Gloryhammer (often stylized in all capital letters as GLORYHAMMER) is a British
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
band founded by keyboardist Christopher Bowes, lead vocalist of the band
Alestorm
Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists o ...
. Each member of the band represents a character in the story concept. The band appears on-stage in armour and costumes to represent their respective characters.
Napalm Records
Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...
on 29 March, 2013. Prior to the release of the album, the single "Angus McFife" was released through the Napalm's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel on 7 March 2013.
The band released videos on Napalm's channel for "Universe on Fire" on 8 August 2015 and "Rise of The Chaos Wizards" on 11 September 2015. On the 25 September, 2015, Gloryhammer released their second studio album titled '' Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards'' with which the band entered the official album charts in several countries, followed by tours with bands such as
Stratovarius
Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...
,
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.HammerFall
HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.
History
Early days (1993–1996)
HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremonial ...
.
On 16 May 2017, Gloryhammer was nominated as best band in the category "Up & Coming" of the Metal Hammer Awards 2017 by the German edition of international music magazine
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
. In 2018, the band was nominated again in the same category.
In January 2018, the band did a headlining tour across Europe, consisting of 24 shows in a row.
In September 2018, they toured with Alestorm through
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
for the first time, playing 19 shows in the USA and Canada.thomaswinkler.net Legendary Tourdates of Glory
On 30 January 2019, the band's official Facebook page announced the album ''
Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex
''Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex'' is the third studio album by Anglo-Swiss symphonic power metal band Gloryhammer. It was released on 31 May 2019. It is the final album to feature vocalist Thomas Winkler.
Story
After Earth was ...
'',facebook.com INCOMING TRANSMISSION /ref> which was released on 31 May 2019. The band released two singles, "Gloryhammer" on 12 April 2019 and "The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)" on 10 May 2019, through the Napalm YouTube.
Following the album's release was the band's first North American tour as headliners in June with Æther Realm as support.
On 22 August 2021, Gloryhammer announced that Thomas Winkler had exited the band. Winkler addressed the situation, stating he was fired via an email that cited the band's reasons for his departure as disagreements on business and organizational matters. In December, Sozos Michael was introduced as the new singer of the band. They released their first single with Michael as lead singer, titled "Fly Away," on 28 April 2022.
Controversy
Shortly after Gloryhammer announced that Winkler had been asked to leave the band, a former romantic partner of bassist James Cartwright alleged that Cartwright had abused her over a five-year period. In addition, a Twitter account named "GloryhammerC" posted screenshots of what appeared to be an internal chat from 2017, between the members of the group that showed misogynist and racist behavior along with several racial slurs. Bassist Vincent Jackson Jones, who collaborated with Gloryhammer keyboardist Chris Bowes in the band Wizardthrone, released a statement on 26 August 2021 distancing himself professionally from Bowes and urging Bowes to make his own statement; at the time, none of Gloryhammer's members had made public comments on the issue. On 5 September 2021, Bowes and the rest of the band later released statements, admitting the leaked chat was true and apologizing for the racist and misogynist remarks. However they also stated that the claims regarding Cartwright and the alleged abuse were false.
Members
Current members
*
Christopher Bowes
Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists o ...
(Zargothrax) – keyboards, backing vocals (2010–present)
*Ben Turk (Ralathor) – drums (2010–present)
*Paul Templing (Ser Proletius) – guitars, backing vocals (2010–present)
*James Cartwright (The Hootsman) – bass, backing vocals (2010–present)
*Sozos Michael (Angus McFife) – lead vocals (2021–present)
Current touring members
* Michael Barber – keyboards (2016–present)
Former members
* Gareth Murdock – guitars (2010)
* Anthony Trimming – vocals (2010)
* Thomas Winkler (Angus McFife XIII) – lead vocals (2011–2021)
Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex
''Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex'' is the third studio album by Anglo-Swiss symphonic power metal band Gloryhammer. It was released on 31 May 2019. It is the final album to feature vocalist Thomas Winkler.
Story
After Earth was ...
'' (2019)
Tours
* June 2013 - Netherlands show with Magnetron.
* September - October 2013 - "The Epic Tour of Furious Thunder" European tour with Darkest Era and Dendera.
* April - May 2014 - Australian Tour supported by Lagerstein.
* December 2014 - "The Unicorn Invasion of Europe" European tour with Shear and
Twilight Force
Twilight Force is a Swedish symphonic power metal band known for their highly fantastical lyrics and LARP-style outfits which the band performs onstage in. The band's main lyrical themes are based on the lore of a fictional world known as The Twi ...
.
* October - November 2015 - "Eternal World Tour 2015" with
Stratovarius
Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...
and supported by Divine Ascension.
* May 2016 - "Beyond the Red Mirror Tour: Part II" supporting
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.
* January - February 2017 - "
Hammerfall
HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.
History
Early days (1993–1996)
HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremonial ...
: Built to Tour 2017" with
Hammerfall
HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.
History
Early days (1993–1996)
HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremonial ...
and supported by Lancer.
* January 2018 - "European Tour MMXVII" European tour with
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
and supported by Dendera.
* September 2018 - American tour supporting
Alestorm
Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists o ...
.
* June 2019 - "North American Galactic Terrortour" North American tour with Æther Realm.
* October 2019 - "Intergalactic Terrortour" UK tour with Beast in Black and supported by
Wind Rose
A wind rose is a graphic tool used by meteorologists to give a succinct view of how wind speed and direction are typically distributed at a particular location. Historically, wind roses were predecessors of the compass rose (found on charts), as ...
.
* November - December 2019 - "The Sacrament of Sin Tour 2019" with
Powerwolf
Powerwolf, often stylized as POWERWOLF, is a German power metal band founded in 2003 in SaarbrĂĽcken by members of Red Aim. The band consists of vocalist Karsten Brill as "Attila Dorn", lead guitarist Benjamin Buss as "Matthew Greywolf", bassist/ ...
.
* January - February 2020 - "European Galactic Terrortour" European tour with
Nekrogoblikon
Nekrogoblikon is an American melodic death metal band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 2006, by Tim Lyakhovetskiy and Nicky Calonne. The band has released five full-length albums, ''Goblin Island'', ''Stench'', ''Heavy Me ...