Gloryhammer
Copenhell - 2022
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
Fun was apparently the name of the game on the opening day of Copenhell this year, with that one exception that fell completely through.
To get things back on track, the festival had to bring out the big guns, and in this context, the gun had a distinct hammer-like shape.
“Copenhell! We are Gloryhammer from another dimension! We are so happy to be here in the land of bacon and Lego bricks!”
- Sozos ‘Angus McFife V’ Michael (vocals)
So, apparently Gloryhammer had acquired a new vocalist since the last time we saw them. Thomas Winkler was out, and in was … Tom Jones..? As long as we’re sticking with the Toms, I guess.
Yes, Gloryhammer opened their show with the classic track Delilah, with Tom Jones himself taking center stage! Well, alright, so Delilah was a taped intro, Tom Jones was a cardboard cutout, and Winkler was really out of the band, as we would soon discover. He had been replaced by Sozos Michael (I don’t know if that’s an Elton John situation or what), but apparently the name Angus McFife has passed on to this new incarnation, now only with a new numeral at the end - but why a lower number? To further this confusion, I hear Winkler is now touring by himself under the name Angus McSix, because Fife sounds like five, I suppose. Oh well.
The band had another taped intro in store, Into The Terrorvortex Of Kor-Virliath, which is the intro of their latest release, Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex, and thus is should come as no surprise that the opening track was none other than The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust) (those damned titles are giving me carpal tunnel syndrome!), the first real track from that very same album. Oddly, the band started playing without a keyboardist. Zargothrax, Dark Emperor of Dundee did show up eventually however, in the guise of Mike Barber, and just in time for his threatening speech to be applauded by the crowd. From here on out, things progressed in usual Gloryhammer manner, i.e. absolutely bonkers!
In Gloryhammer, the song that is, we saw a mighty fight between Michael and a space goblin, where McFife gained his namesake weapon, and during The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee, Michael had another mighty battle, this time against Barber, and as you can imagine, these were but a few of the silly things the band got up to.
“I know it’s only the first day of the festival, and you’re thinking “let’s go crazy”! One question - are you ready to party Gloryhammer style?!”
- James ‘The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst’ Cartwright (bass)
The Copenhell crowd clearly knew what they were in for, as they had come prepared with inflatable unicorns, unicorn onesies, watermelon helmets, and a truckload of energy! There was such a party going on, with crowdsurfers, moshers, and above all, people singing along and having fun, it was clear that the festival had made the right choice in bringing this band on when they did.
Admittedly, it does get too damned silly for me after a while, but I can’t deny the catchiness of the tunes, and the crowd absolutely loves the band. And the band rewards this love, both in their performance, but also by sticking around and throwing picks out for a loong freakin’ time, while the outros (yes, plural) plays out.
By this one show, I wasn’t completely won over from Winkler to Michael. Michael sings perfectly well, but his voice is also a tad generic, whereas Winkler has a more distinct tone.
It seems like he’s a good match for the band however, so we’ll just have to see how long the reign of Angus McFife V will last.
Also, it feels a bit weird to have Gloryhammer and Alestorm visit the same festival, but not have Christopher Bowes join Gloryhammer. I guess it was a scheduling conflict, as they weren’t playing the same day, but still. Oh well.
Setlist:
Delilah (Tom Jones song)
Into The Terrorvortex Of Kor-Virliath
The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
Gloryhammer
The Land Of Unicorns
Fly Away
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss song)
Hootsforce
Angus McFife
Universe On Fire
The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee
The National Anthem Of Unst
Rockin’ All Over The World (Status Quo song)
To get things back on track, the festival had to bring out the big guns, and in this context, the gun had a distinct hammer-like shape.
“Copenhell! We are Gloryhammer from another dimension! We are so happy to be here in the land of bacon and Lego bricks!”
- Sozos ‘Angus McFife V’ Michael (vocals)
So, apparently Gloryhammer had acquired a new vocalist since the last time we saw them. Thomas Winkler was out, and in was … Tom Jones..? As long as we’re sticking with the Toms, I guess.
Yes, Gloryhammer opened their show with the classic track Delilah, with Tom Jones himself taking center stage! Well, alright, so Delilah was a taped intro, Tom Jones was a cardboard cutout, and Winkler was really out of the band, as we would soon discover. He had been replaced by Sozos Michael (I don’t know if that’s an Elton John situation or what), but apparently the name Angus McFife has passed on to this new incarnation, now only with a new numeral at the end - but why a lower number? To further this confusion, I hear Winkler is now touring by himself under the name Angus McSix, because Fife sounds like five, I suppose. Oh well.
The band had another taped intro in store, Into The Terrorvortex Of Kor-Virliath, which is the intro of their latest release, Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex, and thus is should come as no surprise that the opening track was none other than The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust) (those damned titles are giving me carpal tunnel syndrome!), the first real track from that very same album. Oddly, the band started playing without a keyboardist. Zargothrax, Dark Emperor of Dundee did show up eventually however, in the guise of Mike Barber, and just in time for his threatening speech to be applauded by the crowd. From here on out, things progressed in usual Gloryhammer manner, i.e. absolutely bonkers!
In Gloryhammer, the song that is, we saw a mighty fight between Michael and a space goblin, where McFife gained his namesake weapon, and during The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee, Michael had another mighty battle, this time against Barber, and as you can imagine, these were but a few of the silly things the band got up to.
“I know it’s only the first day of the festival, and you’re thinking “let’s go crazy”! One question - are you ready to party Gloryhammer style?!”
- James ‘The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst’ Cartwright (bass)
The Copenhell crowd clearly knew what they were in for, as they had come prepared with inflatable unicorns, unicorn onesies, watermelon helmets, and a truckload of energy! There was such a party going on, with crowdsurfers, moshers, and above all, people singing along and having fun, it was clear that the festival had made the right choice in bringing this band on when they did.
Admittedly, it does get too damned silly for me after a while, but I can’t deny the catchiness of the tunes, and the crowd absolutely loves the band. And the band rewards this love, both in their performance, but also by sticking around and throwing picks out for a loong freakin’ time, while the outros (yes, plural) plays out.
By this one show, I wasn’t completely won over from Winkler to Michael. Michael sings perfectly well, but his voice is also a tad generic, whereas Winkler has a more distinct tone.
It seems like he’s a good match for the band however, so we’ll just have to see how long the reign of Angus McFife V will last.
Also, it feels a bit weird to have Gloryhammer and Alestorm visit the same festival, but not have Christopher Bowes join Gloryhammer. I guess it was a scheduling conflict, as they weren’t playing the same day, but still. Oh well.
Setlist:
Delilah (Tom Jones song)
Into The Terrorvortex Of Kor-Virliath
The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
Gloryhammer
The Land Of Unicorns
Fly Away
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss song)
Hootsforce
Angus McFife
Universe On Fire
The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee
The National Anthem Of Unst
Rockin’ All Over The World (Status Quo song)
Gloryhammer
