio - still, it would have been nice to have someone fill the roles live.
The show was fun and filled with crazy antics, stunts, and silly jokes; pretty much what one would expect and hope for. It was interesting to see that some of the Gloryhammer tropes followed with Winkler in this new setting, like the classic crowdsurf to the bar to return a beer for a band member - instead of The Hootsman though, it was Bellazecca that received the beer here, and sipped it down over time instead of pouring it down in one go like the aforementioned creature. Also, and this is very important!, Angus McSix provided an inflated unicorn, or Plastic Pegasus of Steel as they called it, to do the crowd surfing on, and that was quite the upgrade!
The music, of which I didn’t know much beforehand, proved to be another plus for this orchestra. When it comes to this type of thing, there’s no such thing as overdoing the cheese. Cheddar, mozzarella, feta; it’s all welcome! Angus McSix handled the cheese grater pretty well I must say, but there were a few tracks that really stood out for me, like Laser-Shooting Dinosaur, Ride To Hell, and the (extra)humorously titled Just A Fool Will Play Tricks On Angus McSix, all of which were also top-tier sing-along anthems.
Despite it raining through the show, and the band being forced into a short break after Lotter hammered a stick right through his snare (he’s not called Buff Berserker for nothing!), Angus McSix delivered one extremely fun and uplifting performance here on the final day of Copenhell 2023. If one has to choose sides, I’d rather see Angus McSix again in the future - they just had that extra layer of cheese on them, which made them that more fun to hang out with.
And if you have no other proof than this, Gloryhammer’s Sozos Michael has been dubbed Angus McFife II, and Winkler is Angus McSix - that’s four points better right there!
Setlist:
Master Of The Universe
Sixcalibur
Starlord Of The Sixtus Stellar System
Laser-Shooting Dinosaur
Amazons Of Caledonia
Fireflies Of Doom
Eternal Warriors
In A Past Reality
Just A Fool Will Play Tricks On Angus McSix
Ride To Hell
Angus McSix
