Gloryhammer
Metal Hammer Paradise - 2024
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
While the day had had a rather serious tone so far, with bands like Moonspell, Dark Tranquillity, and Evergrey to name but a few, it had also had a fun streak with Pyogenesis.
All this, however, was about to be thrown to the side for a dose of full-blown silliness. Yes, Gloryhammer was about to enter the Maximum Metal Stage.
“It’s been five long years since Gloryhammer visited Metal Hammer Paradise! Is everyone looking forward to Accept? There’s only one thing I want you to look forward to, and that’s the power of Hoots!”
- James ‘The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst’ Cartwright (bass)
I’m not going to lie, Gloryhammer had without comparison the most advanced and the wildest stage decor of all the bands we saw here. There was a complete medieval castle with turrets and all - that was impressive, not gonna lie! The only problem this imposing building created was that it was pretty darned hard to see Ben ‘Ralathor, The Mysterious Submarine Commander of Cowdenbeath’ Turk and his drums behind the castle gate.
Something I did see surprised me however, and that was that they had replaced their keyboard player for a second guitarist - it took me a little while to realize that it was actually still Mike ‘Zargorath, Dark Emperor of Dundee’ Barber, who had just switched instruments. It became him to do so, I must say, because it freed him up to use the stage much more freely, something he took the fullest advantage of. He was in fact the liveliest person on the stage, as far as I could tell. Sozos ‘Angus McFife II’ Michael also worked hard, whereas Paul ‘Ser Proletius, Grand Master of the Deathknights of Crail’ Templing and The Hootsman mostly looked tired and uninterested.
In all honesty, it looked like the crowd was way more into this gig than the band was. They had shown up ready with inflated unicorns, plastic swords, and most importantly, a whole lot of energy. They were loudly chanting ‘Hoot’ between songs, they were crowdsurfing, and they were gladly singing along whenever McFife II invited them to do so - and yes, also when not invited.
For all their efforts however, they were given a Gloryhammer which on all accounts seemed less than normal. There were show staples, like the ritual fetching of the beer, that were missing, and the goblin action was kept to a minimum, although it was appreciated when it was there, like when he showed up to play a solo on an inflated saxophone during Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol. Worst of all though, it seemed like the band had completely lost sight of the fact that they are a silly band - this humour only works as long as it’s played with a wink and a nudge from everyone involved, and honestly, it seemed like the band was working under the miscomprehension that what they were doing was cool, which of course made the whole thing fall flat.
Despite being highly appreciated by the crowd, I’d have to say that Gloryhammer dished one of the least interesting shows at Metal Hammer Paradise. They were, as mentioned, only a shadow of their own prior self. If they are trying to reinvent themselves as a more serious act, I can only ask that they don’t; that’s not the place this kind of thing lives and thrives in. If not, maybe they were just having a seriously off day?
Setlist:
Delilah (Tom Jones song)
Incoming Transmission
Holy Flaming Hammer Of Unholy Cosmic Frost
The Land Of Unicorns
Fly Away
Angus McFife
Questlords Of Inverness, Ride To The Galactic Fortress!
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss song)
Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol
Gloryhammer
Fife Eternal
Masters Of The Galaxy
Goblin King Of The Darkstorm Galaxy
The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
Keepers Of The Celestial Flame Of Abernathy
Universe On Fire
Hootsforce
The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee
The National Anthem Of Unst
Rockin’ All Over The World (Status Quo song)
All this, however, was about to be thrown to the side for a dose of full-blown silliness. Yes, Gloryhammer was about to enter the Maximum Metal Stage.
“It’s been five long years since Gloryhammer visited Metal Hammer Paradise! Is everyone looking forward to Accept? There’s only one thing I want you to look forward to, and that’s the power of Hoots!”
- James ‘The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst’ Cartwright (bass)
I’m not going to lie, Gloryhammer had without comparison the most advanced and the wildest stage decor of all the bands we saw here. There was a complete medieval castle with turrets and all - that was impressive, not gonna lie! The only problem this imposing building created was that it was pretty darned hard to see Ben ‘Ralathor, The Mysterious Submarine Commander of Cowdenbeath’ Turk and his drums behind the castle gate.
Something I did see surprised me however, and that was that they had replaced their keyboard player for a second guitarist - it took me a little while to realize that it was actually still Mike ‘Zargorath, Dark Emperor of Dundee’ Barber, who had just switched instruments. It became him to do so, I must say, because it freed him up to use the stage much more freely, something he took the fullest advantage of. He was in fact the liveliest person on the stage, as far as I could tell. Sozos ‘Angus McFife II’ Michael also worked hard, whereas Paul ‘Ser Proletius, Grand Master of the Deathknights of Crail’ Templing and The Hootsman mostly looked tired and uninterested.
In all honesty, it looked like the crowd was way more into this gig than the band was. They had shown up ready with inflated unicorns, plastic swords, and most importantly, a whole lot of energy. They were loudly chanting ‘Hoot’ between songs, they were crowdsurfing, and they were gladly singing along whenever McFife II invited them to do so - and yes, also when not invited.
For all their efforts however, they were given a Gloryhammer which on all accounts seemed less than normal. There were show staples, like the ritual fetching of the beer, that were missing, and the goblin action was kept to a minimum, although it was appreciated when it was there, like when he showed up to play a solo on an inflated saxophone during Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol. Worst of all though, it seemed like the band had completely lost sight of the fact that they are a silly band - this humour only works as long as it’s played with a wink and a nudge from everyone involved, and honestly, it seemed like the band was working under the miscomprehension that what they were doing was cool, which of course made the whole thing fall flat.
Despite being highly appreciated by the crowd, I’d have to say that Gloryhammer dished one of the least interesting shows at Metal Hammer Paradise. They were, as mentioned, only a shadow of their own prior self. If they are trying to reinvent themselves as a more serious act, I can only ask that they don’t; that’s not the place this kind of thing lives and thrives in. If not, maybe they were just having a seriously off day?
Setlist:
Delilah (Tom Jones song)
Incoming Transmission
Holy Flaming Hammer Of Unholy Cosmic Frost
The Land Of Unicorns
Fly Away
Angus McFife
Questlords Of Inverness, Ride To The Galactic Fortress!
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss song)
Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol
Gloryhammer
Fife Eternal
Masters Of The Galaxy
Goblin King Of The Darkstorm Galaxy
The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
Keepers Of The Celestial Flame Of Abernathy
Universe On Fire
Hootsforce
The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee
The National Anthem Of Unst
Rockin’ All Over The World (Status Quo song)